I thought it would be great to share with everyone the top ten lessons I learnt whilst an Intern at Microsoft. The following list essentially is how I continue to analyse what I am doing every day... to keep on track. Hopefully you will also find it a useful tool.
In no particular order...
10) Be Passionate
Dive in and give it your all. Be excited, believe, and most of all encourage everyone else to believe as well!
9) Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
This is a big one! 12 months ago I was a nervous wreck whenever I even thought about presenting to a small group of people (... I was even nervous when I didn't have to speak!). Now I absolutely love getting up on stage and sharing a story with 5 people, or 155 people. I would never have found this out if I had not stepped out of my comfort zone. Likewise, when I went to university I stepped out of my comfort zone and picked a major I had no real interest in before, and now I absolutely love anything to do with Marketing.
Step out of your comfort zone, and live!
8) Take on Big Challenges
... because when you succeed, it is sooooooo much sweeter!
7) Give More
Live to give, do not live to receive. Not only does it get peoples attention (which is great for building relationships), but you will get much more in return. Offer to take notes at the meeting (you are the one writing the history books. As a friend of mine once said... "He who controls the definitions, controls the argument"), offer to present at the user group (you are the one igniting the passion of many in the room), offer to take the stretch assignment or the big challenge (people will remember you!).
Plus, it feels great to give. Trust me!
6) Soak Up All That You Can
Try to learn as much as you can from as many people as possible. Learn from their mistakes, their experience, and their stories. Pick up as much advice as you can.
But don't just soak it all up, actually use the information gathered in your analysis, your processes, and your decisions. Act on what you have learnt.
5) Don't be Afraid to 'Geek It Up'
... just be sure to do it at your pace, and with products/technology you love. Everyone I met at Microsoft did this (although many will not share that publicly!). Whether it be Virtualisation and Development, or Cars and Photography, make sure you have something you can really stick your teeth into and know in depth. Because there will always be someone, somewhere that you can strike up a conversation with, and build a relationship very quickly based on your knowledge of a particular topic.
So if you want to get to know me, lets 'Geek It Up' and talk about Flying Aircraft, Digital SLRs, or v.Next Software (or all three!)
4) The Result of Taking Shortcuts is ALWAYS Less Than You Expect
I have never really been one for taking shortcuts in the past, but this time I thought I could get away with it. I can't think of one time in history where this lesson hasn't held true. In this instance I had a product brochure (for BizTalk Server 2006) in PDF format, with all the extra bits that professional printing places need to figure out colour matching, where to cut the paper etc. Being a little tight, I thought I could get away with simply printing the brochure on our unreliable colour laser printer at work, and then get the good old guillotine out and cut the pages to fit.
End result was a pretty lack luster colour, uneven cuts, and an overall unprofessional feel to the printed document. Sure it saved me $500, but I am pretty confident that it also saved a majority of customers tens of thousands of their dollars for disregarding the product based on their first impressions alone... the brochure.
3) Do Not Tell a Cab Driver Who You Work For!
... unless you have quickly refreshed basic PC troubleshooting 101, the latest deals at Dell, and most importantly what garbage was published about computers in the weekend paper. At one stage I was commuting to a client site in a cab every day for 3 weeks. I learnt this lesson very quickly. Every now and then there were days I would wear a Microsoft shirt. You can't talk your way out of that one! They were the bad trips.
Note this lesson also applies to people sitting beside you on Aircraft, whilst waiting in Airports, sitting on the bus etc.
2) Relationships, Relationships, Relationships
Everyone by know should know that it not what you know, but who you know that gets you anywhere in this world. From a personal perspective, all my job offers when I left Microsoft were unadvertised positions (some even created just for me!), and all were from people who I had a professional relationship with already.
The worlds economy runs on trust... people need to know you before investing in you. Sure... pieces of paper and letters after your name count, but in the end the key differentiator for between you and another candidate, or your company, and another company, is the level of trust in the relationship. No relationship = no trust = no sale, or no job offer.
Plus it is nice to have plenty of friends :)
1) Change the World Every Day
Otherwise it gets harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning.
Social Networking