Play for the Front of the Jersey
VisitOne of my favorite sayings is “Play for the front of the jersey.”1 If you follow sports, you know what this means. The name of the team goes on the front of the jersey, and the name of the individual goes on the back.
In professional sports, playing for the front of the jersey requires sacrifice. It might mean fewer shots or less playing time. It might result in worse individual statistics, and in turn, lower earnings. Professional athletes often have to decide between doing what’s best for the team’s success or their individual success.
Many people assume this same kind of dynamic exists within startups. They wonder if they should do what’s best for their company or do what’s best for their career.
But this is a false choice. At a startup, being a me-first player is just a bad strategy. There are no individual statistics. Playing for the front of the jersey is the best way to play for the back of the jersey. The only thing that matters is playing for a winning team.
Think about it. You probably don’t know me. Yet you’re reading this. Somehow you care about what I have to say. Why?
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Whatever you’re solving for in your career, helping build winning teams is the best way to get it. In general, people optimize for some combination of three things in a job: (1) Compensation, (2) Title, or (3) Experience.
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If you’re an employee who wants to optimize your career, figure out what will make your company win. Then go do that. Over and over again. It will show up in your title and your compensation. And in terms of experience…helping build a winning company is the ride of a lifetime.