Work Like Mycroft Holmes
Be unique and indispensable.
Here’s how Sherlock Holmes describes his brother Mycroft to the trusted Dr. Watson:
[Holmes] “You would also be right in a sense if you said that occasionally he is the British government.”
[Watson] “My dear Holmes!”
“I thought I might surprise you. Mycroft draws four hundred and fifty pounds a year, remains a subordinate, has no ambitions of any kind, will receive neither honour nor title, but remains the most indispensable man in the country.”
“But how?”
“Well, his position is unique. He has made it for himself. There has never been anything like it before, nor will be again.
The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Notice the last paragraph. Mycroft’s position is unique. He has made it for himself. There never was and never will be anything like it.
Admittedly, Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft are works of fiction, figments of Sir Conan Doyle great imagination. We cannot draw real life lessons from them, but nothing stops us from being inspired.
When reading about Mycroft, I was reminded of Kevin Kelly in Excellent Advice for Living:
Don’t be the best. Be the only.
On the same wavelength was Naval Ravikant post on X:
Become the best in the world at what you do. Keep redefining what you do until this is true.
Being the only, creating a unique position for yourself, is what I think of when describing the synergist engineer, someone with deep knowledge and in curated number of subjects, which they combine to offer one original and valuable service.
Be careful not to gloss over the “valuable service” part of the recipe. When thinking about being the only, at least in the context of work, what you offer has to be valuable. That is, people have to be willing to pay for it.
Your personal combination of interests and skills already makes you unique, but it might not necessarily make you valuable in the marketplace. Then again, many people have turned unique hobbies into businesses and now make a living on YouTube or by selling online.
Technology and progress expand the ways people can earn a living. This is the best time to take inspiration from the Holmes brothers and create a unique position for ourselves.
If you need more inspiration from Sherlock Holmes, see The Sherlock Holmes Information Diet.
The inspiration for this post came from listening to the Sherlock Holmes Short Stories podcast narrated by Hugh Bonneville. It’s a well produced podcast, on par with any audiobook, and lovely combo for a Sherlock Holmes and Downtown Abbey fan such as myself.