New podcast, with Nikhil Kapahi. I had one of my open and candid talks with Nikhil, but focused on "The Inner Scorecard" - what choices I made in my career and why. If you are struggling to navigate blending a demanding career with a personal life, you can learn from both my successes and failures.
I've worked at Amazon for 10 years and never had a one-on-one with a VP. This podcast gave me that. And honestly, the conversation went places I didn't expect. I invited Ethan Evans because I wanted to understand how someone at 50 leaves a VP role, reinvents themselves, and thrives. The "how" was ofcourse interesting. But it's really the "WHY" that got me. A few themes that I still keep going back to: 1. He compared himself to his peers at VP level and asked: "Do I have 10 more years of fire for this?" The honest answer was no. Most of us never ask that question early enough. 2. He used a Venn diagram to find his sweet spot. He wasn't the best speaker, best coach, or best at social media. But the overlap of all three made him almost impossible to replicate. 3. He gave himself a C as a parent. His friend (Steve Huynh) said "a C, the Asian F." And then he said something that redeemed it: "I'm a better parent as an adult. That's my chance to be an A and being self aware that he won't be a very available parent early on, made his expectations clear with his wife" 4. People who've gotten far by being hardworking and reliable don't realize that at some point, being hardworking and reliable is not going to make you a top leader. This conversation made me think about what season of life I'm actually in, and whether I'm being honest about it. YT:
Amazon VP Quits 9-5 to Find Meaning: @EthanEvansVP on Wealth & Building Anti-Fragile Life
https://www.youtube.com/
Really looking forward to this one, Ethan. The framing of an 'inner scorecard' is interesting because in my experience the career vs. life tension rarely resolves through better personal choices alone. It usually traces back to a role that was never structured to run without the person at the top making constant decisions, so there's literally no way to step back without things stalling. Curious whether that came up in the conversation.
This feels really relevant, especially the idea of the inner scorecard. A lot of people optimise for external markers of success without really checking how those choices feel over time. I like that you are bringing in both the wins and the mistakes, because that is usually where the real clarity comes from.
The inner scorecard concept is particularly useful for professionals navigating demanding careers alongside personal commitments. External success metrics can shift quickly, but internal alignment tends to be more stable. The reflection on both successful and unsuccessful decisions adds important context for anyone trying to make more intentional career choices.
Defining your inner scorecard is hard work that is worth it.
Ethan Evans, there’s something about “inner scorecard” that most people only understand in hindsight. The choices that feel uncertain in the moment usually make a lot more sense when you look back at the trade-offs they protected.
Interesting topic. Many people see the outcomes of business success without fully understanding the trade-offs, mistakes and sacrifices behind them.
Most senior people inside corporate think they have an Inner Scorecard. The metrics they're using were written by the firm.
Excited to listen, balancing career and personal life is crucial.
The useful question is not whether the next move is impressive. It is whether it still fits the season of life and the judgment you want to build.