Don’t Chase Your Own Tail

I will likely never take another job in the recruiting software space. Is that because I think it’s a terrible space? No. I love the space. But I have already helped set the bar in this space at LinkedIn. There is almost no scenario in which I would be be joining something as disruptive as LinkedIn. And because of this, any decision I would make here would just be chasing my own tail.

When you get branded as a domain guy (oh, this guy is a “recruiting guy” or a “CRM guy”) it dramatically limits your options. Remember folks, you are selling software. Software can disrupt any business process or industry. To limit yourself to just one type of solution limits your career options. It’s just not good business.

I had to learn this lesson the hard way once. And it was painful. And once I learned it, it freed me up to take more chances. Because if you keep doing the same thing over and over you stop learning. Nothing ever seems truly new, and it becomes somewhat of a prison.

When I went to EchoSign, I had no eSignature experience. There was a steep learning curve, and it was fun. A new category creates new mountains to climb, new lessons to be learned. And I did it. We built an amazing team, we grew like crazy, and were acquired by Adobe. And now, would I do another eSignature play? No. I already did it. Why would I want to pigeonhole myself as an “eSignature guy”? Further, would I really want to burn my bridges with the people who I built that company with? With the people who invested in me and helped advance my career? No. That would be like cutting off your nose to spite your face.

There is a short shelf life on maximizing your value as a domain specialist. Your opportunities will open up 10, 20, 50X if you can prove you can walk into any SaaS company and be successful.

So the next time someone wants to hire you to compete against the company you just helped build, just remember one thing: Don’t Chase Your Own Tail. It’s just bad business.