Looking Back, Looking Ahead....

10 years - almost one-third of my life ! That's the time I have spend as a professional ! Seems unbelievable...When I started my career, I wasn't sure how long I will have a career...Today, I know I will work for atleast another 10 years....I have changed from a naive, wide-eyed 24 year old to a practically wise and experienced person who is much better equipped to handle a back stab, ignore a social media barb, and avoid nay-sayers. I have learned which battles to fight and which ones to walk away from ! I now know that pig headed people who sit on moral high grounds cannot be rationalised with - it is a waste of time and energy that can be better spend elsewhere. There have been several other learnings as well....

 

1.  Being around people who respect knowledge motivates you to spend time and effort on increasing your knowledge - It is an enjoyable way to grow in your professional life.

 

2. There will be people at your workplace who will be willing to bend all rules to progress in their career. You don't need to do that - there are more honourable ways ! However, be aware of their actions, so that you safeguard yourselves.

 

3. There will be people who will think of you as pawns in their career chessboard. Again, it is best that you treat people with respect and give them credit where it is due. And as for those who treat you as a pawn, move away from their sphere of influence !

 

4. People may try to talk to a third party, about messages they want to convey to you! Ignore such messages - if they were worthy of your attention, it would have been conveyed to you directly.

 

5. When you get feedback in person, don't justify your behaviour - you may be shutting the door for further conversation. Listen carefully and analyze later. Either, it needs a change in behaviour or a change in others' perception about you...Identify which one and work on it.

 

6. When you give feedback, start and end with the positive messages and keep the negatives in the middle - always have examples for negative feedback.

 

All of these have helped me not just in my professional life, but even in my personal life...It has been an exciting 10 years !!!

 

I am eagerly looking forward to the next decade.