I was reflecting on my 4 years in the corporate world & with Shell.

2 years in KL and 2 years in The Hague have given me different lens on things as a young person in the corporate jungle.

I wanted to distill what those learnings are. Summary on them below!

#Thread

1) Take first stab at everything

Presentation, strategy paper etc, offer to take the first stab.

The end product may look very diff from your initial start.

But learn to articulate your ideas, receive feedback & incorporate them. Nothing great ever comes from one iteration.

2) Know what you want and lobby for your own career

Make it known to other people what your visions & plans are so, they’d know how to advise and help you.

Don’t wait & let others decide our next move/role. Take charge and lobby for your own career instead.

3) Have that coffee chat

I try to arrange for coffee chat with at least one new person each week. Learn what they do, the business they are in and then share your own work & interests.

Good way to build relationship but you can also learn a lot more abt the business.

Then get the person to recommend 2 to 3 other people you can talk to based on the interests or questions you may have.

4) Keep an eye out for the 'emerging leaders'

The best kind of ppl to mentor you. Those who are groomed for future senior leadership & need to enhance leadership, coaching skills.

They tend to have more time to spend & it might be part of their own development to coach you.

5) Remember who opened the doors of opportunities for you

Your hard work don’t exist in vacuum. Someone noticed it, took a chance on you & provided you with the opportunity to do more.

Remember ‘em for no man is ever ‘self-made’. You’re made by all the things & ppl around you.

6) The willingness to impart knowledge on others is just as important as the willingness to learn

You will always have something more to learn but you also have something you can share with others.

Learning can only really happen if you treat it as a 2-way street.

7) Don’t be afraid to ask Qs

If you don’t understand, ask.

I’ve sat in a meeting where a complex issue was discussed and a senior leader asked, “Can you pls explain this to me again as if I am a 5 yo?

Qs you ask can also trigger diff perspectives others have not thought of.

I shared the longer version of this on my LinkedIn.

Happy to connect on there and exchange ideas & experiences too! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learnings-from-young-corporate-employee-zafirah-affendi