Thread by @AbhishekPonia

7 mistakes to avoid as a working professional in your 20s:

(I learnt these the hard way)

A THREAD
#threadsbyAP

I had a roller-coaster in my 20s.

From cleaning out the office garbage to leading a team across countries, I was lucky to have different experiences & roles.

Here are my learnings:

1. DON’T COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS: It is easy to compare our situation & journey with someone else’s. We compare salaries, designations, progress, etc.

Maybe this is inherent in our society! But the more you compare, the more it will impact you negatively!

Insecurity, feeling of losing the race & fear of being left out, will all affect your mental health & performance.
Remember - FOMO IS A DISEASE!

The only person you should compare yourself with is Yourself!

2. SUCCESS + EGO = DISASTER!
I was considered the blue-eyed boy of the organisation. I was driven, worked my ass off & was blessed with rapid growth as a result. Went up the ladder quickly.

Then I made my biggest mistake! I felt I had achieved a lot. Became egoistic & arrogant!

It didn’t take long for certain incidents to bring me firmly back to earth!

Don’t let any success get to your head. You will lose more than you can imagine.

3. DON’T DISRESPECT THE ORGANISATION: When you have a tough time, which you will, it is easy to blame others. Invariably we starting bitching about the company, management, colleagues, etc.

You will gain absolutely Nothing by doing this!

If you don’t like where you are, look for another job & move on. But Do not get into talking ill about the team & organisation.

You will cause damage, to others & to yourself!

4. UNDERSTAND THAT EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT: You will either be part of a team or leading one. In both cases, you need to understand that each person has a different personality & a different style of working.

You have to adapt to get the best output from your team (both as a leader & colleague).

This becomes even more crucial in today’s remote nature of working.

5. IT’S ALL ABOUT VALUE: A professional Should always be able to ADD value to the organisation & the team.

If you aren’t, you are doing a big disservice to the org that’s paying for your livelihood.

6. PERSONAL GROWTH: Ask yourself from time to time, is the organisation adding value to me?
It’s a two-way street… if you feel you aren’t growing enough or you could be a part of a better environment, change it!

You do not want to be Stagnant in your 20s.

7. TRUST THE MANAGEMENT: Let’s admit it, we don’t always like our bosses! We don’t like their decisions, strategies, pivots, etc. But you have no idea what they are dealing with.

I didn’t know either, till I became one!

The pressure is at another level, the dilemmas are different.
If you don’t like a decision, you can have a private discussion with the boss.
But whatever is the final decision, you have to work hard to make it a success even if you disagree with it.

I disagreed with many decisions & humbled down when they proved to be right! Keep an open mind & allow every decision the chance to be a rousing success!

It took me a while to learn all the above. Once I did, my professional life changed substantially.

What would you like to add to the list? What are yours thoughts?
Share below.

END.