The other day, one of my students (let's call her Maureen because no American kid is named that in 2022 and it's funny), was working on a math problem that was really more of a number puzzle.

Maureen turned to me and asked a question that I was utterly prepared for: "Am I really going to need to be able to do this in my life?”

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It's been more than three years of intense work in The Marketing Seminar as both a student and a coach, and I'm still learning new things.

Part of it is because of the way the course is set up. With open-ended prompts, there are many directions in which the work can go and many ways for people to bring their own ideas to it. This creates infinite variation and endless opportunities for learning and going deeper, even if you are familiar with the material.

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When someone buys something, it’s because they value it more than the dollars they’re paying.

And for the person selling it, it’s worth less than the dollars they will receive.

Somehow, through the magic of the transaction, more value is created for both parties than was present before. It’s a win-win.

Ideally, it’s the same dynamic in an employer-employee relationship. If I choose to work for a company, it’s because what I am getting in return is worth more to me than my time. Simultaneously, I am producing more value for the company than I’m being paid for. It’s an exchange that creates mutual benefit.

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Years ago, I moved to a new city with only the slimmest of job prospects (that was crazy decision number one).

I managed to find a part-time, temporary gig as an assistant teacher of music classes for older adults. We were teaching them how to play keyboard instruments, but the goal was really to sell them fancy home organs so complex that their array of buttons and dials resembled the cockpit of a 747 (the price was similar to that of an aircraft, too).

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I once interviewed a young guitarist who wanted to get into teaching music lessons. He was applying for a position at my music school.

In the interview, he expressed a desire to work only with students who practice. 

I understood his perspective. He had recently finished his degree in classical guitar, and took his craft very seriously. It wasn’t unreasonable that he wanted to surround himself with those who aspired to do the same.

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