Vodafone / TPG Job Reflections

Hi there,

Here are some reflections from my time at Vodafone / TPG. You might have picked up similar points from your career journey so far. Let me know what you think, would love to have a conversation on them.

I've summarized 6 points. Why 6? For the 6 years I've spent at the company. Because of my date of birth (666) and of course because of the 6 Champions League titles Liverpool has (the most by any English team by a country mile).

1) You might have heard of the cliched ‘Culture eats Strategy for breakfast’. The same is true in taking a humanistic approach rather than a transactional one to daily interactions

Simply put, a reminder to pay attention to the person you are engaging with instead of taking a task-oriented approach to work. This makes ALL the difference!

2) Work out who you are, what you stand for and reflect those principles in how you approach the job

Be clear on your moral compass and let that guide you. If you blindly follow & upward manage, you will lose yourself along the way.

3) Surround yourself with people who understand, trust and believe in you. Shut out the noise from those who don’t

You won't always get along perfectly with everyone. With some people, you'll make an instant connection. With some others, that connection might build over time. And finally, with a few that connection may never quite happen. Don't sweat it. Your career is an ocean not a pond so swim with your school and steer clear of any threats swiftly.

4) If you have an opinion or an idea, stay committed and be creative if needed to be truly heard. Making changes is a demonstration in performance art in large organisations

The number of people I have spoken to who have simply given up on trying to make a change for the better because it's too hard in large corporations is frankly shocking. I'm guilty of it too. This is a real problem that companies need to get ahead of to fix, but do your part. Stay committed & patient. Be creative to explore different avenues and timelines, and use the art of story telling and relationship building to help make that change. Once you do get there, trust me the satisfaction gained is worth it and will form a career highlight.

5) Decisions don’t get made in meetings. They get made in discussions had prior to the meeting. If you don’t prepare accordingly, then prepare to be surprised in the meeting

Having learnt this the hard way, this is a lesson for those who want to not only survive but thrive in the world of inflated egos, political maneuvering and blame shifting of corporate wizards.

6) Be clear on what you want and go for it

Nobody but yourself truly knows what you want from your job & career. So if you haven't already, spend time to figure it out and don't put all your eggs in one basket. Expand your network, create opportunities. Widen your horizon and be open to make changes to get to where you want to go. Remember, you get to define your career timeline not your boss.