10 Things I've Learnt After 7 Years at Autodesk

Today, seven years ago, I stepped into the world of 欧特克 at the Barcelona office. Oh wow, time flies! I arrived fresh, hungry for challenges, a little scared of the unknown, and open to the new world ahead of me. I didn't know what to expect, and my father was perhaps even more excited about my job offer at Autodesk, given his 25+ years of experience and background in construction.

Some may not know that I initially turned down my first offer at Autodesk. I remember calling my dad, and he screamed over the phone: "Kristina, are you out of your mind? It's AUTODESK!" A thought crossed my mind—"Okay, maybe I made a mistake." Then, nine months later, I accepted the second offer. What’s truly meant to be your path will eventually find its way to you, one way or another.

Today, seven years later, I sit in my apartment in London, feeling grateful and reflecting on how far I’ve come:

1. Focus on little milestones, they will guide towards the desired end result. Our perception of us oftentimes gets blurred as we are struggling to get to the desired end result. The truth is it’s not the end result that truly matters, it’s every little step of the journey that lets you get to that end result.?Celebrate every little milestone as it’s carefully building the foundation for your future successes.?Remember who you are with every new step you make because the person you are today is already a better version of yourself yesterday. This will take you further than the idea of the end result you are striving to achieve.?No one can build a house without a foundation, so why would you try??
2. Get out of your comfort zone- You won't always be good at everything and that's ok. Accept it and move on! If you are feeling as if you are walking in circles... you are probably walking in circles. It's time for a new challenge! Change roles, move teams, functions, organisations. Don't get glued to the role of "your dreams", your dreams today are only the reflection of your experiences today, who said there is nothing greater or better waiting for you?
3. If you are a great manager in your head, it doesn't mean you are a great manager. Whether you are becoming somebody's mentor or manager, it doesn't mean you will be perfect from the start. Learn, ask for advice, talk to your intern, team, mentee frequently. It's a learning curve for both you and your report and it's okay not to know all the answers at once. People deal with people at the end of the day!
4. Set your boundaries and this doesn't mean you need to be harsh or decline everything you are being asked, instead make sure that the tasks you choose to do are meaningful. The tasks you do define what kind of a stakeholder you are- a key contributor, a person of influence, or a reviewer.
5. Align everything you do daily to overarching strategic goals. This is especially important when you transition into a role without clearly defined or measurable KPIs. When I transitioned from customer success to product marketing, I couldn't at first understand what kind of tasks were making an impact. Align every project you do to OKRs, strategic functional, and company goals
6. Make friends with metrics, otherwise motivation may start to fade away. ... and again, make friends with metrics. PowerBi, Looker, whatever it is you are using today- metrics will become your best companion and oftentimes motivator to continue!
7. Networking: network everywhere you can. You next job may be a few handshakes away from you today. I recently listened to a podcast and I liked this sentence: "Whatever it is you are asking today in a small talk, to that and ask one more thing you'd normally ask". For example, if you always ask: "What's your name and role", ask one more question : "What excites you the most about the job that you do?". This will take your networking to a new level.
8. Build your brand- today, we are living in the world of a digital revolution where you as a brand are more powerful than oftentimes some companies are. Believe it or not, most followed accounts on LinkedIn and other social networks are... people, not companies!
9. Don't compete against others. It's a point of no return. To me, competing against others is pointless. Sometimes the desire to win over someone will drag you down and influence your performance. The moment your focus shifts from you onto somebody else, you are no longer playing the game in your favor.
10. Resiliency. This one is probably my work in progress right now and I am still trying to figure out what this word means to me. Someone I admire once told me: "What brought you here today won't bring you to the next goal tomorrow". Circumstances may change, people around you may change, products may change, companies may change. You need to change. Accept changes without letting emotions take over, treat them as new exciting opportunities, leverage new beginnings to learn and evolve with courage.

What else is out there? Nobody knows. I don't. As Sadhguru says: "What we don't know, we don't know", but what I know for sure is that whatever is yet to come I am ready to accept, embrace, learn, and eventually grow!

For many more to come!

Yours truthfully,

Kristina