Thread by @warikoo

12 career lessons I have learnt along the way.

A thread…

1. “If I can’t trust you, it does not matter how smart you are.”

The words of my first manager have stayed me forever.

Trust is everything.
Once I was able to generate trust for myself in others, I began to see opportunities that weren’t visible until now.

2. Curiosity drives learning

Be curious.
I ask questions.
I try to figure out why things happen the way they do.
I spent time getting to know my customers, my colleagues.

Approach things with child like curiosity.
If you do, you will have a clearer reason for why you do things

3. Managing people is the eventual task

As much as I was paid early on to do tasks, it was evident that rising up the ladder would not be about doing tasks, instead would be about getting these tasks done through and with people.

4. Resist the obvious

When faced with choices to make, I would ask “What would most people not do, but is possible?”
Because the obvious choices would lead to the average outcomes.

The non-obvious paths could potentially lead to extraordinary outcomes.

5. Don’t get comfortable

Everything around us is designed for our comfort.
So it was easy to believe that life’s purpose is to make life comfortable.

But surprisingly people who inspired me were not making comfortable choices!
They challenged themselves everyday.

6. Spend time with different people

Within a week of joining ISB, people formed groups.
Engineers with engineers. Lawyers with lawyers. Delhi with Delhi.

I instead gained the most spending time with people who were nothing like me.
Don’t amplify your beliefs. Add to them.

7. Don’t complain.

Every break during the work day was a reason for people to complain.
About random shit.
The internet, the office food, the AC, their manager, their salary.

It never fixed anything.
Complaining never does!

8. “Good people will pay a far higher price for being good, than bad people will pay for being bad”

If you are good, more work will come to you.
More responsibilities will be put on you.
More expectations will be from you.

That is the price I was willing to pay.

9. Don’t be in a hurry to create impact. Be in a hurry to learn.

Early on, focus on your learning curve.
No one expects you to create impact.
Don’t expect yourself to create one too.

Learn.
Everyday.

10. Speed is not equal to intelligence

I used to think if I do my work faster, I am smarter.
Until my manager told me that I am paid for doing my work right, not doing my work fast!

11. If you aren’t happy, you will never do your best work!

This was true for me then. And is true for me now.
My state mentally, physically, emotionally, drove my inputs and my contribution.

Thus, working in toxic places didn’t work for me.
I reckon wouldn’t work for anyone.

12. People you work with + Work you do, is going to be WAY more important than money you make and title you hold.

True not just for work, but for life!

A lot of these lessons are never taught in any school or college. They either emerge from our own experiences, or by spending time with those who have gone through it already.

However, the world can be quite unforgiving as we learn these on our own.

What the world calls “experience” is essentially a mental toolkit that people have formed over years, on how to handle situations.

Your chances of success will increase significantly if you build this toolkit as rapidly as you can.

Read books
Get coached
Find mentors
Spend time with yourself
Ask questions

To have a successful career can be one of the most fulfilling things in your life.
It doesn’t need to control your life.
It doesn’t need to make your miserable.
It doesn’t need to make you question yourself.

I always remind myself

“If I am not happy where I am in life, then how does anything else matter?”

True for a career.
True for life!