When I was invited by Travis Chappell to be on his podcast that is called Travis Makes Money, I thought he would share his secrets. But I was wrong.
On this episode we talk about:
- How I learned to make money as a teenager through radio, writing, and competitions
- Why having a personal “board of directors” can be more valuable than relying on a single mentor
- How to attract great mentors by doing your research and coming prepared with specific questions
- My experience leading learning and development at Microsoft during the rise of AI
- Why your career needs more than money, including meaning, belonging, mastery, predictability, and status
Top 3 Takeaways
- Build a board of mentors. Instead of relying on one person for every type of advice, develop relationships with several people who bring different expertise and perspectives to your career.
- Make mentorship valuable for both sides. The best mentees do their research, arrive prepared, and have a specific question or problem they want help solving. A mentor can then help reframe the problem rather than simply telling you what decision to make.
- Don’t treat work like a vending machine. Money matters, but a fulfilling career also provides meaning, belonging, mastery, predictability, and status. Without those elements, financial success alone can still lead to burnout.
Notable Quotes
“I like to describe it like a board of directors.”
“I look for people who come prepared for a mentorship conversation, and they get more out of it.”
“Work is about how you make money. Yes, that’s a very important part of it, and nobody’s gonna work for free. However, there are five other factors that we think about.”
Connect with Abhijit Bhaduri: abhijitbhaduri@live.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhijitbhaduri/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abhijitbhaduri/
Other: AIdentity — Abhijit’s latest book