On Skills and Growth - How to Love the Plateau
Why progress in complex skills happens in plateaus, not steady gains, and the three mechanisms that can allow people to persist when visible feedback disappears.
forward observations
observations of a polymath
Latest posts
Choosing Problems That Compound
“Career growth” is mostly a story we tell after the fact. The causal engine is simpler: you’re paid to solve problems; the problems you choose determine the trust you earn; trust determines what you’re allowed to touch next. The missing question isn’t really “How do I get promoted?” It’s: What kind of problem am I repeatedly taking responsibility for? There are two types: Flat problems are closed…
The Logic Most Advice Skips
Most advice is underspecified. It tells you to do (X), promises (Y), and skips the only question that matters: what relationship does (X) actually have to (Y)? There are three: Necessary: without (X), (Y) can’t happen, but (X) alone won’t produce (Y). Sufficient: if (X) happens, (Y) happens. Helpful: (X) improves the odds of (Y), but it’s neither required nor a guarantee. People confuse these…