Je ne sais pas

15th June 2012

Je ne sais pas.

In French, this means “I don’t know” and it’s the only French I actually know. I was a Spanish minor, but this bit of French is one of my favorite phrases. My boyfriend did manage to take quite a bit of French throughout school, but this seems to be the only phrase that really stuck. Over the years, it’s become one of my favorites (maybe it has something to do with admitting doubt in a romance language that makes it more fun).

Within our careers, we all reach moments where we just don’t know; where we don’t have the answers. It can be incredibly easy to try to lead the charge and attempt to manage our days under the guise that we know it all, but it is my belief that sometimes admitting doubt can be even more difficult.

Peter Bregman tells a compelling story about his “I don’t know” moment and describes leadership as not the arrogance of having all of the answers but the confidence and humility to move forward even without all of the answers.


Everyday I am faced with “I don’t know” moments. Some days it feels like it’s all I do, but that’s the beauty in being human. No one holds all the cards. There is always someone to teach you the answers, and it’s your duty to find those leaders and allow them to shape your understanding.

I have had the incredible opportunity to learn and grow from some very smart people in my career who have influenced me more in ways they may never know. While it may be one of the most difficult tasks in you career, seek leaders, coworkers and friends who aren’t afraid to answer your questions and to transform your “I don’t know” moments into your strengths.

I certainly can’t remember every presentation I have given or been tasked to put together, but I can absolutely recall the hours spent collaborating with those leaders who were willing to take their time to help me get there.

I can’t wait to uncover my next challenge and to continue to meet those leaders who will ultimately guide me to become the leader I aspire to be.

6 Ways to Rock Life as an Intern

7th June 2012

This week marked the start of one of my favorite seasons of the year: intern season. We had a great group of Enterns start at Engauge this week and I cannot wait to spend time with each one of them and learn more about their passions, experiences and goals over the next three months.

Interns always bring back so many memories of my intern experiences and it’s crazy to think it has been year(s) since I myself was an intern. First, congratulations. Getting an internship these days is an accomplishment in and of itself. You beat out countless other people for the position you now find yourself in and now it’s time to spend the next few months proving to everyone why you earned that spot.

In honor of the occasion, here are a few tips for anyone getting their foot in the door this summer.

1. Make it count. Work every day like it’s your first. If you think you are being judged, scored, evaluated everyday, it’s probably because you are. Prove to your company why they can’t survive without you.

2. Ask questions. Lots of them. You are not supposed to know everything, show that more often that not. The only way you are going to learn is to ask why, ask why not, ask what that crazy acronym stands for, chances are your coworkers will not look down on you for not knowing, but commend you for the courage it takes to speak up.

3. Dress for the job you want. Just because people at your office look like they just left a college classroom too, doesn’t mean you should. While you may not need to wear a suit everyday, no one ever looked down upon a girl in heels or a guy in a nice button down and kahkis. And even though Mark Zuckerburg can get away with a hoodie everyday, doesn’t mean you can.

4. Don’t do as your told. Do better. As an intern, you may be asked to help with not so fun tasks or projects, but most of the time if you weren’t there, we would be doing that work too. Go above and beyond and show your supervisor you are capable of thinking outside the box and event expanding the way they may think. When I first started my first internship I had no idea how to put together a good powerpoint presentation. During my down time I spent time on SlideShare trying to pick up tips from what others had done and applied that to my projects, that downtime went a long way.

5. Keep smiling and stay focused. In every single internship I ever had there were days I hated. There were days I came home and cried. Days when I felt like I wasn’t making a difference. But for every bad day, there were 10 good days that lead me to the place I am today. The relationships I formed became great friends, coworkers, mentors and bosses, who have all made me into the person I am today and I wouldn’t change a thing about the journey.

6. Enjoy it! You’re only an intern for so long. Have fun. Get out and meet people in the office. Go to a networking event. Make friends with the people you work with, don’t be afraid to show them who you are and why you are the best darn intern yet. 

 

Choices

10th May 2012

Last week I had the opportunity to attend  Chick-fil-A Leadercast for the second year in a row. I had looked forward to this event since I walked out of the GWCC this time last year. It’s just that good and this year was no different.

This year’s theme was all around the power of choices. The choices we make now effect every action that comes as a result, and they affect all of the people around us as a result.

Choices are obviously in plenty in one’s career and they happen at quite the rapid pace for me today. Tomorrow, I will attend my brother’s college graduation, two years since I myself made the same walk through the arch, and what a two years it has been.

In the past two years, I made the choice to stay in Georgia for my career. To give up the opportunity to work for an amazing brand. To take a chance on a small agency. To step out of my comfort zone in new business pitches. To switch roles at the same agency now three times in less than two years just because I needed a new challenge.

Today we had a meeting with a little group called Life Profit.

The idea is simple: what are you doing today that you are going to remember in a year from now?

How do we get out of the rut?  I’ve been there, heck, I’m there some days. I look back at the last two years and I see friends who have traveled the world, moved to new cities or gotten married. I’ve had those feelings of “what if I’m missing something?” “Am I too put together at 23?” Sometimes I can’t even stand how silly that sounds, but it’s true.

Thinking through it all, the choices I’ve made have gotten me further than I could have ever imagined the last two years would take me. My choices have caused me to grow into a more confident and trusting person than I ever knew I could be. Sure, I have a LOT of choices still to make. I’ll be the first to admit I have a LONG way to go. But with little steps each day, I know I can continue to be surrounded by people I love, working on projects that constantly challenge me and taking time to live a life I’m proud of.

It’s that little reminder that I know won’t leave my head anytime soon. What choices are you going to make today and what effect will they have on someone else’s tomorrow?