How I Got Here: Austin's career principles and Marjani's reflections on likability
Do you have career principles that help guide your career?
Happy Wednesday!
We’ve got two great stories to help get you through the rest of the week.
Our most recent How I Got Here episode featured Austin Martin, VP of Strategy and Operations at Snyk. What we didn’t fully announce is that I started working for Austin at Snyk for a summer internship just last week! As I’ve gotten to know Austin better through working with him, I’ve found that he truly lives his principles day to day. Here’s Austin’s full list of principles:
1. I associate with great people – When you are around honest, hard-working, intellectually curious, and fun people you become a better person.
2. I join impressive companies – I look to organizations that are established industry leaders or promising start-ups.
3. I recognize that I am paid to learn – In every role I look for ways to grow in order to add value to my team and organization. I believe when you stop learning, you stop adding value.
4. I limit change to advance – When making career moves I attempt to hold at least one variable constant: the company, the general role, or the manager.
5. I take sole responsibility for my career – I believe the only person who truly cares about your career is you. I work to identify new responsibilities, new roles, and new ways to contribute to my team and my company.
Listen to the full episode here, on Spotify, on Apple Podcasts, or wherever else you listen to podcasts.
Today, we’re excited to announce our new series “How I’m Getting There,” where we feature written stories about career challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned.
Our inaugural story is by Marjani Nairne. Her story covers topics many of us can relate to: having a manager we don’t get along with, feeling pressure to be “liked,” and building confidence from within.
“I’m a people person. Always have been, always will be. I tend to get along with everyone - doesn’t matter the gender, ethnicity, race, sexuality, nationality. I treat each person, and the stories they carry with them, as a fascinating gift. I love to learn about my friends and colleagues’ childhoods; and their languages and colloquialisms in case I ever need to use them on a future journey. As a New York City girl, I relish hearing about their upbringing in suburban or rural America and cannot even fathom growing up with a backyard. What do you mean you had to mow the lawn? You DROVE your date to prom in high school? I still don’t even have a driver’s license!”
Check out the full story on our blog here.
Lara and I hope you have great week and we’ll be back soon with more stories.
- Eric
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