Upon reflection over the Christmas holiday period, I was reminded that often we are asked what lessons did we learn from the previous year, or from our previous projects. Whilst often we speak to our own personal experiences, this year while sitting around the dinner table with loved ones, I decided to ask the question to my father on what lessons he learnt as someone who migrated to Australia at the age of 18 from Italy, and owned his own pastry business for 25 years.
As we sat around the dinner table enjoying a coffee and some panettone, these were his words of wisdom that were shared;
- "You have to put your heart into the job that you do" - doing something that you really enjoy and that brings you a lot of joy makes what you do rewarding and will give you a lot of satisfaction. "When you have passion, your motivation for the job comes naturally".
- "Find the answers to the questions you don't know" - my father mentioned that when he first came to Australia, he would carry a little notebook and pen around with him everywhere he went. He would write down new English words, questions and answers. "Be curious, as this will help you become more knowledgeable".
- "Always surround yourself with people who are more experienced and or more knowledgeable than you" - being a chef by trade, my father worked in various kitchens in different countries where he was continuously learning from others who were more experienced than him. "When you are learning, you are growing as an individual".
- "Show appreciation and respect to others" - being thankful and creating an environment of mutual respect will go a long way. When first starting a new business, new relationships had to be built with suppliers and customers. A simple thank you for their continued support made interactions more memorable. "Respect goes a long way and will strengthen any relationship".
- "Be Humble" - having an open mind and recognizing areas you can improve upon will help you become more self aware of your strengths and shortcomings. "Listen before you speak, as constructive feedback will help you to remain grounded".
On a final note, and thinking ahead into the New Year, we all have character building moments and lessons to learn every year and we would not be who or where we are today without them.
People Analytics & Talent Intelligence. Ex Indeed. Ex Singapore.
1 个月Love this, Domenique. Great lessons that can apply not just to work, but life in general!
Director, PMO @Indeed | Strategic Leader | Change Agent | Coach & Mentor
2 个月Beautifully written, Domenique Onishi! Sharing your father’s wisdom is a wonderful way to celebrate his journey and help others along theirs.
Program Specialist @ AGS
2 个月Thanks for sharing Dom. This is a great reminder to many of us as it reasonates greatly with me personally! ??
Founder + Entrepreneur | Senior Accredited Board Director | Board + C-suite Adviser | Business Strategy | Future of Work Thought Leader | 'Goto Guru' for Hybrid Work | People + Work + Place as Competitive Advantage
2 个月As a serial entrepreneur, business owner and leader I completely agree with your Dad Domenique Onishi - over thirty years of experience has taught me that curiosity, generosity, trust and respect and humility are essential for a "good" professional life - whatever you do. While I do feel "do what you love" and "find your purpose" is overrated, I've always found sufficient motivation when I've been energised by professional challenges and have genuine respect and liking for my coworkers, my team and my clients (most of them at least!). Recognising the signs when this isnt enough to put a spring in your step most days is important understand that perhaps it's time for a change. Knowing when to move on is not just good for you, its good for the people you work with and helps build a professional tapestry you can look back on with gratitude.
Communications professional
2 个月I now see where you get your wisdom and sageness from! So glad you got to have such a meaningful conversation with your dad over the holidays xx