NMCJ - 2: Lessons from 14 Years of 'Chugging Along'
My squiggly career ride
Hello everyone!
Welcome to my second newsletter :).
When I was an undergrad at LSE, pretty much everyone around me (myself included) was obsessed with landing a job that would set the tone for the rest of their careers. We all could envision how our respective career ladders would look like. We were going to join an investment bank or a management consultancy where we would…just grow and get rich:p. We had it all cut out and well…for some of us, it did turn out like that.
For me, the journey did not turn out like that at all. While I did dream of that clear cut career and what not, I could never have anticipated what was in store for me.
Here’s what I learned from ‘chugging along’ for all these years:
Keep your eye on the goal but don’t lose sight of the ball
While I dreamt of a career within investment banking when I was at LSE, that dream changed once the 2008 crisis hit. Times were different and - dare I say - more positive then :p. Barack Obama had just been elected and there was a lot of optimism around. There was talk of a Green New Deal and the need to drastically transform our economies.
I got starry eyed and bought into the buzz completely. I was going to save the world 🙈!
I didn’t know what I was going to do exactly but I knew that I wanted to pursue an impact driven role. In order to get on that track, I enrolled in the Masters program in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University in Sweden and started researching on what my next career step would be.
Towards the end of the program, I started applying for jobs and, to my surprise, found it incredibly difficult to find work within the sustainability space. Some roles required experience that I didn’t have, others weren’t willing to offer visa sponsorship (having a Pakistani passport didn’t help :p). I, hence, broadened my search and, somehow, managed to secure my first job at my dream employer….The Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
BCG is a huge organization and I quickly realized that, while my role wasn’t sustainability focused on the surface, I could find work that could keep me in tune with sustainability. I got the opportunity to specialize in the Forest Products, Paper and Packaging space and that made a huge difference. It’s a segment that has sustainability high on its agenda, given the nature of its value chain and the carbon footprint of the Paper Industry overall.
Thus, my 5+ years at BCG kept me in tune with my interests and goals that were geared towards sustainability. My role wasn’t focused on it but I was able to bend it towards my goal.
Recognize a wall when you see it
While at BCG, I got to work on some great projects and learned a lot. However, I realized within a couple of years that I was going to ‘hit a wall’ very soon.
If you’re part of the Consulting wing at BCG, you have a client facing role. You work on intense projects, travel a lot and often work exceptionally late hours but the potential career growth is amazing. I would guess that the only other sector that offers that level of career growth is investment banking.
I, however, was part of the Knowledge Team or KT for short. My role, thus, wasn’t client facing, offered decent work-life balance, hardly any travel (unless its for internal meetings or off-sites) but on the career growth side, while your title could change, the growth in terms of what you do and compensation-wise, is nowhere near that on the Consulting side. It was a contrast between a high intensity - high growth path and a low intensity - low growth trajectory. I was looking for something in the middle and, thus, had ‘hit a wall’.
I had been at BCG for a few years by that point and, thus, could see years forward. I saw the trajectory my seniors were on and, while they were great mentors, I realized that I needed a different career path. Thus, I set out to look for roles within and outside BCG.
Get out of your comfort zone from time to time
Upon ‘hitting a wall’ and embarking on a career change journey, I wasn’t sure what approach I should take. I wanted to stick to my sustainability focus but I also wanted a role that would put me in the driving seat i.e. as close to high-level decision making as possible. Thus, I started looking at openings overall.
I did this for over a year and kept on falling short. I must have applied to over 150 roles. In some cases, I wasn’t experienced enough. In others, someone else scored better on a particular test that the recruiters had set up. It was gruelling and the level of frustration grew with every rejection.
I, then, found an opportunity through an ex BCG contact. It was a role to lead the European Business Operations (Bizops) function at a private equity owned legacy tech company. I had no idea of what Bizops was and had never taken up anything close to it. It was nowhere close to sustainability/impact. Yet, at that point, it seemed like the only way to move on for me. I, thus, took the opportunity.
Had I stuck to my comfort zone, I might have had to deal with additional periods of frustration. It’s been over 7 years since I made that move and, while it wasn’t smooth sailing, I learned a lot and got an opportunity to my advance my career. It was a stepping stone to opportunities that I was able to secure later.
Understand and manage expectations
One thing I have consistently found useful throughout my career is the ability (and habit) of managing expectations. Whether I get a last minute request or get staffed on an elaborate project spanning over months, I always make sure I have an open communication channel with all my stakeholders early on.
