How do I navigate conversations at work
How do I navigate conversations at work
When I first started, I rarely indulged in non-work-related banter or conversation. I mostly kept to myself. It could be due to a lack of self-confidence, money, or imposter syndrome. I’m not sure. Whenever everyone headed out to party on a Friday evening, I would head back home, thinking that ‘that ain’t me’. Now, I know better that there is nothing wrong with being that person.
I used to struggle with questions like -
How do I communicate my ideas with my manager? How do I inform them of my expectations and needs?
How do I tell the PM that X might not be a wise design decision?
I learned all of it on the job. A lot of it has come from absorbing conversation from people around me. And figuring out what works for me that gets the job done. Looking back, I realize these are a few ideas that have helped me along the way -
1. Valuing relationships
Relationships at work don’t have to be transactional. If you have a mutual understanding and a healthy relationship with clear boundaries with your manager, they can be your biggest allies. They will push you to grow and support you when you need it.
It brings me immense joy to feel like a part of a team or community with my peers. The last 4–5 years have given me some truly lifelong friends and mentors.
2. Over-communication
Over-communication has been the key to transparency and clear communication in the remote setup for me. A lot of async conversations happen in writing over Slack or email. Writing has helped me understand my thought process better.
At the same time, knowing when to transition from an async conversation to online to avoid back and forth among multiple stakeholders is imperative. It helps to make decisions quickly, keeping everyone on the same page with clear action items for individuals.
3. Being authentic
It can be exhausting to pretend to be someone else. Faking it until you make it may be helpful in certain situations to overcome fears. However, it is not a very scalable approach to life in my personal opinion.
I have made some of the most rewarding relationships with those around whom I can be vulnerable. It is not a sign of weakness. It is our most humane state.
4. Dealing with conflicts
Dealing with conflict doesn’t come naturally to me. I am still working on it. In such situations, I try to be patient, professional and rational. When anticipating pushback, I prefer to come prepared with data or customer feedback to back up my decisions.
When there is an intuition-based decision, pulling in my allies and not taking anything personally helps.
5. Staying organised
I am more of an “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” — person. Staying organised with my to-do list and clear compartmentalisation of work has helped me remain on top of things at work and in my personal life.
We are always a work-in-progress. Knowing we are moving in the right direction is sufficient.
When I first started, I rarely indulged in non-work-related banter or conversation. I mostly kept to myself. It could be due to a lack of self-confidence, money, or imposter syndrome. I’m not sure. Whenever everyone headed out to party on a Friday evening, I would head back home, thinking that ‘that ain’t me’. Now, I know better that there is nothing wrong with being that person.
I used to struggle with questions like -
How do I communicate my ideas with my manager? How do I inform them of my expectations and needs?
How do I tell the PM that X might not be a wise design decision?
I learned all of it on the job. A lot of it has come from absorbing conversation from people around me. And figuring out what works for me that gets the job done. Looking back, I realize these are a few ideas that have helped me along the way -
1. Valuing relationships
Relationships at work don’t have to be transactional. If you have a mutual understanding and a healthy relationship with clear boundaries with your manager, they can be your biggest allies. They will push you to grow and support you when you need it.
It brings me immense joy to feel like a part of a team or community with my peers. The last 4–5 years have given me some truly lifelong friends and mentors.
2. Over-communication
Over-communication has been the key to transparency and clear communication in the remote setup for me. A lot of async conversations happen in writing over Slack or email. Writing has helped me understand my thought process better.
At the same time, knowing when to transition from an async conversation to online to avoid back and forth among multiple stakeholders is imperative. It helps to make decisions quickly, keeping everyone on the same page with clear action items for individuals.
3. Being authentic
It can be exhausting to pretend to be someone else. Faking it until you make it may be helpful in certain situations to overcome fears. However, it is not a very scalable approach to life in my personal opinion.
I have made some of the most rewarding relationships with those around whom I can be vulnerable. It is not a sign of weakness. It is our most humane state.
4. Dealing with conflicts
Dealing with conflict doesn’t come naturally to me. I am still working on it. In such situations, I try to be patient, professional and rational. When anticipating pushback, I prefer to come prepared with data or customer feedback to back up my decisions.
When there is an intuition-based decision, pulling in my allies and not taking anything personally helps.
5. Staying organised
I am more of an “If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe.” — person. Staying organised with my to-do list and clear compartmentalisation of work has helped me remain on top of things at work and in my personal life.
We are always a work-in-progress. Knowing we are moving in the right direction is sufficient.