Mistakes I Made Early in My Career
I’ve learned a LOT over the course of 7 years in corporate and there’s some lessons I wish I would’ve learned sooner.
Prioritize quality of work over quantity of hours worked. When I first started I felt the most impactful thing I could do to build my ‘brand’ was to be the first in the office, and the last to leave. While this didn’t hurt my career, it was not the deciding factor that contributed to the opportunities that came my way. The value you bring to the company (process improvements, innovative ideas, etc.) are far more impactful than being the first person online.
Introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Whether at an event or in the office - I always encourage my team to introduce themselves to anyone they don’t recognize. You never know who you’re going to meet and the broader you expand your network the stronger your brand will become within the organization. Be genuinely curious in getting to know others, their roles, how their function may overlap with yours and impacts the overall business.
Know your audience. Be conscious of who you’re speaking to - their roles & how they think/operate oftentimes differ greatly from your own . Having strong communication will take you far in your career - and understanding how others best receive information is crucial. Not everyone will know the abbreviations, technicalities, processes that you do - speak in laymen’s terms when articulating your thoughts/ideas to others outside your direct team.
Avoid unintentional negative body language. There’s a level of detail that often gets overlooked when it comes to building your brand. When you’re in a meeting and someone is presenting - do you look at your phone or computer? Do you slouch in your chair? Are you silent in every meeting when collaboration is encouraged? During video meetings do you look towards the camera or away at other screens? These are all seemingly small moments where your body language is signaling to others that you’re uninterested/disengaged. This is an easy fix with a lasting impact.
Admit when you don’t know the answer. This is one of the first things I teach my new hires. There is NO shame in admitting what you do not know. You’ll be surprised how well received vulnerability can be. Ask questions early, and often. You don’t want to wait for months/years to go by and you’ve become too embarrassed to ask a question to someone you think you should’ve had the answer to a long time ago.
Know what is worth your energy and what is not. I view my bandwidth as a plate, it can only hold so much. If my plate is getting full and something challenging is coming my way - I either need to make room for it, or choose to not allow it to take up space. A good mentor of mine would always tell me to ‘pick my battles’ and it has served me well in managing stress/overwhelm ever since.
Be diplomatic - speak slow and with a calm demeanor. One of the first realizations I had early in my career was that when I was anxious, I spoke fast. That anxiety rippled out to others causing them to lose faith in my ability to manage my task load and created unnecessary tension. Be aware of the pace and tonality you use when speaking to others - especially when you’re overwhelmed, anxious or upset. It’s normal to feel emotions - step away when you need to, or give yourself 24 hours to respond.
Which of these resonated with you most? Anything you’d add? Drop a comment below.
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