Forget passion and experience: Ankur Warikoo shares Sam Altman’s career advice on finding your 'superpower' for success
Entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo recently shared OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s advice on LinkedIn, urging professionals to rethink career choices. Altman suggests focusing on tasks that feel effortless to oneself but difficult for others, calling these “super...
By ET Online | Updated:
Agencies
In a recent LinkedIn post, entrepreneur Ankur Warikoo shared insights from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman on how to identify one’s true professional advantage. Warikoo highlighted a quote from Altman: “Your superpower is what feels effortless to you, but extraordinary to others.” The post urged people to rethink conventional advice around career selection.
According to Altman, these effortless skills often remain unnoticed because they feel ordinary to the individual. Yet, they can form an unfair advantage in professional and entrepreneurial pursuits, giving people a unique edge in competitive fields.
Superpower Over Passion
Altman’s perspective challenges the traditional notion that passion or experience should dictate career choices. He advises focusing instead on tasks that come naturally to an individual but are difficult for others. “Ask yourself: What is difficult for others, but easy for you? What takes others two hours, but you can do in ten minutes? That’s your superpower,” Warikoo quoted Altman.According to Altman, these effortless skills often remain unnoticed because they feel ordinary to the individual. Yet, they can form an unfair advantage in professional and entrepreneurial pursuits, giving people a unique edge in competitive fields.
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Netizens Applaud the Insight
The post quickly sparked conversation online. One commenter wrote, “Love this perspective — our true strengths often hide behind what feels effortless. Self-awareness is where real career alignment begins.” Another added, “The things we find ‘easy’ might actually be our biggest advantage — if only we notice them.”Altman’s approach shared by Warikoo shifts the focus from passion or standard career assessments to identifying unique capabilities that set individuals apart. Experts say this method can lead to faster growth and success, as it leverages natural talent that others struggle to replicate.
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Warikoo’s post underscores a crucial lesson for professionals navigating career decisions: true advantage lies not in what feels extraordinary to you, but in what feels effortless, yet remarkable to the world.\
In an earlier post, Warikoo had delved deeper into the realities of workplace culture, emphasizing that many corporate systems reward conformity over creativity. He noted that while good workers are often burdened with more responsibility, true growth comes from setting boundaries, seeking feedback, and challenging norms. Warikoo also cautioned that hard work alone rarely guarantees success—visibility, innovation, and self-advocacy matter just as much. His larger message: align your career with authenticity, not approval. https://m.economictimes.com/magazines/panache/hardworking-people-suffer-more-5-hard-truths-to-turn-job-struggles-into-growth-opportunities-ankur-warikoo-explains/articleshow/124550317.cms
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