Values-Based Inner Scorecard
by Ada Chen Rekhi • Executive Coach & Co-founder at Notejoy
Former SVP of Marketing at SurveyMonkey, Founder of Connected (acquired by LinkedIn), led growth marketing at LinkedIn. Currently coaches founders on scaling themselves.
🎙️ Episode Context
Ada Chen Rekhi joins Lenny to discuss career strategy, decision-making frameworks, and the nuances of leadership. She introduces the 'Curiosity Loop' for gathering contextual advice, breaks down the 'Explore and Exploit' phases of career development, and shares how to cultivate a 'Values-Based Inner Scorecard' to combat the ego monster. The conversation also touches on navigating Silicon Valley as a woman and the importance of 'eating your vegetables' in skill acquisition.
Problem It Solves
Prevents the 'terrible trap' of waking up late in a successful career feeling trapped and unhappy because you optimized for others' expectations.
Framework Overview
A framework adapted from Warren Buffett to distinguish between external validation (Outer Scorecard) and internal satisfaction (Inner Scorecard). It involves defining and stack-ranking personal values to guide decisions against social pressure.
⚖️ Best Practices
Do This
- 1
Define your values: Select from a list, group them, and stack rank the top 3-5.
- 2
Identify the Ego Monster: Recognize when you are making decisions for the 'Outer Scorecard' (status, money, titles).
- 3
Audit decisions: Draw a line from your current path forward—does it hit your values or someone else's?
Avoid This
- 1
Prioritize meaningfulness: Optimize for alignment with your stack-ranked values over resume optics.
When to Use
When deciding between a 'shiny' high-status opportunity and a riskier or less prestigious path that feels more 'right.'
Common Mistakes
Allowing the 'Ego Monster' to override core values, or failing to stack rank values (treating them all as equal priority).
Real World Example
Lenny realized through this exercise that 'Choose Adventure' and 'Simplicity' were core values, which helped him decide to say no to writing a book despite it being the 'obvious' next career step.
It's this internal scorecard of what really matters to you... as opposed to the external scorecard of status, money, wealth.
— Ada Chen Rekhi