What three “gifts” would you give a 20-something if you were a “Forty-Godmother”? Here 40-somethings share three wishes to help a 20-something get a head start on the confidence to make decisions that are right for themselves. No more woulda, coulda, shoulda.
1. Be patient. A lot of what you do in your first two or three years of working is simply gaining experience: interacting with colleagues, office politics , learning to be an asset to your boss. Instead of resisting the ideas of putting in your time, use this as a foundation for leadership.
2. If you’re determined to follow one set path, you may end up disappointed. Instead, you should strive to learn as much as possible at every step, believe in yourself and your value, and align yourself with smart, supportive colleagues and mentors.
3. While it’s hard to think this way at 25, your job, in its simplest form, is to make your boss’s life easier. At the end of the day, every boss wants to be confident in his or her team. The longer you’re in the workforce, the more you come to appreciate how important it is to have great people around you. In turn, if you are lucky enough to work for a boss who trusts you, supports you, and cares about you, think long and hard before you move on to what appears to be a better opportunity.