But That’s What I Do

I told you the story about Bill and why his attitude of “But that’s what I do!” left an important impression on me and ultimately led to his demise at the company.

Author’s Note: Wow. Now, with several years of writing these anecdotes under my belt, I would tell that story quite differently. But that’s part of what we’re doing here. We’re progressing in public.

Whether it’s a younger colleague in your office, offshoring, or now AI, if you find yourself thinking or saying out loud, “But that’s what I do,” it’s probably time to start thinking differently.

What is the moat you’ve built around your role?

Generate ideas. See bottlenecks. Strive for better. Help others. Try new ways. Change roles. Orchestrate and coordinate. Understand why. Create value. Be human.

In the age of AI, these are good moats.