Comments on: The Pareto Principle for Careers http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/ A Latticework of Thought, Action & Joyful Foibles Tue, 02 Nov 2010 05:29:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: How to Survive a Social Media Guru Explosion | Dodging Spiderwebs http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-10893 How to Survive a Social Media Guru Explosion | Dodging Spiderwebs Thu, 01 Oct 2009 19:27:17 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-10893 [...] list. You need to be prepared to do this once a year. Your client list probably conforms to the 80-20 Rule: the top 20% of your clients is responsible for 80% of your revenue or profits. Your bottom 20% [...] [...] list. You need to be prepared to do this once a year. Your client list probably conforms to the 80-20 Rule: the top 20% of your clients is responsible for 80% of your revenue or profits. Your bottom 20% [...]

]]> By: How to Survive a Social Media Guru Explosion http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-10848 How to Survive a Social Media Guru Explosion Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:37:39 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-10848 [...] list. You need to be prepared to do this once a year. Your client list probably conforms to the 80-20 Rule: the top 20% of your clients is responsible for 80% of your revenue or profits. Your bottom 20% [...] [...] list. You need to be prepared to do this once a year. Your client list probably conforms to the 80-20 Rule: the top 20% of your clients is responsible for 80% of your revenue or profits. Your bottom 20% [...]

]]> By: Joseph Joel Sherman http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-5077 Joseph Joel Sherman Thu, 14 May 2009 02:50:17 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-5077 I like your point about the slugging average: "In fact, batting average isn’t nearly as important as slugging average. The 10% of successful ventures need to be homeruns and not just singles and doubles in order to compensate for the frequent failures in the portfolio." The VC case also shows that we do not always know what will work until the end - there will always be surprises. I like your point about the slugging average: “In fact, batting average isn’t nearly as important as slugging average. The 10% of successful ventures need to be homeruns and not just singles and doubles in order to compensate for the frequent failures in the portfolio.” The VC case also shows that we do not always know what will work until the end – there will always be surprises.

]]> By: Thread Pool http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1456 Thread Pool Sun, 02 Nov 2008 15:34:07 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1456 Thanks for providing a link to this interesting article on my blog. Very relevant and prescient career advice. I especially liked your quote: <blockquote> If I aspire to be an expert at anything, it would be to master connecting the dots in many different fields of knowledge to bring about new innovations and solutions." </blockquote> This is particularly relevant in my experience working in the tech field in Silicon Valley. There are essentially two career tracks for technical people in Silicon Valley: technical and management. In the technical track you can rise to being an industry wide expert on a specific field, the end goal being a chief architect or CTO. In the management track, which embodies the ideals of the quote, you can rise to being VP of Engineering. Thanks for providing a link to this interesting article on my blog.
Very relevant and prescient career advice.
I especially liked your quote:

If I aspire to be an expert at anything, it would be to master connecting the dots in many different fields of knowledge to bring about new innovations and solutions.”

This is particularly relevant in my experience working in the tech field in Silicon Valley. There are essentially two career tracks for technical people in Silicon Valley: technical and management.

In the technical track you can rise to being an industry wide expert on a specific field, the end goal being a chief architect or CTO.

In the management track, which embodies the ideals of the quote, you can rise to being VP of Engineering.

]]> By: Jon Kepler http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1436 Jon Kepler Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:20:36 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1436 I've also seen the 80/20 principle applied to sales. 20% of your customers sometimes provide 80% of your profits. If that's the case, it's worth your time to consider working with that 20% on a more intimate basis to see how you can create even better solutions for them since they're the majority of your business. I’ve also seen the 80/20 principle applied to sales. 20% of your customers sometimes provide 80% of your profits. If that’s the case, it’s worth your time to consider working with that 20% on a more intimate basis to see how you can create even better solutions for them since they’re the majority of your business.

]]> By: Jeff Widman http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1435 Jeff Widman Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:46:37 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1435 Worthwhile read/links... balancing generalist/specialist is particularly hard when networking, as everyone likes to stick people into buckets for who they should introduce to each other. Worthwhile read/links… balancing generalist/specialist is particularly hard when networking, as everyone likes to stick people into buckets for who they should introduce to each other.

]]> By: Sani Moyo http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1432 Sani Moyo Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:35:20 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1432 A great read, first time I am hearing about the Pareto Principle, every time I pass through your blog it reignites that feeling that I should have studied economics. A great read, first time I am hearing about the Pareto Principle, every time I pass through your blog it reignites that feeling that I should have studied economics.

]]> By: John http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1262 John Mon, 13 Oct 2008 12:24:05 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1262 Allan, thanks for stopping by! Great stuff here... you've obviously had some great experiences. The pareto principle is something that I've recently been thinking about more and more in regards to my work. great thoughts here. Allan, thanks for stopping by!

Great stuff here… you’ve obviously had some great experiences.

The pareto principle is something that I’ve recently been thinking about more and more in regards to my work. great thoughts here.

]]> By: Pat http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1253 Pat Mon, 13 Oct 2008 04:38:38 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1253 I would go farther. Every single day look for new challenges. Every single day look for hills (+ an occasional mountain). Why? To keep the interest and excitement up. To keep at the top of the game. To find a new game. A question to ask Dan -- "For the last three years, do you have three years of experiences or a year of experience three times?". Notice I say "experiences" not "experience" life is more than jobs and paychecks. We should look at our off-hour "careers" as hard as we look at our job careers. I would go farther. Every single day look for new challenges. Every single day look for hills (+ an occasional mountain).

Why? To keep the interest and excitement up. To keep at the top of the game. To find a new game.

A question to ask Dan — “For the last three years, do you have three years of experiences or a year of experience three times?”.

Notice I say “experiences” not “experience” life is more than jobs and paychecks.

We should look at our off-hour “careers” as hard as we look at our job careers.

]]> By: cyza http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/comment-page-1/#comment-1240 cyza Sun, 12 Oct 2008 02:27:40 +0000 http://allantyoung.com/2008/10/01/the-pareto-principle-for-careers-2/#comment-1240 It has been a long time since I heard about Pareto principal. If only we can do that 20% and get 80% of the positive financial impact, that will be superbly fantastic. What about pareto chart? It has been a long time since I heard about Pareto principal. If only we can do that 20% and get 80% of the positive financial impact, that will be superbly fantastic.

What about pareto chart?

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