Sharpened Minds Think Alike
Always have the sharpest tools in your shed.
Last updated March 2019
“Do they have to have their tools in their shed,” my Mom asked. I have my mom read all of our Twin Insights to check for spelling errors and make sure that they even make sense. “No, Mom, they can have them anywhere – your garage, your office, in the trunk of your car. The point is you want anything with an edge on it to be sharp. Things like drill bits, saw blades, and knives. Why? When you use something that’s dull, it makes it much harder to cut. You start to add more force, you get frustrated, and that’s when you either break something or hurt yourself. That’s never good.
You not only want to have the sharpest tools, you also want to have the sharpest people. Surround yourself with people who are smarter in areas that you need improvement. You want people that you can learn from. For example, if you’re wanting to start a business, but not sure how, find someone that has done it before. Ask them about the steps they took, who they talked to, what networking events they went to. The greatest source of information is from the person who has actually gone through it and has experience to back up their credentials.
When you enter the workforce, act like a sponge and proactively seek out the sharpest employees at the company. They are the ones that will help you improve your skillset. They may even share some insight into how they moved up and became successful in the company. You can then leverage that insight to move up as well. When I was in the research lab at the University of Pittsburgh, I made it a habit to meet everybody in the lab and learn their skillset. I wanted to know who I could go to if I had a question about image processing, machine learning, programming, or FPGA design.
What did we learn?
- Use sharp tools to prevent breaking something and avoid injury.
- Seek out sharp people everywhere you go in your career.