During the pandemic, my friend Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, was hiring for an important role. Candidates were given a choice to interview by video or fly in. Remember, this is an airline. One candidate flew in, and that is the person who got the job. He was not ten times more qualified than everyone else. He simply showed up.

Remote work is here to stay, and I am glad for the time it has given families. But this episode is for the aspiration generation, the young strivers who want to go from the streets to the suites, and I have five reasons why you should want to be in the office. Some of them will be hard to hear.

Technology is more efficient, but it is not more effective. We all sat through years of video calls, and most of us cannot remember a single one. People remember the person who was in the room. I talk about why you need to be seen to be picked, why you should volunteer for the assignment nobody else wants, and how one in-person lunch on Wall Street changed the trajectory of a company I built. I also walk through the five rules of economic liberation from my book The Memo.

Then comes the bonus. When the workday ends, go home, not to the club, unless you own the club. Protect your quiet time, your headspace and your money. Showing up is half of success, and relationship capital is built in person.

🎧 Listen now — wherever you get your podcasts, or simply click below.

Prefer to watch? The full episode is on YouTube.