Earn your stripes

Early in my career, a friend pulled me aside with a simple piece of advice. As an ambitious person, you’re going to have a lot of ideas for things you want to change. But first, earn your stripes. Show your impact. Then use the influence that comes from that to make the changes you want. It is an idea I think about every time I’m in a new situation. Or often when watching someone else navigate one. The temptation in any new role is to lead with the wish list. To flag what’s broken, to push for what should be different, and to make your presence felt. And sometimes that instinct comes from a genuinely good place. Our fresh eyes help us clearly see things that are broken. Earning our stripes isn’t just about holding off on the asks. As we focus on impact, we start to understand the why behind how things are — and we have to understand why before we can thoughtfully ask why not. That process helps us separate the changes that matter from the noise. Our wish list inevitably gets shorter,…