This weekend, I got the call that I’d been both expecting and dreading for the past few months.
A member of my family who’d been ailing for the last few months had passed. Even though we’d been expecting it, it’s always tough.
In the midst of rearranging my calls, meetings, and commitments for this week, I spent a lot of time thinking about the distinction between Resume Virtues and Eulogy Virtues.
Resume virtues are the things we cultivate for professional success.
Eulogy virtues are the things you would like to be remembered for.
These things are naturally pretty dissimilar.
Especially early in most careers, the things that lead to success (working harder, working longer, saving the company money, etc.) are diametrically opposed to the Eulogy virtues.
This includes virtues like strong relationships with family & friends; having a warm & generous spirit, and making people feel better, etc.
An early mentor of mine told me that the most lasting success comes from being able to find the places where Resume Virtues and Eulogy virtues overlap and to focus on those.
As is usually the case, the wisdom of the experienced was wasted on the young, but I’ve often thought back to that advice, and have seen myself make an almost 180-degree shift in my thinking so that now I’m spending much more of my time and effort trying to follow his advice.
I’ve noticed that my best clients seem to do this naturally.
They focus on the long term vs. the short term.
They focus on relationships instead of transactions.
They focus on creating value instead of getting the sale at all costs.
They’re always searching for the right fit with their clients, rather than unrestrained growth.
They spend as much time thinking about how to make their employees successful as they do about how to make their clients happy.
And in doing so, they’re enriching the lives of everybody around them.
Your Challenge For This Week:
Have an open and honest discussion with your management team and ask yourselves:
What are the top 5-7 things your company does that you're most proud of?
If I asked a sample of your customers to tell me the most positive things you do for them, would they give me the same list?
Or would they see things differently?
Best,
Noah
P.S. I was recently featured in a local magazine. The article was well written and has some great lines like, "His one-person operation, boasts a client roster that reads like a list of international capitalism Mad Libs!" Check out the article HERE.
