It’s been a great journey in the corporate world so far and everyday I am excited about learning something new – big or small. I started working as a software engineer just over a decade ago and moved my way up the management ladder wearing multiple hats along the course. 

I failed terribly multiple times, succeeded a few times and got stuck in rat race like most of us do, but there’s always something to learn for anyone and everyone in the corporate world if you’re curious.

Here’re my top lessons learned so far in my experience, having worked with organizations both big and small over a decade.

  1. You’re on your own. Nobody gives a damn about you. So make yourself the top most priority at all times.
  2. Who your manager is matters a lot. They can make or break your life in a company, no matter how less influential that person is in that organization.
  3. Don’t combine personal and professional lives. By this I mean, don’t try to take work pressures to home and household matters to office. Your colleague need not know your partner’s/child’s birthday.
  4. Starting and maintaining your own company is a lot harder than what it seems. At the same time, the lessons that you learn are invaluable.
  5. Be like James Bond. No emotions, no hard feelings. Just get the work done and get the hell out of office.
  6. Never be an open book. Your secrets can be used against you at any point of time. Don’t give your peers a chance to back stab you.
  7. Money alone cannot be the motivating factor to thrive in corporate world. Just because you’re getting paid twice the previous company, it’s not worth handling twice the pressure in the new company for similar work.
  8. Do what you’re being paid for, unless you’re inclined towards doing something out of your own interest and you don’t expect any benefits for your actions out of that work.
  9. Do great work and make sure people know about it if you’re planning to please your boss and others with the work you do. Otherwise, let your work and character do the talking.
  10. If the pressure is mounting too much onto you, just tell the same to your peers and boss. Your health is #1 priority any day.
  11. Don’t act busy, be productive. Even 1% better than yesterday is an achievement. Learn more about Kaizen and Ikigai philosophies.
  12. Unfortunately, laptop is called an asset and people are called resources. That’s corporate world for you.
  13. Work and workplace are fun only if you have the right team.
  14. HR department is for the employers, not employees. Forget this and your life will be 20% less peaceful.
  15. MS Office/ G Suite will be one of the most widely used Software during your day to day work.
  16. The more organized you are, the cluttered your work environment looks like. Understand the culture first and then make suggestions to improve the process.
  17. Mahabharata and Ramayana will be your guides in how to live successful professional lives, in fact successful lives for that matter. All you need is to live by them. I’m still learning and trying to absorb all that they have to offer.
  18. If you’re the facilitator of a meeting, know who to invite and have a clear agenda. This way, you gain respect among your peers and you come across as a no nonsense person. People will understand that they are required to attend any meeting set up by you. Make it a habit to ask yourself three questions before, during, and after each meeting: “Why meet? Who’s here? What’s next?”. Create a benchmark in the art of facilitating meetings.
  19. There’s no harm in calling people as people, instead of resources. Try it and you’ll feel much better.
  20. Anything and everything spreads real quick in office except hard work and about hard workers.
  21. Want to improve your skills? Join a team/org where people can make you feel humble but at the same time willing to uplift you when you’re stuck.
  22. Always be open to new activities and opportunities. Sometimes saying YES makes all the difference.
  23. Spread the knowledge you’ve acquired. The more you hide, the more insecure you become.
  24. Your goals and company’s goals can never be same. So don’t be confused.
  25. Upskilling and learning new things in your industry will come to your aid during difficult times. If you’re into Project Management career and are preparing for PMP Certification, check out how I cleared my PMP Certification in the first attempt and you can too.
  26. Agile is a mindset, not a set of tools and practices.
  27. Manage your email effectively, else it’ll be your time sucker and makes you anxious.
  28. Skills > Money, for the first 10 years in your career because skills attract money and not the other way around.
  29. No matter how good/bad you’re, people will always talk about you. So don’t give an F about what people are thinking about you. Instead, focus on yourself and give your 100% in everything that you do.
  30. Maintain a good and healthy relationship (be in good terms) with your boss’s boss. A good mentor of mine told me during the early stages of my career, that if my boss’s boss doesn’t know what I am working on, then there is no visibility of my work.
  31. Don’t compare with others, period!
  32. Unlike what many people say, there can be friends in your corporate life. It all depends on how you approach the people and respond accordingly.
  33. Never ever be extra close to your manager. You might become a liability one day or you’ll not realize your full potential. This is deep, takes time to understand.
  34. Grass is always greener on the other side [Engineers thinks Management career is easy and vice versa]
  35. If you’re not productive and efficient, you’ve let your boss know unofficially to let him/her micromanage you. It’s almost never the boss’s mistake
  36. It’s not your colleagues or boss that will stand by you in the need of the hour. It’s FAMILY. So get your priorities right
  37. Responsibility comes to those who can shoulder them. Say TRY ME instead of WHY ME.
  38. Integrity can be your friend or foe but being a man of integrity can help you stand apart from the crowd
  39. Everyone including you and me is replaceable and will be replaced someday. Be very mindful of this fact and see yourself a changed person
  40. You’re responsible for your career, not your colleagues or boss
  41. Watch your mouth. Anybody can listen anything coming out from your mouth anytime and can be used against you anytime

To thrive in corporate world, I’d like to finish up with my most valuable lesson –

ABCD of Corporate World

A – Apna kaam (our work)

B – Boss ka kaam (boss’s work)

C– Company ka kaam (company’s work)

D – Doosron ka kaam (other’s work)

While the above might not be all the lessons that I’ve learnt (everyday is an opportunity to learn something new for me) so far in the corporate world, but these definitely have shaped me into the person I am today. 

I hope you could resonate with at least one of the lessons that corporate world has taught me so far. Please let me know in the comments below!

Thank you for visiting my blog and being a valuable reader!