By James Hickman, Head of Sales, Marketing & Solutions at Altron Karabina
THIS year I celebrate a special 21st. I’m not 21 years old – rather, I celebrate the milestone of 21 years since I returned to South Africa from a stint in the UK.
As I was processing this milestone, I encountered a Ted Talk that inspired a personal exercise: what would I tell my 26-year-old self if I could travel back in time?
The talk raises concerns about the current crop of “20-somethings”, comparing them to generations before and basing observations on psychology and brain development. We’ve all seen it: newer beliefs such as “30 is the new 20”, starting careers later, marrying later, setting up investments later – everything is pushed out in the name of eternal youth.
The crucial point of the Ted Talk was that our final major brain development occurs when we are approximately 26 years old. And so, if I look back to when I was 26 – where I was, what I had and hadn’t accomplished; what would I tell myself to set me up for success?
In doing so, perhaps my experience can help young people today get a head start on the life lessons I have learned along the way.
So, I was 26. I had just returned from the UK and had just started working at Microsoft. Without any doubt, there was far more that I didn’t know then, which I know now. How did I get there?
You see, I matriculated at 19 with a less than stellar standard grade pass. As a result, university was not an option and I started waitering. Through that, I met someone who offered me a job selling computers.
Within a few months, I was selling software and met a representative from the software vendor who offered me the opportunity to work for them in the UK. It was an unusual route, but there I was, about to start two years abroad. To be honest, I was way out of my depth.
At 26, years old, I was back on these sunny shores, having learnt to sell in the UK market, which for those who know, has a sales culture that’s intense and highly competitive. Despite this, and despite having had success, I was 26 with very little real wisdom despite seven years of diverse experience in the workplace.
Compare that to a 30-year-old today who may have no career experience at all, just study and travel. This 30-year-old would, in theory, be even more lost than I was.
This is what I wish I had known and what I would tell my 26-year-old self:
Have confidence but don’t be arrogant
In my earlier days, I battled to get this balance right. I wasn’t naturally confident, especially being the youngest in most rooms by more than a decade. This type of unease can be taxing on one’s confidence and so to compensate it is tempting to become arrogant.
One sees it all the time; to compensate, young people become arrogant as they allow their nerves to drive the way that they show up. Rather, spend time on getting this right, and have the confidence to accept and admit that you don’t know everything. No one expects this.
Don't make assumptions, ask questions
You will never sound stupid asking a question, but you may by passing comment without understanding the context. Sometime in my late 20s, I was in a meeting with a multinational customer who said he did not have the budget for a small R3 500 line item.
I sniggered because in my mind it made no sense that a multinational couldn’t afford something so small. The customer was shocked at my reaction. I realised very quickly that I was in the room being treated as a peer and because of an ill-informed assumption, rather than asking questions and understanding context, I was a hair’s breadth short of causing real damage to my own reputation and the client relationship.
Ask questions, so that you always understand the context, because assumptions can take you very far off track.
Don’t imitate others
Take time to understand what makes you unique and have the confidence to be yourself.
When I started out as a young salesman in my early 20s, the top salesperson was a stereotypical late-90s operator: loud and brash. He was a drinker that sealed deals on the golf course while being unafraid to use harsh language, all the while driving fancy cars and living in flashy houses.
In my attempts to mimic him, I found myself in very difficult situations, because it wasn’t who I really was. You can learn from the best, but be true to yourself.
Understand the balance between planning, executing and measuring
One often sees someone present a well thought-out plan and get a round of applause. The problem is, very often execution and measurement are not up to par. I wish I understood earlier in my career that presenting a great plan does little more than stroke your ego.
Unless you buckle down into execution and measurement, don’t bother planning. It’s not easy to keep the three in balance. I probably went into my 30s before properly grasping this concept.
Never talk first
Many people want to talk first, get on the board and share their opinions. However, I learnt later in my career that waiting, and allowing other people to talk first has many benefits. It’s an insurance policy against saying something silly, or worse, stupid.
If you jump in too early without understanding all the facts and context, you may not add any real value to the discussion. By speaking too early you limit your own learning. There is immense value in listening to how other people perceive and solve problems.
Then, when you do talk, there's an opportunity to add real value. Besides this, as you develop into a leader, letting others speak first affords them the opportunity to resolve issues and learn.
Learn the art of confidence in vulnerability
Have the confidence to say you are uncomfortable or don't know something. You will learn much quicker. Many youngsters in the workplace view not knowing something as a weakness.
This couldn’t be further from the truth – if you are the youngest around a table, it stands to reason that those around you will have more experience. Rather than hide behind not knowing something, be confident enough to admit vulnerability – that’s when people help.
Learn something new every day
I was fortunate to study in my 30s, and a love for learning was born. While people have suggested various books to me throughout my life, I don’t enjoy reading as my dyslexia makes it challenging.
On the other hand, YouTube has afforded me the opportunity to spend time on a platform I do enjoy, exposing myself to a host of different topics. It is my passion to try to learn something new every day, and I wish I started this when I was younger.
By learning one thing every day you can, in theory, learn 365 things in a year, which is 3 560 things in a decade. Never stop learning – that’s how you broaden your mind.
Get to know yourself early
Do a personality test and study results. Many people scoff at these, but they are valuable pointers. At Altron Karabina we have industrial psychologists who analyse the results of personality tests of every employee.
By doing this, they are pointed to potential blind spots, strengths and more. I looked at my own results from when I started and it was amazing – it was as if I were reading something I had written about myself, but with a deeper level of insight and understanding.
Once you have this awareness, you have the opportunity to add layers of strengths to support your life and career. Very few 26-year-olds do this, and it can save a fair deal of growing pains further down the road.
Take time to learn about people
Learn from an early age to show a genuine interest in people – what they do, where they come from, their cultures, their hobbies, and more. Besides enriching your own life, it goes a long way towards building genuine rapport, which is vital when the chips are down and you need to lean on someone for help.
My advice is to build stronger relationships quicker, especially in today’s high-paced, distributed and largely online world.