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When I left my job as the overnight anchor at ABC News, I had a decision to make.
Take an anchor job in local news.
Leave journalism and work in communications.
Try my luck at another network.
Almost everyone I talked to gave me the same advice.
"Take the local anchor job."
It was stable, paid well, and would let me spend more time with my one-year-old son.
Then I called a mentor who had watched journalists build careers for decades.
She said, "I think you should take a step backward."
She encouraged me to take a reporting job with a network service that paid far less.
It was a role that required extensive travel and often meant twelve-hour days covering breaking news.
Then she said something I've never forgotten:
"Your son will never remember the year you weren't there while you build a better future."
I listened to her.
That decision changed my career.
I became a CBS network correspondent, then the Saturday Morning anchor, and later the primary fill-in on the network's morning show.
I've shared that story many times because it's a reminder that the people we ask for advice don't just influence our decisions.
They can shape the direction of our lives.
The best leaders I've worked with understand that great decisions rarely come from a single perspective.
That’s why they intentionally build an inner circle of people who challenge, support, and expand their thinking.
In today's newsletter, we'll cover how to build yours:
Confirmation Bias
When we're facing an important decision, most of us think we're looking for advice.
We're usually looking for reassurance.
Psychologists call this confirmation bias.
It's our tendency to seek out information that supports what we already want to believe while discounting information that challenges it.
Framework: Champion, Guide, Challenger
1. The Champion
This is the person who believes in you, especially when you don't.
Before every big event or proposal, I still call my mom.
She doesn't tell me everything will work out.
She reminds me of the challenges I've already overcome and why I'm ready for the next one.
A champion doesn't create confidence.
They restore it.
How to find yours: Think about the person you call when self-doubt starts creeping in. When you hang up, do you feel more capable than when you picked up the phone? That's your Champion!
If this was forwarded to you but you want to get it for free every week:
2. The Guide
This is the person who's already walked the road you're about to take.
They don't just encourage you.
The guide helps you avoid mistakes they already made.
How to find yours: Ask yourself, "Who has already accomplished what I'm trying to do?" It doesn't have to be your boss. It could be a former colleague, a family friend, even someone you've admired from afar.
3. The Challenger
This is the person that asks the questions everyone else avoids.
What are you missing?
What's the downside?
Have you considered another option?
They're not trying to stop you.
The challenger is trying to help you make a better decision.
How to find yours: If you've ever thought, "I knew you were going to say that," you may already have a Challenger! It's mildly infuriating in the moment—but they're usually the reason you avoid an expensive mistake.
This Week's Funny
Have feedback, a question, or a topic you’d like me to cover? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at [email protected].
Now for your funny:
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