Reid Hoffman has always been interested in improving people’s ecosystems, whether civic, education or economic. He has always had interest in finding ways to reach people and then change and improve their lives.
As an undergraduate at Stanford, Hoffman thought the way to accomplish his mission was to be an academic. As a graduate student studying philosophy at Oxford, he decided software entrepreneurship was the way to achieve his mission.
After learning much via a number of jobs and a number of years in and around Silicon Valley, Hoffman is now living his vision, mission and dreams… reaching millions of people and improving their lives.
According to the August 31, 2009 issue of Fortune Magazine, “With unemployment hovering around 10%, the subscriber rate at professional networking site LinkedIn has soared. In less than two years the number of users has grown from 14 million to 43 million.”
Some of Hoffman’s Tips for Success included in the Fortune Magazine article are:
- It’s OK To Be Brief. I try to be time-efficient by scheduling meetings in appropriate increments – 15 minutes or less sometimes. I’ve also tried to build a culture that understands writing brief emails is not emotional coldness.
- Be Willing To Change Course. Entrepreneurs tend to believe, “I’ve got my idea, I’ll go until I die.” But I advise them to take seriously the questions about whether their business plan is irredeemably flawed and whether they need to change what they’re doing. Be diligent about failing fast so that you don’t spend five years doing something that’s just going to fail.
- Don’t Be A Perfectionist. I frequently tell Internet entrepreneurs, “If you’re not somewhat embarrassed by your 1.0 product launch, then you’ve released too late.” There’s value in launching early, getting engaged with customers, and learning from them. That can direct your progress.
We have all heard this excellent advice before… in many different forms. The question is, am I and are you consistently implementing, measuring, following up, and living these priceless tips for personal and professional success?
Take five minutes from your extremely busy schedule to do something that is probably more important and will have a longer lasting positive impact on your life and career than anything you will do today or maybe in the next month or several months. Take five minutes to seriously reflect on the truly highly successful people within your life. I would wage good money that virtually each and every one of these highly successful people not only know, but also practice and live these success principles… It’s OK To Be Brief… Be Willing To Change Course… Don’t Be A Perfectionist.
Our greatest and most impactful teachers are almost always those people we most admire and respect. Learn from them! Be brief as often as possible. Be willing to change course when appropriate and needed. Don’t be a perfectionist.
Over time… and maybe every time… brevity, willingness to change and implementation before reaching perfection will trump the opposite.
Three great Tips for Success. If it’s to be it’s up to me… and now it’s up to you!
