What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best is often the most basic. Like a horoscope, the more generic it is, the more I can find meaning in its application to myself. Ranging from my little sister saying, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out”, to an old Jamaican man on a mountain telling me, “Nuh worry yourself”, I find comfort in the shortest and most unlikely tidbits of wisdom.
When it comes to giving advice? I love to know all the granular details of a problem to help find a specific solution. I love thinking about the different issues people face, and getting a different perspective on those at work. Which is why writing this column for the past year has been so much fun. I’ve tackled everything from mansplaining to tea-making etiquette, and it’s been an honour to be trusted with your burning questions about how to survive in the workplace and create a good work/life balance.
You’ve also given me the opportunity to think about how I manage my own business, and how I might be dealing with team members who have the same issues, but aren’t vocalising them. I hope that my perspective as a “boss” has helped you think more like a leader, even if the only person you are leading is yourself.
But as a boss, I need to focus, and my startup has now reached a critical moment, so I’ve decided that if I am to make Beautystack a global success, I will need to have both hands on the steering wheel and say goodbye to this column.
My final advice to you? Well, it’s a summary of a year’s worth, and the mantra I keep repeating: know thyself. Who are you and what are you good at? Set a goal: who or where do you want to be, and when? Focus: figure out what you need to achieve to get there, get your head down and work hard to make it happen. I know you can do it.
Source: TheGuardian
