The Golden Goose
The Golden Goose
The realization that gives your career wings.
Hey Friends,
I've been on this mission to really boost my personal and professional skills, and part of that journey led me to finally pick up "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey.
I know I'm late to the game – it seems like everyone's read it but me. But diving into it now has been nothing short of a revelation.
This book is packed with these gems of wisdom, but there's this one part that really hit home for me. It's Covey’s take on the classic fable of The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs.
I remember hearing it as a kid, but Covey brings this whole new perspective to it that really made me stop and think about how I approach life and work.
It's all about finding this balance between what you deliver and how you maintain your ability to keep delivering – something I hadn't really considered in depth before. Let me share a bit of that story with you and how it's reshaping my thinking:
So, in the fable, there's this farmer who finds a golden egg in his goose's nest. Imagine his shock when he realizes it's real gold!
The farmer is over the moon, and it gets even better when he finds another golden egg the next day. This keeps happening, day after day.
But then, the story takes an unexpected turn.
The farmer gets greedy.
He can't stand the wait for more eggs. So, what does he do? He decides to kill the goose, thinking he'll get all the eggs at once.
But when he opens it up, there’s nothing. No golden eggs, and now, no goose to lay them.
It's a classic, but Covey's interpretation really brings it to life in a modern context.
It’s like he's saying,
‘Hey, don’t just focus on the rewards. Look after what’s giving you those rewards too.’
Coming back to us (you and me), what’s giving you those rewards?
Your health, your relationships and your skills – all of that.
After I finished reading this book, I caught myself thinking about how often I'd overlooked this.
I’m always chasing deadlines, working on projects, and trying to squeeze in just one more task. But then, I skip the gym, order takeout instead of something healthy, and tell myself I'll catch up on sleep later.
I’m chasing those golden eggs but forgetting to take care of the goose – “me.”
Covey’s point is crystal clear:
It’s not just about what you achieve but also about maintaining and nurturing your ability to achieve.
I mean, you can push for those short-term wins, but if you're not looking after your health, your relationships, and your personal growth, you're essentially setting yourself up for a fall.
And it's not just about physical health.
This idea applies to so many areas:
Financially speaking, “your ability” to earn and grow your wealth is like that goose. If you don’t invest in your skills or education, you're limiting your potential big time.
Then there are relationships. The fun times with your spouse or friends, those are your golden eggs.
But the goose?
That's the health of your relationships.
You’ve got to nurture that with time, effort, communication, and all that good stuff.
There is a caveat, though.
You can’t just focus on the goose and forget about the eggs.
It’s about BALANCE.
If you only focus on taking care of the goose and neglect the production of its golden eggs, you will eventually be unable to maintain the goose and earn a decent living.
Have a great week!
Vibhor
3 Pieces of Advice
Here are 3 things that I thought about a lot last week.
1. Find Your Besties
The world can be a harsh place, but there are still good people in it. Start by finding 3 good friends, and you will begin to appreciate the world.
2. Painful Conversations
Your success in life mainly depends on how many painful conversations you’re willing to have.
3. Decision Paradox
Good decision can have a bad outcome, and a bad decision can have a good outcome.
For me, a good decision is always the one that I could be proud of tomorrow.
My Favourite Things This Week
Book - I read this book called “Turn the Ship Around” by L. David Marquet, which changed how I think about Leadership. Marquet, a former U.S. Navy submarine captain, challenges the traditional leader-follower approach and advocates for what he calls a "leader-leader" structure. This approach empowers all team members to take charge (commit) and make decisions, which leads to increased engagement and accountability.
Netflix - “Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous”
I recently finished watching Season 3 of this captivating series. One episode, in particular, stood out to me, where Ben (the character wearing the bandana in the image) decides to stay behind in the park while the rest of the group plans to leave in a newly found boat. Though his decision greatly shocked everyone, they did not force him to come with them. The reason being that Ben wouldn't be swayed by force. He needed to realize for himself that staying behind was the wrong choice. So they pretended to leave him on the island. As the boat pulled away, Ben quickly came to his senses and realized that staying behind was not his best decision.
Lesson: Sometimes, people (or teams) need to face the consequences of their decisions to truly understand the right course of action.
Food - “Chole Bhature”
The one food that I can recall enjoying as far as I could remember has to be “Chole Bhature.” Luckily, this finger-licking dish can be found everywhere in Canada.
Quote of the Week
"Don't move information to authority, move authority to the information."
From Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet
Most watched YouTube video last week
Reminders:
The remainder of the “Technical Literacy” will continue on Thursdays (instead of Sundays) after the “Scaling Agile Practices” series is over.
This Sunday I will discuss the “Dependency Matrix” and will provide you with a handy template.
Last Week’s Posts
🙏 Thank You!
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Here, I try to give you Career, Progress, and Self-Development insights as I learn them myself.
Wish you a successful career journey ahead.
Until next week 👋
“I share things I wish I knew in the starting years of my career in the corporate world."
Vibhor Chandel