“Leverage partners time”

Lehigh Silicon Valley exposed me to the ever-growing Silicon Valley and showed me that, in the same way, I have the tools to continue to grow personally and professionally

Morgan Farrell '20 | Truckee, CA

Major | Marketing

Minor | Cognitive Science

The most influential quote that I heard this week was “leverage partners time” from Keith Janosky of Khosla Ventures. As I am entering the world of marketing and considering the different entry level positions that are out there, this quote really resonates with me. To me, Keith was saying that sometimes, in order to get to a place that you really want to be at, you have to be more than willing to do things that you really do not want to do. This holds true with the overarching themes of the week: both that the path to success is not always glamorous, and that it all really boils down to work ethic and perseverance.

Hearing these words from an individual who has seen the success of Janosky has inspired me to take on tasks in my internship and job roles that I would not traditionally consider as “in my job description”. In doing things that push myself, while simultaneously taking tasks off of my superiors plates, I am allowing them to focus on better uses of their time and ultimately prioritize the best interest of the company. In putting the interests of the company over my own personal interests, I in fact am establishing myself as an irreplaceable asset, a “jack of all trades”, and it is empowering to know that this is a controllable variable and that I can start implementing what I learned here at LSV 2020 immediately.