Picking a Job

General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, came to the GSB to speak. Basically he gave us some cliche advice in life and then took questions for the audience. I'll be honest, I went to listen to the Q&A to pick up something spicy. Turns out the cliche advice was a bit more profound (Q&A wasn't bad either, but it didn't stick in my mind). Others seems to have gotten much more? My first impression is that this man, one of the most powerful in the world, is articulate, reasonable, and very thoughtful. Quite the contrary to his superiors (which is ironic after you read the next paragraph) - i.e. Rumsfeld and Bush.

Anyway, the last piece of advice was on how to pick a job. Basically, General Pace told us something that I have been telling my friends for a long time, especially those who are struggling with their current jobs. Pick a company where your values resonate with your CEOs. If they don't, pick another organization. The reason is simple: one's success depends on one's immediate managers. They have more experience and, if correctly matched and teamed together, will be a tandem (you and them) where the parts exceed the sum. If you cannot agree with the leaderships and managements, you will not be happy with yourself.

I think that made sense. I've always told my friends that if you don't like the job, quit. It's that simple. We are fortunate that we will never find ourselves unemployed for too long since our skills are highly valued. We have choices. Use them.