You can work in many industries, but if you pick the tech industry, be prepared for a competitive, fast-paced, and sometimes tiring journey. The rate of change is rapid, the customers are demanding, and when customers are unhappy, it is easy for them to leave. If you keep your head down too long, your customers’ needs and market opportunities will change, and your competition could win. With every day that goes by, all businesses are turning into tech businesses to stay ahead.
Take Care Of Yourself So You Can Take Care Of Others
Everyone always talks about work-life balance, but in our new normal of working from home, you must now figure out how to make work fit into your life, not make life fit into your work. Your needs continually change, so it’s not as easy as picking a work-life balance proportion and holding it. Only you can decide what the right balance is at any given point. As you go through your journey, you must remember to be mindful of your physical, emotional and social needs. If you do not take care of yourself, you could burn out, which will prevent you from being your best self at work, at home and with your friends. It is natural to put other priorities in front of your personal needs, but this is not sustainable. To be the best version of yourself and able to take care of the essential things in your life, you should understand and focus on your health and individual needs.
Be One Person In All Settings
Early in my career, I was moved when I had lunch with an experienced CEO who shared his life lessons. He almost destroyed himself while growing his public company and not recognizing where he was spending his energy. During his darkest hours, he finally realized that he was spending too much energy being three different people — who he was at home, at work and alone. When you try to be different people based on the environment, you will not show up as your authentic self, which can lead to people not trusting you. Especially in today’s work-from-home reality, finding your true self will make people more comfortable around you, allow you to be a more confident leader and give you more energy for what is important.
Focus On Your Most Important Asset — Your People
Your people build your products and take care of your customers, but are you taking care of your people? There are many great companies to work for, but it’s unfortunate how many take their employees for granted. Ensuring your employees understand what success means in their role and how that helps the company deliver on its goals is critical for creating a positive and productive work environment. It’s also important that you don’t just talk about financial goals. Share the problems the company is solving — this “greater good” is called your company’s purpose. It’s no longer enough to give someone a job and have them get to work. People today expect and deserve more and should understand how they are part of something bigger than themselves and how the company is making a difference. Once you’ve built a foundation, you can then take the time to empower your employees and create the right culture.
Innovate For Your Customers
In the technology industry, you must consistently exceed expectations or your customers will quickly find the next best thing. Focusing on your customers seems like an easy thing to do. Still, many companies get caught up in their normal day-to-day operations and forget about their existing customers. If all you are doing is spending time trying to bring in new business, you may lose track of what is essential to your customers. What are the things that you are doing to take care of your customers? How often do you proactively reach out to your customers to track satisfaction? Do you have the right customer outreach tools and customer support systems? What is working for your customers, and what problems are your competitors solving in your market? Every customer interaction is an opportunity to turn your customers into evangelists. By staying in tune with who your customers are and what problems you are solving for them, you can lay out the proper product roadmap to continue to exceed expectations. Innovating for your customers starts with the relationship you have with them and understanding what problems you are trying to solve today and in the future.
Know That You Do Not Know Everything, And Don’t Be Afraid To Fail
Making sure that you show up as your healthiest self, focusing on your people and innovating for your customers might sound straightforward, but do not be fooled. These steps require focus, sacrifice and a plan for where you are and where you are going. It’s easier to go through your day thinking that you have all the answers than to challenge yourself with the reality that you will never have all the answers and that today’s right answers are most likely going to be the wrong answers tomorrow. Like Albert Einstein said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know.” If you surround yourself with “yes” people who do not challenge you or each other, your luck may soon run out. Some executives are afraid to fail, and their egos will not allow them to see that what got them to this point will not get them to the next level. The great companies continue to evolve with the changing landscape, take care of their employees and create a growth culture. The companies that consistently challenge their way of thinking, are not afraid to try new things and continue to innovate for their customers will be the long-term winners. Even better, everyone in those companies will enjoy the journey.
