Trailblazing #12 (03/01/2024)!

What I recently found interesting:

What it takes to build an A-player Team

When I was at HBS I was constantly reminded that HBS was a transformational experience. And don’t get me wrong, it was an incredible time and I would have done it again in a heartbeat. But it was only when I failed my first startup 8 months after graduation that I knew that HBS was not transformational. Failing my startup was… HBS has given me new skills, allowed me to explore different interests & provided a one-in-a-kind platform to make great friends, all of which I am very thankful for. But it was all done in a pristine environment which, to be fair, is critical for the development of certain skills. That said, a transformation (at least for me) necessitated a triggering event (quitting my startup) that bluntly challenged my perception of the world and pushed me to make a 90-degree turn in my life. And it all started 12 months ago…

• Since then I have been on this wonderful (albeit at times very challenging) trail of self-discovery, questioning (or solidifying) many of the fundamental beliefs / principles that I grew up with, and as a result finding my own independent voice & place in the society.

The leading article triggered the reflection about my most fundamental learning from this past year which was understanding the past factors behind my self-confidence in both personal (relationships with people) and professional lives (work output / business acumen), how those two have thus far intertwined, and how I could move forward, stronger. Below is an example describing a small part of this bigger theme…

Back in 2016, after leaving my professional tennis dreams behind I blindly (because I knew no better) followed my friends who recruited for banking & consulting. Because the former required lots of early networking and the latter touted creative problem-solving & ability to work on projects around the world, I recruited for consulting.

• Long story short I had final rounds for both internships and full-time opportunities, but never got the offer. And, deep in my heart, I knew I did not give my best effort. So while it hurt, it made sense.

But when I enrolled at HBS, I was committed to recruit for banking.

• And this time, I prepared very well. I had three final round interviews for an internship (incl. my top choice) but again, did not get any offers. This time though, there simply must have been better candidates. So unlike those college consulting interviews, it hit much harder, and left me clueless about where my professional adventure was headed…

Now, there are two reasons I say all this:

• first of all, majority of the compelling job postings I had looked at since 2016 required the candidate to have 2-3 years of consulting / banking experience (with the corresponding skills), which subconsciously always made me feel like I was not good enough for the career that I aimed for,
• secondly, among people looking for a career in widely-defined business, there is this sense of glamor, status & the professional accomplishment associated with consulting & finance jobs (especially early on in one’s career). And I, for better or for worse, wanted to be a part of that club; I thought that either of those two paths (consulting or finance) would have given me the external validation that I was craving for after my tennis dream had ended.

Having said all the above, in the past year (and mostly ever since the decision to step off the expected path and take a “social sabbatical” in Singapore), I have finally let go of that ‘not good enough’ feeling, both personally and professionally. Referring to the example above, I came to peace with the fact that neither consulting nor finance careers were meant for me, and instead of focusing on what skills I might not have developed (yet) because of that, I have really dug deep into uncovering and letting my superpowers blossom.

• To highlight one of them (inspired by the leading article) → I learn new things fast, meaning that while I might not be the most obvious person to take on a specific assignment, I might turn out to be the most optimal choice in the long run. Interestingly, my former bosses (and colleagues) have always emphasized & appreciated that about me and I would often shake that praise off because it never felt tangible (i.e. how do I describe it?). That said, a significant part of the transformation I discussed above is about changing that self-perception. As I mentioned in previous posts, over the last year I have learned to really believe in my work output. This doesn’t mean it is always correct. Seeking feedback & critically internalizing is and will continue to be one of the most important skills to have. But it does mean that I no longer have a chip on my shoulder, subconsciously discounting my skills.

Miscellaneous

Personal

I made two trips in February, both of which taught me new little things about myself ??

• visited two of my great friends at Wharton (and ran the Rocky Stairs!),
• flew to Austin to reunite with some of my HBS friends & compete in the MBA soccer tournament as an alum.

And in between of those two trips I moved to LA → frankly, this was the first time I have really moved: designed the space, ordered (with some wonderful help) furniture (and other accessories), assembled it & set up power / gas / wifi accounts …

• Up until now I have always looked for ways to simplify my living situation and enable flexibility, save time / money & focus my efforts on other pursuits. So the best part of this move was that (albeit overwhelming at times) I was really excited to do it all!?Especially, assembling the furniture that reminded me of building soccer stadiums with the LEGO bricks when I was 7-12 years old (and which I absolutely loved doing!).

Lastly, it was only about 4 months ago that I finally felt the need to prioritize (elevate) my living situation; truth be told, I have also subconsciously been delaying this moment because I had this ideal scenario (perhaps, naively) in my head in which I would be doing this (the whole “maturing” part) alongside the woman of my dreams; but as with many other things over the last year, I consciously discarded that sequence and set out to “grow up” on my own. And I am really digging deep into learning to love (and change, as I deem necessary) myself in order to holistically become the best version of myself, for myself ??

Song Recommendation

“Santa Monica” by Everclear -> interestingly, while I have listened to this song plenty of times before, I never paid attention to its title; that said, when it was playing this month I looked at my phone and there it was →?my new neighborhood ?? so for obvious reasons this song just had to be my February recommendation.

And as I listened to the song more carefully, the following lines unsurprisingly spoke to me the most:

• “Walk right out into a brand new day, insane & rising in my own weird way.”