johnmaconline

I had a discussion recently about whether a personal job interview still matters. You know…Moneyball. AI. Spectrum-adjacent super-billionaires in charge. Etc.

They are. But the reason might not be what you think it is. It’s not because “you can look someone in the eye and figure out what kind of person they really are.”

Useful team members have the adultiness quality.

They show up. They (attempt to) do what they say. They’re (mostly) honest. They know their limitations, but also will do their best even if they’re not the right person for this task. They get along with others. They share. If they don’t know, they find out. They put the team’s purpose ahead of their personal purpose. They know when to defer.

You might be saying, “Yes, of course.”

But what I’ve found is that not every human walking around in an adult body has the adultiness quality. In fact, dissappointingly few have it.

Adultiness doesn’t come across in a resume. AI can’t find it for you. No amount of keyword screening will uncover it.

The only way to find it is to have a conversation.

You should keep yourself informed of current events.

Why?

Because it’s good to know what’s going on the world.

Why?

Because it’s your civic responsibility.

Why?

Because then you can understand and empathize with others.

Ah. Finally, a worthy answer.

However, feasting on “current events” as they are served to us through the news, social media, and other media, is different than experiencing other people and other perspectives. If you want to understand and empathize with others, dig in past the headlines, sound bytes, and synopses.

Be careful with the high fructose corn syrup. In small quantities, no big deal. If it becomes your main source of nutrition, it’ll kill you.

What if each year looked a little different than your current year?

What if you deleted social media once a year?
What if you turned off the news once a year?
What if you trained for an endurance or strength event once a year?
What if you drove to somewhere you’d never been once a year?
What if you went on a spiritual retreat once a year?
What if you traveled by yourself once a year?
What if you volunteered to fix or build houses once a year?
What if you ran a charity fundraising event once a year?
What if you took a class once a year?
What if you ordered something new from the menu once a year?
What if you painted some part of your house once a year?
What if you planted and tended a garden once a year?
What if you changed your own oil once a year?
What if you decluttered your closet, office, or basement once a year?
What if you cleaned your email inbox once a year?
What if you audited your subscriptions once a year?
What if you wrote a year-in-review letter once a year?
What if you created a vision board once a year?
What if you wrote a gratitude list once a year?
What if you updated your resume once a year?
What if you updated your will and estate documents once a year?
What if you planned a lunch with former colleagues once a year?
What if you knocked one thing off your bucket list once a year?
What if you hosted an extended family holiday dinner once a year?
What if you tried a new hobby or art project once a year?

Change is possible. Little things can make a big difference if you do them every year.

What if each month looked a little different than your current months?

What if you donated $100 a month?
What if you invested $100 a month?
What if you took an art class once a month?
What if you volunteered at a community meal once a month?
What if you tutored at the local school once a month?
What if you served on a local board once a month?
What if you attended a networking event once a month?
What if you had lunch with your boss once a month?
What if you had lunch with a client once a month?
What if you took an overnight trip once a month?
What if you booked a speaking gig once a month?
What if you submitted an article once a month?
What if you ran a half-marathon once a month?
What if you fasted from food for 24 hours once a month?
What if you fasted from social media for 72 hours once a month?
What if you fasted from the news for 72 hours once a month?
What if you made dinner for a friend once a month?
What if you conducted a personal audit against goals once a month?
What if you attended a half-day workshop once a month?
What if you cleaned the garage once a month?
What if you cleaned your photo library once a month?

Change is possible. Little things can make a big difference if you do them every month.

What if each week looked a little different than your current weeks?

What if you cleaned out your car once a week?
What if you cleaned your desk once a week?
What if you balanced your checkbook once a week?

What if you paid for a stranger’s coffee once a week?
What if you went to a place of worship once a week?
What if you volunteered at the shelter once a week?

What if you prepped your meals once a week?
What if you ran 20 miles a week?
What if you cycled 40 miles a week?

What if you turned off social media once a week?
What if you had date night once a week?
What if you had coffee with a friend once a week?

What if you set your work priorities and goals once a week?
What if you tuned in to an industry webinar once a week?
What if you wrote a status report once a week?
What if you made 10 new LinkedIn connections a week?

Change is possible. Little things can make a big difference if you do them every week.

What if each day looked a little different than your current every day?

What if you woke up and went for a 3-mile walk outside?
What if you did 100 pushups and 300 air squats at lunch?
What if you did yoga in the evening while watching TV?

What if you read 5 pages of ancient text before you started work?
What if you meditated/prayed for 10 minutes at lunch?
What if you wrote in a journal each evening?

What if you ate your weight in protein throughout the day?
What if you made all of your meals and snacks from scratch?
What if you drank your coffee black?

What if you made your ToDo list before you opened your email?
What if you did the hardest task first?
What if you got back to that person you’ve been putting off?

What if you told a family member you loved them each morning?
What if you reached out to an old or new friend at lunch?
What if you thanked someone for something each night?

What if you wrote down 3 things you’re thankful for in the morning?
What if you wrote down 3 things you’re thankful for at lunch?
What if you wrote down 3 things you’re thankful for in the evening?

Change is possible. Little things can make a big difference if you do them every day.

You might want to be a VIP. You might envy or resent the VIPs. 

There are two kinds of VIPs in our world:

• People who are important.
• People who have the title.

People who are important are contributors. They give. They care. They assert. They make change happen. They participate. They help. 

The VIP title is a status system built by them. For them. Not you. It’s not about you. If you spend enough, you can become a titled VIP. If you hang around the right people, you can become a titled VIP. If you play by their rules, you can become a titled VIP.

Just remember, casinos don’t give the VIP title to the winners. Only the losers. 

If you want to be an important person, worry about what you’re contributing. Not the title. 

Your opportunity is coming up. A Stradavarius violin — the Joachim-Ma Stradavarius — is going up for auction soon. 

You’ll probably need somewhere between $12 and $18 million.

Here are some facts about Stradavarius and his violins:

• He lived from 1644 to 1737 in Cremona, Italy.
• This time period (late 17th to early 18th century) is considered the golden period of violin craftsmanship.
• He created 960 violins.
• Approximately 650 might still exist today, but 282 are known to exist. 
• 44 have their own Wikipedia pages. 
• The current record price paid for one of his violins is $15.9 million for the Lady Blunt Stradavarius in 2011.

What makes a Stradavarius so special?

(Capital “S”) Status.

Yes, one can discuss sound quality, craftsmanship, materials, artistic beauty, investment value, and historical significance. These may be true, but they’re in the eye of the beholder.

You’ll pay $12-18 million for a Stradavarius because of the way it will make you feel in relation to other humans. Only a certain subset of the population could even think about the purchase of a Strad. If you’re part of that sub-culture, a Strad helps make sense of how you see yourself and your place in the world.

“People like me own (do/say/care about) things like this.”

That’s a good lesson for anybody out there trying to make change in the world. We all care about status. 

Even those who don’t care about Status.  

Someone will win the Powerball (although not each time it’s drawn). Someone will (eventually) hit the progressive jackpot on the slot machines. Someone will win $50k on a scratch-off.

But it won’t be me, even if I play. It won’t be you, even if you play.

Someone’s gotta win is fine for entertainment purposes. A fine way to dream a little and play the “what if” game with yourself. A fine way to imagine winning without any work.

But it’s a terrible strategy.

Strategy is about making assertions and doing the work to prove or disprove them. “I think we can win if we go this way,” and then walking down that path. You’re better off spending your “what if” cycles on those paths.

Someone’s gotta win, but you’re better off not thinking about winning and, instead, doing the work.