Investing for a World of Change: Ten Lessons for my younger self
Does this sound familiar? You studied hard and you’re at the beginning of an exciting career. Nothing could stop you, right? But then, at some point – maybe months or years later, you’ve asked yourself: why is this so hard? You thought you were prepared.
Lucia Pino-Garcia was there, too. And now, after 20 years in the industry, she’s accumulated a wealth of lessons and shared 10 of them at our most recent event:
Be technical
Take control of your own career
Get out of your comfort zone
Be bold
What’s your brand?
Build a network and use it – you’re not alone
Don’t be an order-taker
Always keep your eyes on the long-term goals
Work smart: avoid busy work that doesn’t add value
Above everything else, love what you do!
Below are a few of them in some more detail, which will hopefully give you the inspiration you need to take your career to the next level.
This is an excerpt from Lucia’s talk – Investing for a World of Change: Ten lessons for my younger self. Join our community to make sure you don’t miss the next event!
1. Take control of your own career
When Lucia was at the Bank of America, she was working as a director. Although she did well during her time there, she was frustrated. To vent those frustrations, she spoke with a friend who asked her, “well, what do you want?”
“I thought I knew what I wanted, but saying it out loud was terrifying,” Lucia admits. She wanted to be promoted to Managing Director – and she told this to her friend.
“Well, if you’re not able to say it out loud, how do you think you’re going to get it?” was the friend’s response. It was then Lucia realised if she couldn’t articulate what she wanted then it would be really hard to get it.
And that’s the first step. Say what you want, and say it out loud. Then, map out how to get there. It may include conversations with managers and superiors, a process of receiving and acting on feedback and a willingness to continually grow. It can be a difficult path but if you know it will make you happy, what’s stopping you? Like Lucia says, “Most of the time, what’s holding us back is ourselves.”
2. What’s your brand?
“The first thing I tell people is to figure out how you want people to talk about you. How do you introduce yourself? What are the things you say?”
When Lucia introduces herself, especially in the tech industry, she starts by saying that she started her career as a developer. “This is so people take me seriously; it gives me a little more credibility.”
But she won’t shy away from admitting it could feel weird; it’s uncomfortable to self-promote. But you can do so authentically and without the desire to receive accolades. “It’s about knowing your worth and who you are, about breaking stereotypes and about setting the facts straight.”
If you did well on a project or received a promotion, you’re merely stating a fact by sharing it. And at the end of the day, if you’re open about these things, you become an inspiration for others AND they can leverage the things you’ve been doing. “If they don’t know, then that won’t happen.”
3. Build a network and use it – you’re not alone!
Building a network is about both giving and taking, and the comforting knowledge that we’re not alone. “When something is hard, it’s easy to think you’re the only one going through it and therefore you won’t share it. But once you do, others will open up, too.”
Lucia spent a lot of time early in her career feeling alone, and like the rest of us, struggled with imposter syndrome. But she found that when she chose to share her vulnerabilities with others, she was shocked to find how much she had in common with them.
And when it comes to networking in particular? “Early in my career, I didn’t even think about building a network and I wish I did.” According to Lucia, it’s best to keep in touch with relevant people inside and outside your company – those who are in the same role as you, and those who hold your previous roles.
“It’s not about keeping in touch in case you need them with a day’s notice, but about knowing you’re not alone and you don’t have to do anything by yourself. You can draw from their experience, and of course, give to them as well.”
4. Don’t be an order-taker
“I think it’s important we have confidence in the value we bring to whatever we’re doing and we’re not in this world to follow orders from anyone.”
For Lucia, it’s important we feel like we can contribute our own ideas to our teams, businesses and organisations – no matter what it is.
And it’s not just about ideas. It’s also about challenging ineffective processed and systems when we come across them. “Often we don’t because we think the person who established these must know what they’re doing, but then they may not. Don’t be shy because of your role.”
But to do this, we have to empower ourselves. It has to come from within, but we also have to create environments where people feel like they can ask those questions. We have to move away from control and command and towards an environment where everyone is a leader.
“Isn’t it better to see the power of a team of ten, whose minds are all working, rather than looking to one? If that’s the case, what are the chances that team survives?”
Maybe this doesn’t sound so simple if you’re taking orders in the hope you’ll impress your superiors or want to be promoted. You want to know how to say “no” in a professional way.
“Rather than saying no flat out, you can provide options. List the pros and cons of each one. Ultimately, you want a win-win situation. If people can see what’s in it for them, then they’re more likely to accept it.”
5. Above everything else, love what you do!
“We spend so much time at work, and if we’re not enjoying it a large part of the time, then what are we doing with our lives? Why are we doing this to ourselves?”
It’s a real privilege that we’re able to work jobs we enjoy. That we can find meaning and purpose in our work. That we can learn and grow, and we can join organisations whose values align with our own. “If you don’t feel part of the purpose of you’re doing, then it’s very transactional and if you’re not enjoying it, then it’s probably not the thing you should be doing. You’re not going to be successful if you’re not enjoying yourself.”
Conclusion
No matter where you are in your career – whether junior, senior, or somewhere in-between – we’re all going through the same anxieties and concerns when it comes to our work. Maybe we struggle to say ‘no’, or to make our work and ourselves visible, or to build a network.
If there’s one thing we can take away from Lucia’s talk, it’s that we’re not alone. When we know who we are, our worth, and what we stand for, and openly act like we do, then we’ll see our careers flourish.
We would like to say thank you to Ninety One for their ongoing support and for sponsoring this month’s Happier Hour. They have a range of open opportunities right now, learn more about them here.
Article author: Hayley Kuhl - Hayley is an Australian writer living in Berlin. Her passion is to see people understand themselves and their place in the world. Sometimes she writes about that on Medium and you can also find her on Linkedin.
