The best advice I got in my career so far

Today marks the day of my 5th work anniversary... and what a ride it has been.

I am so lucky to have started my career at Microsoft when I was only 21 and, three years later, been able to join another tech giant: Google. The amount of growth I have had over the last 5 years is really unbelievable (just ask my first manager at Microsoft and he will tell you the difference ahaha).

Yet, no growth comes easily and there are a few things I wish I knew before I started my career. Today, I thought it was worth sharing the best pieces of advice I've received over the last 5 years and I hope they are as useful for you as they were for me.

Understand your superpower

We all have one, that's for sure, but it took me some time to understand what mine really was. I started my career in sales: tech sales. I'm not a technical person, at all. Don't get me wrong, I do LOVE tech but I knew from the beginning I would never be the type of seller that would know all the features, all the product technical details and would outsmart all the CIO/CSO that I sat down with. Since I was not technical, I had to learn tech in a way that made sense for me, and soon realised that I was able to explain very complex things in a very easy and smooth way. (Thank you Sónia Falc?o for letting me know that was a fantastic skill I have).

But, I later realised that was not MY SUPERPOWER. In fact, my superpower is a very "simple thing". I'm really passionate about my work, but what I love even more than that, is my team. I always try to be a source of fun and positivity in any team I'm in. I like to bring people together, to help build an incredible team spirit and culture and to see people smile. On top of that, if there's something that needs to be called out, I will also be the person that always speaks up and it feels so good to know that's what people remember me for.

Being in the room ≠ Adding value to the room

I guess this is something that haunts my generation (the "terrible millennials"): "we're too ambitious". I think the problem is not exactly that we want to go far but rather that we want to go far veeeeery fast. It's easy to get frustrated in the beginning of our careers because we start to feel we will not be where we want at the speed that we wish... I mean "how can I not be CEO of a multinational company before 30?" (I'm joking!)

And then I had the opportunity to listen to Phill Nosworthy in a Microsoft session. He said something I will never forget: why are you rushing to get yourself into "the room"? Are you prepared to be in "the room"? Did you develop enough skills to be able to add value to "the room"? Because that's exactly the question: maybe you're able to rush your career and get to "the room" you want in record speed, but once you're there, sitting at the table... can you add value to the conversation?

Ps1:. Go follow Phill everywhere: Linkedin, Instagram, everywhere. The guy is amazing!

Focus your energy on your circle of influence

Any company you join, or any department, team, project, will have things you don't agree with: processes you would like to change, departments that don't communicate as you think they should, leadership decisions you don't support, (...).

It's easy to fall intro a trap where you think you have to change it all, give your opinion about everything that doesn't work and stress yourself about things that, in all honesty, you just don't control (or have the experience to understand the bigger picture).

Paula Panarra was one of my mentors at Microsoft and I still remember the advice she gave me after one of my "rants" on everything we should change in the company: she told me to focus on my circle of influence.

When you start your career your circle of influence is small (that's normal!) However, once you focus on the things that you can in fact change, your circle of influence will start to grow: this means that you will start to have a reputation as someone that changes and improves things in the company, and before you even notice, you're influencing the "big things".

Ps2:. Don't judge my drawing.

Maybe today will be everything you've been waiting for 

Again, thank you Phill for this one! For me, this advice means a lot of things:

• Just risk it and get out of your comfort zone! Are you curious about working in another country / change area / give up on everything and travel the world? Maybe that will be everything you've been waiting for.
• Be positive! Are you waking up feeling down, bored, frustrated about something? Maybe today will be everything you've been waiting for.
• Stop postponing things! Do you have "annoying" things to do and keep saying tomorrow is the day? Do you keep telling that friend that you really have to schedule a coffee/lunch? Maybe today will be everything you've been waiting for. Let's go!

Be happy and learning

This last piece of advice was given to me just a few weeks ago by one of my directors: Ian Rooney. This was also advice he received in his career: "Whatever you do, make sure you're happy and learning".

It sounds almost like advice you would give to a child, but it makes so much sense:

1. If you're happy but not learning - you'll get bored.
2. If you're learning but not happy - you'll burn out.

I guess I'm very lucky that that's exactly how I feel right now about my career: happy and learning and I'm looking forward to the next 5!

Adriana