Quick note today to plant the seed of an idea I've always loved: The Tour of Duty.
https://x.com/Swizec/status/1825539727795310683
The Tour of Duty is a modern way to approach your career. Originally published by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, and a couple of business authors in 2013, the tour of duty is a way to reconcile two opposing ideas:
How can you change jobs as needed and still have A Career?
You own your career [name|], not your boss. I've talked about this in Own your career like an expert. Modern careers are not a straight line, they look like this:
The boss hires you to do a job, gives you a 4 year package, and everyone plays this little rah-rah-rah charade about how jobs are forever. But everyone understands there's a job to be done and that there might not be another after that.
Hoffman suggests a better idea: Don't do the charade part.
Have a conversation with your boss. What's the goal here? What were you hired to achieve? How will they know this is working? How will you know this is working?
Then set goals and check-in at appropriate intervals.
A good tour of duty sets higher level goals that take a few quarters or even years to achieve. When those goals are achieved, it's normal to shake hands and part ways. This is a successful outcome, not a failure. You did the thing! Now it's time go do the thing somewhere else.
You should read the whole HBR article. It's great.
Or if you prefer a podcast version, Hoffman talks about it here
Cheers,
~Swizec
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