On a basic level, even a quick call can help. A simple request such as ‘I’d like to know what the market for product X looks like’ could mean several different things. It could entail the size and growth of the market, the key players, the trends or it could just mean one of the aforementioned aspects.
Understanding and managing expectations is a habit that has saved me loads of double-work and pain. No matter what role you have, its a useful approach overall.
Not every opportunity is for taking
As pointed out earlier I am an advocate of trying to push oneself out of one’s comfort zone. That, after all, is how you try out new things and develop new perspectives. However, it’s also important to realize when to say ‘no’.
I was offered to take up a newly created Head of Operations role at one of my previous employers and that, on the face of it, sounded like a great opportunity. It would have meant a significant increment in my compensation and, well, a lot of exposure to the C-Level.
The catch, though, was that I essentially would have to work US hours, whilst being based in Europe. Furthermore, I had already worked with the Senior C-Suite member that the role was going to report to and I knew that my values would not align with his. That person didn’t have much respect for work/life boundaries and I still wonder how he did it but he seemed to be online around the clock.
Taking up that role, hence, would have meant more money and seniority but I would have had to cope with only a few hours of sleep every night, heightened stress, a regular sense of urgency and forget about my weekends. At that point, I was also struggling with a severe phase of depression. Thus, I took the call not take the role.
The Senior Management didn’t seem pleased and, subsequently, started to keep me at a distance. That, of course, wasn’t a positive outcome and I ultimately had to move to another company but I know for a fact that taking the opportunity would have led to a worse outcome for me.
Make sure, thus, that you know what’s important to you and realize what you’ll have to forego whenever you’re asked to take up more responsibility. This is your journey and you have to take the driving seat. If you won’t someone else will.
Recognize red flags
I have come across a few phases in my career when the environment at my employer/s became alarmingly toxic. When the culture of an organisation wreaks of negative energy, one needs to take a step back and assess how and when one must jump ship.
During one of these phases, for instance, a new management team had replaced the existing one. As soon as the new management team took the reins, they started firing people left, right and centre. Anyone and everyone you came across seemed worried about their jobs and a culture of throwing each other under the bus developed.
If you so much as emailed a certain someone for assistance on a simple task, you would, all of a sudden, find yourself in an email chain with over 10 different people copied, including the senior management. Micromanagement seemed to be the new mantra and that, of course, affected everyone.
Once you realise you’re part of an organisation where the level of trust has been eroded to such an alarming degree, you have to start planning to move on. I, for my part, should have left the company much earlier than when I actually did. Staying there took a huge toll on my mental well-being and it was a prolonged period of living in fear essentially.
Cultivate relationships
It’s extremely important to develop professional relationships throughout your career. By that, I don’t mean connecting with random people over LinkedIn or having people simply like your posts. I mean…relationships.
By relationships, I mean developing trust. If your colleagues and others amongst your professional network feel comfortable reaching out to you for support of any kind, that’s something to strive for.
From getting access to a potential employer to an hour long mentorship session over a cup of coffee, I’ve had help from past colleagues across my professional life. I would like to think that it was because I was able to develop a healthy relationship with them, in which I was able to develop trust. Reaching out to such people helps a lot, especially, if you’re at a point in your career when you’re struggling. If nothing else, you’ll probably just get some encouragement and some times, that’s all you need.
Don’t forget to enjoy. After all, even ‘chugging along’ can be fun :)!
Remember that, even if you feel overwhelmed and lost at times, it’s a journey. Don’t forget to enjoy the ride because, well, it’s your path and yours alone. Give yourself a pat on the back for the small wins and make sure you take some time out to exercise and relax whenever you can. Surround yourself with positive energy and positive people. Have fun!!!
You might, at times, think that you’re headed in the wrong direction or that you’re not good enough. Self doubt does come up again and again. Trust yourself and keep taking incremental steps. Don’t be afraid to test new waters!
The 18-19 year old Naush at LSE wanted security, certainty and quick success. He would’ve quivered if he had a hint of how precarious the years ahead were going to be.
Yet, it all turned out ok :).
Amazing read and truly well expressed !!! Managing expectations of your boss and maintaining a healthy work life balance is extremely important. Though sometimes its so hard to implement it in toxic work environments, but definitely taking this positive message from my read today.
I love how you set boundaries when it comes to growth. I think that taking the wrong opportunity can feel like regression. Opportunities, just because they're new, are not all the same in terms of what you'll get out of it. Glad you realized that :)