This Month’s Philosopher: Rob Varady, WG'14
To learn more about Rob, click here.
LIFE LESSONS
If I knew then what I know now, I would have...
tended the garden of my network better. Of course, there’s the obvious reason — having just completed a job search, I had to reactivate a cold network, which was intimidating, uncomfortable, and featured mixed results, predictably. As an aside, I’m grateful for the willingness of Wharton HCM loose connections to lean in and help out as members of a community and not solely as a personal favor to me. It’s part of why I’m inspired to help out with the WHCMAA. But beyond the obvious, I found myself more energized, more curious, and more informed as I actively engaged the network outside my job and even outside my field.
Also, I would have recognized that work is a constructed and a chosen environment. Your superhuman reserves won’t allow you to just absorb the impact of an energy vampire; it’s typically the other way around. Don’t be afraid of the rough patch you’ll kick off as you transition away from a toxic personality; you’re already in the worst part of the rough patch.
If I knew then what I know now, I would NOT have...
tried to be the smartest guy in the room. My first career was filled with a lot of academics-turned-finance types, so there was a lot of that going around, and it’s a pattern it took too long a time for me to unlearn. It’s a competition with all downsides and no real prize.
FAVORITE QUOTES
-
“If all else fails, immortality can be achieved through spectacular error.” ~ John Kenneth Galbraith
-
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.” ~ Mark Twain
-
“People will forget what you said, people forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou
RECOMMENDED READING
-
Never Search Alone by Phyl Terry
-
Who: The A Method for Hiring by Geoff Smart and Randy Street
-
Outside In: The Power of Putting Customers at the Center of your Business by Manning, et al.
Contact Rob at his LinkedIn Profile.