Most important lesson I learned in my first two weeks as an intern at adidas:
When it comes to progress in your job, optimal, efficient and high expectations are silent killers if not managed well, as they did for a bit in my case.
For more context, I am an incredibly high achiever, which worked well in 90% of cases.
To be successful with high goals, you need processes and habits that flourish your energy, learning and work so you can focus on what is essential.
Switching to a 9-5 was an exciting experience that forced me to adapt my processes to a new environment.
However, I hurried a bit.
Trying to be optimal, efficient and learn everything ASAP to prove valuable fast was about to be my failure in this case.
Instead of learning the ins and outs slowly and surely, I tried my optimal route in an environment in which I was not familiar and with a huge learning curve (almost 75 years of history behind Adidas, I definitely can't learn it in two weeks).
I made significant progress but missed some important "whys" and "hows".
In a multinational company where teamwork is more than essential, those are non-negotiable.
Unlike me, take your time. Walk slowly and observe the details of the environment, especially when you are unsure and it's something totally new.
Slow and consistent progress, in this case, is better than efficiency and optimal when you don't even know what has to be efficient and optimal.
Observe more than you think is needed, then choose the right way for the specific situation.
Don't just go for the path you're used to, even if it yielded the best results until now. Make a habit to always remember to observe.
P.S. Props to adidas and my team for providing the environment and making it as smooth as possible; it was a great experience.
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