Significant Career Lesson from a Cofounder at Unconventional Ventures
Aaron, Cofounder/CEO/CFO at Unconventional Ventures, believes the most significant lesson in a career is "the value of taking extreme ownership to heart," suggesting to always analyze what could have been done better to positively impact a project, even if failing, to ultimately become more proactive and self-aware. Viewing all work as a team sport and understanding how to make a material impact can lead to "pretty outsized returns in all areas."
Extreme Ownership, Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Proactivity, Self-Improvement
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Aaron Chavez
Cofounder/CEO/CFO
Unconventional Ventures
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey | Barrett
Finance
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. The value of taking extreme ownership: Assume everything is your fault and proactively identify what you could have done better to mitigate problems, even in team projects.
2. Focus on self-improvement: By consistently asking how you can improve and be better, you develop a deeper understanding of yourself and become more proactive.
3. All work is a team sport: Recognize that even when working with service providers, you are leading them, and understanding this dynamic leads to significant positive outcomes.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
I think the one lesson I've learned is the value of taking extreme ownership to heart. There's this idea of extreme ownership. Imagine everything's your fault.
Some people use this idea and end up in therapy, but others go, "Well, let's just assume, for example, I'm on a team project and our team project fails." We miss a deadline, we do this, we do that. The question is, you get nowhere by automatically blaming the project leader.
Trust me, if they're a good project leader, they're blaming themselves. But the educational value comes from asking, "Is there anything I could have done better? What could I have done to help mitigate this problem?" Even if I tried and failed, that's okay.
But is there a way I could have done this better? I could have checked in with the team leader, I could have set my stuff two days early, I could have checked in with the team. By asking these questions, "How could I be better? How could I improve?" If you do that a thousand times, you become really good at understanding yourself and being proactive.
Most people aren't looking at the answer; they're just running the calculator. But if you just look at the answer every time, you get so much more of the picture. So, extreme ownership and really trying to understand how I can make a positive impact in the work I'm doing is important.
At the end of the day, all work is a team sport. Even if you're working with service providers, you are still leading them. It's all a team sport. Understanding that, I think, will give pretty outsized returns in all areas.