When you're too junior to contribute verbally in a meeting, becoming the designated note-taker is a strategic move. This act forces you to organize information, which aids retention and, as Mark Andreessen noted, can subtly shift power to the person documenting the conversation.

A critical rule for the "hot seat" format is that after presenting their problem, the subject must remain silent. This prevents them from becoming defensive or steering the conversation. It forces them to simply listen and absorb diverse, unfiltered ideas from the group, which is where real breakthroughs happen.

In your first 90 days, resist the urge to be the expert. Instead, conduct a "listening tour" by treating the organization as a product you're researching. Ask questions to understand how work gets done, what success looks like, and what challenges exist at a systemic level.

True growth and access to high-level opportunities come not from feigning knowledge, but from openly admitting ignorance. This vulnerability invites mentorship and opens doors to conversations where real learning occurs, especially in complex fields like investing, which may otherwise seem like a "scam."

The most effective investors deliberately carve out unstructured time for deep thinking and reading. This discipline contrasts with the common early-stage VC tendency to equate a packed calendar with productivity. True investment alpha is generated from unique insights, not just from the volume of meetings taken.

In group settings, people subconsciously assign you a "contribution score" based on the quality and relevance of your past input. Speaking too often with low-value comments lowers your score, causing others to discount your future ideas. Speaking rarely but with high insight increases it, commanding attention.

IVP's Samesh Dash observes that young VCs, driven by insecurity, often overcompensate by talking too much and offering premature advice. Maturing as an investor means shifting from talking to active listening, asking fewer but more pointed questions, and understanding a founder's immediate context before offering input.

To elicit candid answers from fund managers, the most effective technique is not the question itself but the silence that follows. Resisting the psychological urge to fill the space forces the manager to sit with the question, often leading to less rehearsed and more truthful responses.

Aspiring LPs are advised to focus on building their network and following established signals of quality. Attempting to *be* the signal-setting investor early in one's career is high-risk, as it requires decades of experience and pattern recognition that newcomers lack.