Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and GP of Flex Capital, chats with Ben Casnocha, co-founder of Village Global. They dive into the dynamic world of career strategy, weighing the importance of personal connections against knowledge. Discover insights on spotting undiscovered talent and the serendipity of networking. They discuss the paradox of wealth and happiness, suggesting too much can detract from joy. Plus, learn how flexibility in career choices can lead to unexpected opportunities, all while keeping an eye on personal integrity and happiness.
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volunteer_activism ADVICE
Adaptability in Careers
Approach your career with adaptability and flexibility, like a startup.
Avoid rigid goal-setting and embrace unexpected opportunities.
insights INSIGHT
Optionality Paradox
Closing doors in the short term can open more in the long term.
Committing to a path, even if it seems to limit options, can lead to greater success.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Sheryl Sandberg's Career Path
Sheryl Sandberg's career path was unexpected, from public health to tech titan.
This demonstrates the importance of adaptability and embracing unforeseen opportunities.
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Auren Hoffman, CEO of SafeGraph and GP of Flex Capital, interviewed Ben Casnocha, Village Global co-founder and partner, on Auren's World of DaaS podcast. They are longtime friends and had a wide-ranging discussion on career strategy, evaluating founders, serendipity, wealth, and much more. We've cross-posted that conversation here.
Highlights:
The relevance of what you know vs. who you know has been a debate in the career strategy space for decades. Ben believes that the “what you know” is often dependent on the “who you know” because with the advent of the internet, public information is accessible to all but the insights that live in the heads of the smartest people are not shared widely and require a personal relationship with someone to be able to access that information.
Talent spotting is about finding value in the unexpected and recognizing the strengths in those who may not fit the typical mold. Sometimes people who have clear and obvious flaws in one area are overlooked by people who can’t see the brilliance beyond that particular flaw.
Certain seasons of life are good for maximizing for serendipity and taking random coffee meetings. The key is to know what season of life you are in and whether it’s better in the long-term at that moment to be maximizing for serendipity or not. The pendulum will swing back around at some point.
There’s a certain level of wealth where your wealth actually starts to detract from your level of happiness. Sometimes people are better served by aiming for a lower level of wealth in order to maximize for happiness.
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Check us out on the web at www.villageglobal.vc or get in touch with us on Twitter @villageglobal.
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