“If I could go back and do it all over again…” Stop right there! I most certainly do not want to go back and be in my twenties or thirties again. By the Grace of God, I have had an extremely experiential, exciting and enriching life up to this point and do not wish to have any interference in my own space-time continuum.
In the last six to nine months, I have had an influx of Gen Y and Gen X/Millennials seeking my advice in the area of their career planning. Knowing that we live in a global world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity and hyperconnectivity (V.U.C.A.H.), I envy them not. Nonetheless, my quarter century of having had international experience, working in multiple functions and living in the United States, Australia and Asia may possibly allow me to share some insight into what the new generation should think about in terms of their development and growth.
To answer the question, “If I were about to enter the workforce today, or have just spent two to three years working, here is what I would do…”
1. Leave aside your parents’ formula and expectations
They clearly taught you some good things which fall under the banner of “values” – essentially your foundation – behaviors you will live your life by. “Have integrity, be punctual, respect your bosses, work hard, save money, do good to others” and so on. This is all excellent and valuable advice. By all means, keep them, apply them, and pass them on to your own progeny.
However, there are some other imparted principles – “Just do your work and recognition will come. Stay in the same company as long as you can and trust the company to look after you. Do an MBA when the economy is down” and so on. Forget these! Forge your own corporate and personal values that will work for you. Hopefully, both sets of corporate and personal values align perfectly.
Don’t be burdened and held ransom to you parents’ experiences, culture, traditions and expectations. There is a time for everything. Your today does not look like your parents’ yesterday. But remember – Practice INTEGRITY in all that you do. Each time, every time. It’s your life after all – not any one else’s.
2. Dream BIG DREAMS!
Just remember, you can do ALL the things you want to do in life. You just cannot do them all at the same time. Period! BIG DREAMS does not mean BIG MONEY immediately. But you can work towards it.
3. Consciously build and raise your level of self-awareness
Make it a habit to examine your values and associated behaviors periodically. Keep a journal of your life and reflections. Examine and be aware of your own journey in every aspect of your life. Perform an annual or bi-yearly reset of your life, your performance and your own expectations. These will reveal much about you… to YOU! The important thing is to keep the good parts and rigorously dump the excess baggage (people, conduct and material goods) you have accumulated, and adjust some undesirable or unnecessary actions. Find a mentor or coach who can give you direct and honest feedback without demeaning your dignity and self-esteem. But the final decision is yours… not that of your mentor.
4. Read… A lot! And about everything!
Googling for information is not reading. Neither is “Just-in-Time” reading. Neither should “Google” be a short-cut for proper and validated research, and testing of assumptions. You need to build your own knowledge base. Read about how Louis Gerstner prevented the breakup of IBM, how Jack Welch made GE into a powerhouse, what Google would do, and so on. Do not restrict your reading to business literature. Politics, culture, sports, arts, literature, architecture, science… read them all and hopefully, grab the lessons.
Grab ideas and retain them in your head (yes, MEMORIZE!). Learn how to incorporate bits of those ideas when you are writing that white paper or doing the PowerPoint charts for your boss’ strategy presentation. The more you do this, the better your credibility gets. Not just textbooks but periodicals and magazines as well. On your PDA if you have to. They keep you abreast of trends, forecasts etc. Fortune, Businessweek and The Economist are just three publications that come to mind.
Develop a conscious habit of reading, retaining information, connecting the dots and weaving the story. It is always about the story.
5. Look after your health
If you do not have good health, you have nothing. If all else fails in terms of time, just brisk-walk three times weekly for an hour. That’s all! It will clear your mind, keep your heart going and keep illnesses away.
6. Start financial planning early
Start understanding financial planning early and take the necessary steps to be financially free. Whether it be plain savings to property investments to art and wine collections, build your investment portfolio and reap the benefits accordingly. Read Robert Kiyosaki’s first two books.
7. Be authentic and intentional
Authenticity refers to the ability to stay true to your values, even under immense external pressure to do, say or act to the contrary. Intentional simply means, “Do what you say and say what you mean”. Learn not get swayed by what other people think of you. Trust your own judgment and actions. Spend less time on social media, believing that life’s answers are found there. Nor does everything you need to end up making you money. Learn to question every assumption and look for the truth.
These behaviors take time to absorb and calibrate. They come with maturity and the continued practice of doing the right things; another reason why you should get a mentor early in life, preferably someone who has already been on the path less traveled.
8. Live and work overseas
They say education broadens the mind. True to some extent but sometimes the constant exposure to only ONE environment makes people take a very narrow world view. Familiarity breeds contempt and makes you take the road most traveled on. Travel when you are young. Immerse yourself in the culture of a foreign city or country. Immerse yourself in the language, cuisines, customs and traditions of the land you are in and develop meaningful friendships with the locals. It may be uncomfortable at first but after a couple of times, you would have gained invaluably from these experiences. Aspire to be a GLOBAL CITIZEN!
9. Be delicious to others’ eyes
Spend the money to be well groomed and do whatever it takes to make that first impression. It does not end with dressing and fashion. Speak well and practice proper etiquette. Always be intentional about how you look. It gives you an unspoken advantage.
10. Learn to lead others as early as possible
Leadership needs to be experienced, learnt, failed at and then succeeded at. Have the courage to lead from the front over and over again. The longer we take to experience this, the more difficult it gets. The beauty of leadership is that in leading others, we get an acute dosage of self-awareness… for free!
11. Learn to operate in diverse cultures
In a global context, you will likely live, study or work at some point in your life, in a city or country that is multi-racial, do business internationally or be submerged in an environment that is culturally different to your upbringing.
To be a savvy global citizen or operator, you need to know about other cultures, not stick with what you were brought up on and what is familiar to you – the comfort zone. Test cultural stereotypes, which is the best way to raise your own self-awareness..
Uncomfortable as you may be initially, it will soon turn into a realization that you are a small cog in a bigger world that is better served by friendships, understanding and reconciliation than differences, political maneuverings and suspicion. Learning a different language or two may also be a good first step. BECOME A GLOBAL CITIZEN.
12. Be a subject matter expert
Just like being known for being a dapper dresser, be known as someone with gravitas. Be a subject matter expert in a field of your choice. Be known as Ms. Sustainable Development or Mr. Fintech. Strive to be the go-to person for people interested in that
field.
13. Spend less time on the PDA and social media
Instead of fanning your own narcissism, do read, network, start a recreation club, exercise, help the underprivileged, even rest/sleep. There is a place and time for the phone and your social media life. Beyond that, it is just a mindless distraction.
All things take time. Make the effort in each of these areas and persevere. Time will take care of the rest. Remember, you can do it all… but just not all at the same time