Correlation Versus Causation

Every so often we stop what we are doing and take stock of who we are, where we have been and what we perceive our own worth to be. I began this exercise a few weeks ago in part as an attempt to write a bio of myself. Part one of this exercise consisted of me sitting quietly with my “business self” as well as my resume. Just reading my accomplishments and knowing in my soul what I contributed to the success of former employers gave me goose bumps mixed in with an invigorating yet humble pride. I loved this because I have very mixed emotions in regard to the companies that I had chosen to entrust my hard work and passion with. I feel lucky that I am not a person that needs an enormous level of validation from others or their perception of me yet always appreciate the nod of recognition for my contributions. The second part of my exercise was a peek back into the people that I recruited, hired, trained and mentored. What I found was a great knowing that my “gut feelings” of these individuals was always the most fantastic barometer. I vividly recall the hiring process where my colleagues were impressed and moved to hire individuals who had MBA’s and degrees from big name colleges or whom had worked for iconic companies. I have to say quite loudly that in every interview my first agenda was to separate correlation and causation. I didn’t care much if someone had worked for an iconic company but I did care what they had contributed to the success of that company. I also never quite understood how someone taking an English literature class at Stanford 20 years ago affected their business contributions today. I know that putting any training or education into successful practice means mountains more than the dust collecting on the top of that degree. The moral of this little story is that I am proud that I contributed enormously to the brands that I associated and I know in all those talented people that I saw the same passion to making a difference. I know for sure that everything that you or I do is defined and appreciated in our souls. You will always know if you were a bystander or the vehicle.