My journey of more than a decade in IT has evolved from being a fresher when I started out to being the lead. I have picked up a lot of lessons along the way. Every project that I have worked on, every person that I have worked with, has taught me something about myself. Here, I am writing about some of the experiences that have impacted my professional life, eventually shaping the person I am today.

Confidence is a learnt skill.

When I started, I had zero confidence while speaking on client calls. Maybe it was my low self-esteem at that time; I just couldn’t navigate through a single sentence without awkward silences in between. I quickly realised I needed to get better at it. I started preparing for my meetings beforehand. That helped me stay calm, and I eventually overcame my fear of public speaking. Even today, I note down keywords for my presentation, even if it’s a topic I know at the back of my heart. It makes me confident when any unexpected questions come my way. Today, I receive the most appreciation for my communication skills. I feel every skill set can be learnt; we just need to give 100% and believe in ourselves!

Be a lifelong student.

My studies and work have little to do with each other. I learnt on the job. In an ever-evolving industry, if we don’t update ourselves on the latest technology/skillset, our careers will become stagnant. Keeping an open mind has helped me navigate my work life better.

Stand up for what you think is right.

I joined an already ongoing project. My teammates were extremely skilled at technology but lacked verbal and written communication skills. Hence, I quickly became the person who would help them with their emails and coordinate between various teams.

Our on-site lead was a tough taskmaster and had been working with that client for a long time. She was responsible for providing some crucial information, as she was working in the client’s office. The team had to work weekends to meet targets before I joined, but they were not incompetent; the information they were given was wrong and had to be changed several times.

She would behave extremely rudely with the team. It would really bother me, as they were doing their best. I asked them to stand up for themselves, as it wasn’t their fault. My teammates told me that as they were new to the organisation and were on probation, they didn’t want to say anything. I kept quiet as she wasn’t speaking badly to me.

One day, on a call with the entire team, she simply started yelling at the testing team again to hide her mistakes. She was just being a bully. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I politely corrected her and stood up for my team. That absolutely shut her up. I felt better, and so did my teammates. After that call with them, she became more careful and almost polite. They finally pushed back on working on weekends. Small victories!!!

Everyone is a teacher.

A manager of mine was very difficult to work with. He would frequently criticise all team members, and his feedback made people feel incompetent. I would genuinely start sulking when he would assign me some additional work, like creating a strategy document for the client. He wouldn’t provide me with any pointers but would just ask me to work on them. When I returned with draft versions, he would relentlessly pick on the content.

Additionally, I had a problem with the way he gave feedback. I felt like he was harsh and rude. I was cribbing about it to my dear friend, who gave me amazing advice. She asked me to separate my feelings from the feedback. It took me a while to grasp that. I had to learn to ignore my dislike for him and keep my feelings separate from my task at hand. Eventually, I realised that he was more knowledgeable about the client's needs than I was. Furthermore, creating a strategy document was a skill set I needed to develop. When I learnt to keep my ego aside and take criticism constructively, the result ended up being something good. Don’t get me wrong, I still stood my ground about work that was my area of expertise. I simply learnt to choose my battles wisely, and it made our working relationship smoother.

I never considered him my mentor, but he ended up teaching me a lot about myself and my work. We end up meeting people we dislike more than we like, but all of them have some lessons to offer.

I recently read ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama. She talked about how she didn’t like her teacher. Her mother offered her advice, saying, “You don’t have to like your teacher, but that woman has got the kind of math in her head that you need in yours. Focus on that and ignore the rest.” Words to live by.

Remember to have fun.

Occasionally, we come across a group of people who start as your colleagues but quickly become close friends. The experience of working on a project (especially a difficult one) bonds you for life! Such people are hard to come by, but when they do, we must hold on to that friendship even after the project ends. 

Onwards and Upwards

The most important thing, I feel, is that everyone should focus on their mental health. Only when we take care of ourselves can we care for others. We must strive for completeness within. Only then can we be successful at maintaining our personal and professional lives. Introspection and inner growth are two things that will take us on a higher path.

Also, I feel it’s mandatory to have a tribe of people who have your back, provide constructive feedback and are happy with your success. This African proverb sums it up for me: ‘If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’

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