How to leave your mark?

Enjoy the journey, not just the destination

• Explore multiple paths at the beginning of your career, and a common theme will gradually emerge. And don't forget to take a look at the bigger picture. This will help you build a unique skillset, and teach you to look at things from another's perspective.

• Spend the right amount of time on those wonderfully winding roads, and don't fixate on the mountaintop.

• Not having a rigid plan allows you to be curious and opens you to new opportunities. Look for a sounding board to bounce your ideas off. And be hungry for knowledge always, not just at the start of your career.

• Chance encounters with people are often decisive. But do chance and intuition really exist? Or does intuition spring from the information you processed? It might look like chance, but chance it is not.

Your sweet spot
• Find your sweet spot: what are you good at, what do you love doing and what will the world reward you for?
• Be clear about what you have to contribute, and find a context in which to contribute meaningfully.
• You will grow enormously in a place where standards are high and mistakes are tolerated generously.

Connecting the dots
• You learn much from your career path by disconnecting and looking back, especially on the moments that felt like failures.
• Don't cling to the illusion of stability, think actively about making yourself more resilient.
• Find peace in yourself, uncertainty is normal and shouldn't add to your worries. Learn to get things into perspective.

As business unit leader for TriFinance and the driver behind TriHD, I am concerned daily with careers, growth and development in finance and HR. Ready to bounce a few ideas around? I’ll gladly make the time!