- He is clear about what his craft is and he is dedicated to it. He knows what is superfluous and what is relevant to him and he doesn’t waste his time on things that won’t help him with his craft.
- He is completely unconcerned with what conventional wisdom is. He is focused on creating results, and while he does notice and what recognition for the results he is creating, he does not ever think to change the way he does his work to look better in eyes of others. He doesn’t care about what Scotland Yard detectives or his clients think about his methods. He does what he thinks is right and he is confident in himself.
- He is also completely unconcerned with what methods of doing the work are popular or commonly accepted. Most people would never venture to approach their work in such an unconventional manner. Sherlock does not care to get a degree so he can officially become a detective or to do detective work in a way that would allow him to become chummy with the other detectives.
- He approaches his work with a sense of play. You see him working at solving a case like you would see a Chessmaster work to solve a complicated problem or a snowboarder working to land a difficult trick. The focus is on the craft and getting it right, he’s not distracted by the stakes or the consequences of failure.
- He dives deeply into his work with stretches of large energy expenditure and then he lays low and rests. He doesn’t try to work 12-hour days every day, he actually has a quite leisurely life apart from short stretches of intense work.
- He ignores the status of the people he deals with and instead focuses on their qualities and abilities. The best example of this is his dealings with The Baker Street Irregulars.
- ““There’s more work to be got out of one of those little beggars than out of a dozen of the force,” Holmes remarked. “The mere sight of an official-looking person seals men’s lips. These youngsters, however, go everywhere and hear everything. They are as sharp as needles, too; all they want is organisation.””
- He knows what makes his skills unique and he knows when to apply himself to a problem. He does not chase every case or even seem particularly interested in growing his business. Instead, he is focused on the problem and whether solving it is something that he is well suited for. I don’t think this is good advice for every stage of your career. But as you develop your abilities it is important to know who and what to say no to.
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