I have been in the workforce for five years now and one of things that I have always been grateful for are my managers (current and previous).

Looking back, I tried to recall an instance where I ranted or nagged to my friends about my boss. Work isn’t perfect and there are hiccups everywhere but it was never about the boss.

I’d like to believe that what I am now is a reflection of who they are or at least what they were trying to instill in me. So as my own little way of thanking these people, allow me to list the most important things that I’ve learned from them.

Communicate, communicate, communicate from the British boss at an online gaming company.

He was the Marketing Director and I work as an editorial assistant slash troubleshooter. I was a fresh out of college and he made sure that I remember that our communication lines are open. If I have any questions, ideas, thoughts, I could knock on his door and explain myself. Silly or weird, it was never an awkward moment when I’m there trying to prove a point. That inspired me to always try and get the message across.

You work better with your boss when you’re friends from the Pinoy boss at the same online gaming company.

It was never weird to share what I did over the weekend with this boss or whether I had a late night last night and still reported to work. This second boss showed me that work relationships only mean something when friendships are built out of it. To this day, whenever one of his daughters has a party, I still get invited. He was the first person to know I was resigning from that company not because he was my boss but because he was a good friend and I know I owe him that. Like any friend would do, he supported me and encouraged me to take a path different from his.

Working hard is not the same as working smart from the technology geek slash innovation leader boss at an online news company. 

He taught me to make use of my time well because working long hours doesn’t always mean you are doing the right things. If you can do it now, then do it now. He also made sure that I knew how to balance life and work, and he made sure I do that every day. I still refer to him as “Sir” because even after work, a lot of this guy’s vision still makes a lot of sense to me.

“Trabaho lang yan” from the guy who opened doors for me at Y! 

He was a good friend and a good mentor because at the end of the day, he reminds me that whatever it is, it’s just work and it should never define your life. Work comes and goes and what will keep you together is by knowing who you are. This boss also taught me that patience pays off in the long run.

“Help me help you” from my current boss at Y!

My current job is all about operations and I get the biggest encouragement from my direct boss who has a simple rule: I need to tell him what I need to win and he will try his best to get it for me (where possible). I have to thank this rule for all of my wins. It takes time to get to that level where you can be brutally honest with your boss but when you get there, it makes all the anxieties in the past so worth it.

People change managers every so often but it is rare to come across managers who are willing and generous to be their team’s mentor. If and when you find them, move heaven and earth to learn as many lessons as you can.

Today I was told this:

You are highly reflective and you thrive when you have a moment to think about how you feel about something.

 

Once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded of the good things about yourself. The reason why this blog and all the blogs before this was titled “Sharp Mind” is because I’d like to think that is my best asset.

I think. A lot. And yes, it steps over the “Paranoia” line sometimes.

But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve been asked about three months ago how I have a “solve this problem” attitude. I didn’t have an answer then but after a couple of weeks of wanting to write my thoughts, I finally re-set up this blog and found time to put it in words.

1. It’s all about the outlook. You’ve heard people say “be positive” or “think positive” so good things happen. They failed to mentioned that even if you do this, sh*t happens and that’s not on you, it’s just the way it is. You can’t control everything.
2. It’s all about semantics. Problem or challenge? I prefer to call it a challenge. Challenges push you to your limits and encourages you to go beyond what you know you can do and explore the things you’re not very comfortable with.
3. It’s all about owning it. If there’s a challenge in front of you, do you act on to solve it, or do you wait for someone to solve it? If you prefer the latter, you’re doomed. You can’t sit down or wait for people to do something for you because they have other problems too. The world doesn’t revolve around you, and the faster you own a challenge, the faster you can solve it. You have to do something.

No one ever said life’s supposed to be easy. And if you’re not ready to do the “hard parts” of the job, then I don’t have a solution for that.

What I’m saying is actually easier said than done like most life-lessons. But ultimately, problems and challenges are here to make us wiser and to put us in a state where we never thought we could be, a better me.