Hello World. Welcome to Notes from the Field.
Your early career mentor for everything you didn't learn in school.
Nearly thirty years ago, well before the ubiquity of the internet, I raced three blocks to the mailbox every day for years.
This ritual was a daily connection to my father, who traveled long and far to advise large organizations on the latest management theories and complex project execution of the day.
It was when I was ten that my father, struck with the daily inspiration of the environments he was working in, began sending me postcards. Not your average vacation or destination postcard — no “wish you were here, the weather is beautiful” - but remarks on the topics he faced in his work, formed as a singular question on a white index card with a spectrum of potential responses, stamped and processed by his nearest post office.
Delivery of these postcards wasn’t consistent (through no fault of the postal service). They trickled in throughout the weeks and months he traveled. Perhaps this cadence reflected my father’s jolts of inspiration. Maybe it was a book or article he was reading at the time; maybe it was a direct interaction in a meeting or during a pitch; maybe it was witnessing a situation that could have been handled differently.
We never spoke of the postcards in those years, at least not directly. There was no quiz about my answers, nor explicit discussion of the topics and questions penned on these index cards. Instead, these postcards served to cultivate my ability to think critically and abstractly about who I am in my environment:
They informed, influenced, and evolved my understanding of what the “real world” looked like.
They grounded my personal ethics: what did I think, why did I think that way, was there a situation that could change my mind.
They jump-started the early years of my professional life and career path
And, most importantly, they kept my father and I connected in a meaningful way, no matter where we found ourselves in the world.
We’ve often revisited these postcards and added to them over the past ten years. Today, we find ourselves with more than two hundred critical questions (and growing) to prepare new professionals for the world of work. We’ve added our perspectives to answer these questions and invited additional collaborators to contribute their responses. And now, for the first time, we’re extending the same mentorship originally penned in these postcards to you as you embark on your career.
Our objectives are straight-forward:
To open a window into the world of work for the next generation, as that world evolves
To “mentor from the field”, with contributions, perspectives, and advice from a diverse range of collaborators, all with fifteen years or more experience in the working world
To coach the timeless skills everyone needs for work and life with practical direction, advice, and opportunities to learn
This isn’t a cookbook with instructions dictating what to do when. Instead, considering these provocative questions each week will help you to explore your thinking, values, environment, and considered responses, each unique to you and your circumstances. We provide a window into how others in the field respond - and their reasoning for their response - in a low-risk arena, all to develop and practice your critical reasoning skills.
What you should expect:
A weekly post on a key topic starting with a clear question – one that isn’t easily answered – and a clear framework for how to answer it
A diverse and inclusive environment for collaborative discussion on these key topics
A gentle push outside your comfort zone, into a learning and growth mindset (without overstepping into your “stupid zone”)
Like so much of life, you will enjoy benefits in direct proportion to your effort. Our lessons are not for the passive observer, but challenges for the engaged and pragmatic student.
Welcome to the journey, together.