🚀Entering Tech #71: Career lessons from Tyrion Lannister

When we first meet Tyrion, he’s a man with a wandering eye, and he reeks of the booze served at the northern feast. By the end of the show, he still pretty much had his head in a brothel. So why even take this guy seriously?

Well, let’s be honest, what Tyrion lacks in a stand-up guy, he makes up for in crucial aspects that help him play the hand he was dealt. Despite his physical stature, Tyrion’s cunning and strategic mind was his moat. This earned him an interim Hand of the King position while his father was away, and later as the Targaeryen Queen’s trusty Hand. Even Lord Varys, the Master of Whisperers, gave him a nod. People didn’t always like him, but they knew his use.

Tyrion dined with kings, counselled the wise and foolish, and escaped death on more occasions than we can count. Yet, he went all the way. By contrast, a stand-up character on the show like Ned Stark lost his head, unwilling to play the game of thrones.

Tyrion’s smarts and silver tongue got him through the cutthroat world of Westeros politics. Even the slickest operators like Littlefinger eventually ran out of tricks. Working with smart folks is helping me find my own moat—(read: that competitive advantage that sets you apart in your career.) It’s crucial to spot your moat and double down on it, but don’t forget to shore up your weak spots too.

Empathy for Tyrion was both poison and relief. His kindness for every Tom, Dick, and Harry typically set him up for situations he wished he wasn’t in. But you cannot deny that his empathy—something the Lannisters were not known for—also earned him good graces with other people when it mattered. That’s how he buddied up with Jon Snow, for example. Many folks get promoted for being aces at their jobs, but few have the people skills and empathy to really nail those roles in ways that impact people they work with. Hence why you end up with bosses who care more about results than the poor lads doing the work.

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Size doesn’t matter. Does it?

Not for Tyrion. Though he never was warrior material, when it mattered most at the Battle of the Blackwater, he led an army to defend Kings Landing against Stannis Baratheon’s invading army.

Cliché, but you’ll never get some things in your career if you don’t stand up for yourself and make big bets. You think you deserve a pay bump and you have the results to show for it? Ask! You’ve been unfairly judged at work and you want to air your opinion? Do it!

And even when you make these ballsy bets, remember that people help people they like. My favourite tweet of all time from UnkleAyo makes a pity case for people who undermine the role the ability to be liked plays in your career growth.

“I understand a dissenting dogma like, ‘It’s not my job to be likeable—it’s my job to be myself and the right people will gravitate towards me’. But if they like you, they’ll hire and train you.”

They will hire and train you! And this doesn’t have to even be about work. Humans are social creatures. They’ll naturally help and spend time with people they like.

Like, for people, can be reserved for those with great networking skills, those who they get favours from, those who they can have long-winded conversations with and come out better, and those who show genuine interest in others’ well-being. 

I bid you to choose your own “likeable” but etch it in your memory that to play the corporate game of life, you need the vote of likes from people. Not the competitive, soul-sucking, esteem-dependent likes. Just the one that makes people genuinely want to do things for you.

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“What unites people? Armies? Gold? Flags? Stories. There’s nothing more powerful than a good story.”

As you grow in your career and take up leadership roles, your job will involve bringing people together to achieve a set goal. And what better way to do it than to tell a story. Your ability to tell the right story at the right time can be the difference between success and failure. 

To tell great stories, you must read.

“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.”

Whether you’re just starting your career or well into it, the key to reaching the top is continuous learning and application. Ask. Read. Learn. Think. Apply. Fail. Repeat. Win. Grow. Scale. People who have risen to the top of their careers often did so through a combination of education, practical experience, and perseverance. They distinguish themselves not just by what they know, but by how they apply that knowledge and learn from both successes and failures.

We hope you have been able to learn some career lessons from Tyrion. He might not be the most stand-up guy in the world; his dubious nature gives him away. But take away only one thing: he is the poster-face for playing the hand you’re dealt in the Capitalist nightmare, and coming out on top.

P.S: Did you like this edition of Entering Tech? Would you like more like this or less? Share your thoughts by responding to this newsletter or sending an email to newsletter@techcabal.com.