7 Ways to Succeed as an Intern

I am a big fan of internships. I believe internship programs are an excellent opportunity for graduates to get a feel and sense of the working world. Further, it provides the chance to understand the culture of the company they wish to join. Over the years, I have come across many interns, seeking short-term employment opportunities to build a strong resume that they can use to look for a job when they graduate. 

Many of the interns I have come across were enthusiastic and eager to learn. They bring with them attitudes that not only make them a valued contributor to the organisation, but also a welcome member of the team they work with. 

I've been paying close attention to interns that are generally more valued by the team. I try to understand what makes them stand out. If you are an intern (or someone joining a new team or organisation), below are 7 winning ways you should adopt to be successful.

1. Willingness to Accept Tasks Assigned and Do It Better

The whole idea behind being an intern is to gain experience. Experience that you can confidently share with a future employer. What better way than to expose yourself to as many projects or tasks as possible? 

A willingness to accept tasks assigned not only conveys a positive impression to your superior, but more importantly, gives you exposure. Nothing is too small, boring or simple to do. If you are given a mundane task, find a way to do it efficiently or speedily. Recently, I assigned my intern a task to run some VLookup in Excel to match different worksheets. The data was pretty sizeable. Any ordinary intern would probably take this instruction and apply VLookup. Instead, this intern discovered that VLookup had a weakness and found a new way to match data. He Googled to learn the formula, and in no time, completed the task.  

Not only did he take on the task with enthusiasm, he came up with a better way to complete it and the team and organisation as a whole benefitted from the new approach. 

2. Willingness to Make Small Mistakes Fast

Everyone makes mistakes.

More often that not, if you are an intern (or new to the job), you will be forgiven for making small mistakes in the beginning. A small mistake is one where the impact to the completion of a task is low.  You still have time to rectify the mistake and take remedial action. 

Making small mistakes is beneficial because the cost you incur is not sizeable enough for you to be reprimanded, but the benefit you gain is a discovery of new information or new ways to complete the task. 

Go ahead. Make small mistakes fast, and early, in the task. But learn from them and don't repeat them. 

3. Having a Curious Mind

I enjoy working with interns that have a curious mind. They are the ones who ask questions, and always want to understand "why" things happen in a certain way. They don't simply accept what is given. Some even go the extra mile to do their own research to understand more. 

Internship is a great opportunity to broaden one's mind and exposure. But this benefit is only gained when you have a curious mind, and are willing to take the trouble to learn. 

Always engage your superiors and colleagues with questions. Ask "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", and "how" questions to learn. 

4. Being Mentally Agile

Globalisation, working with different cultures, and changing regulatory environments all mean today we work in a far more complex environment than before. Being in the supply chain industry, I see this complexity increasing as companies compete aggressively for market share and as technology increasingly become a competitive advantage. 

This means we face complex problems that require a mental agility to solve them. 

So what do I mean by Mental Agility?

Being mentally agile in a workplace means having the ability to connect ideas, link concepts, and be able to see the relationships between information sets, to draw a conclusion. It is not enough to just complete an assigned task. In today's world, one must have the ability to "connect the dots". 

How can you be mentally agile?

- Identify trends. Take a step back and see if you observe any trends. Write them down and consider what these trends are telling you. For example, if you are analysing data, create charts and graphs to get a visual sense of how the data is behaving. 

- Ask "what if" questions to play out different scenarios and options to solve a problem. "What if" questions are a safe and great way to think out of the box and come up with creative solutions. 

- Play the "devil's advocate". To play the devil's advocate is to come up with arguments against a generally acceptable position. The idea behind this is to test the arguments or propositions supporting a position so as to improve it. 

5. Being a Quick Learner

If you have not realised by now, our world has become smaller and is moving faster. I remember, while studying abroad, in my first year of university life, more than 2 decades ago, I used to write letters to my parents to keep in touch. Today, I can stay in touch through Facebook, and Watsapp. Email is too slow. This is an example of how our world has evolved and the speed is astounding. Being a quick learner can be advantageous. 

How do you become a quick learner? 

In school, my children have this program called the "learning journey". Its a program where the school brings you on an excursion (a journey) to impart knowledge (the learning). 

You can create your own "learning journey" in the form of a journal that records your daily learning. Break your learning journey into three parts: Knowledge, Skill, and Attitude. 

- Knowledge refers to information, data or content you have learned. For example, if you learned a new piece of information about your task, a new source of data, or a new concept, record this down. 

- Skill refers to the way of doing things. For example, if you found a new formula in Excel (Excel skills), a new way to craft an email reply (Communication skills), pen them down as new skills you have acquired. Write down what you have learned and how you can apply it in future. 

- Attitude refers to your beliefs, perceptions and response tendencies. For example, when you faced a setback, record how you reacted? Did you laugh it off? Did you feel a greater sense of determination to overcome the setback? How you react represents your attitude, and by recording them down, you gain a valuable insight to your triggers. In time, the more you learn about yourself, the more you will gain personal mastery over such triggers. 

6. Quietly Confident

Confidence is good. But quiet confidence is better. 

Why is this so? 

The problem with showing confidence is that it can be perceived wrongly by others as either arrogance, or over confidence, both of which are career limiting. But when you are quietly confident, what you are demonstrating is confidence with humility. Its a disposition of self-assurance not borne out of false confidence, but one backed by ability and positive attitude. 

Recently, I tasked an intern to build a fairly complex template in Excel. His Excel skills were not very strong. Average I would say. But he was quietly confident he could do it. Two days later, he showed me the first draft and I was impressed. With a little help, some brainstorming with me, he tweaked the template and after several iterations, we are now confident we have something to show management. 

I think what made him successful was his quiet confidence in his ability to solve problems. He is someone that will take the trouble to Google to find a solution, and when he was stuck, would reach out to ask for help. He regularly came back to me to ask questions, and was humble enough to take feedback onboard, some which required him to re-start all over. 

Go ahead and be confident. But at the same time, have the humility to ask and receive feedback. Even if the suggestion goes against what you think might be the right approach, sometimes it is better to take a step back, listen, and consider the message behind the feedback. 

7. Attention to Detail

Last but not least, an attention to detail is important. 

A person who shows an attention to detail conveys to others that he/she is a mindful person that is conscientious in his/her job. 

Why is this important? 

This is important because having someone like this on the team means your colleagues can trust you to get a job done and they don't have to worry about dealing with carelessness. Further, if you pay attention to details, you don't have to re-do your work. The opportunity cost of rework can sometimes be high for the organisation in terms of lost productivity. Worse at a personal level, you may have to stay back to re-do the task, eating into your personal time, which you can spend with your family. 

How can you pay attention to detail?

- Start slow, check frequently. Every time a portion or part of a task is complete, check for accuracy before continuing. In this way, if a mistake is made, you can remedy it immediately, and lower the cost of an error. 

- Create a step-by-step workflow to complete your task. Before starting the task, identify the steps. For example, if you are doing data entry work, organise your data into one single worksheet, label your worksheets / columns / rows appropriately so that you don't forget what they are meant for. 

- Be mindful. This is important. If you are performing a task that requires an attention to detail, remove as many distractions as possible so that you can concentrate and be mindful. Find a quiet spot to do your work. Do not respond to emails whenever you see the prompt that a new email is received. 


While I write this post as a reflection of how an intern can succeed, the ideas can also be applied to individuals who are joining a new team, entering the workforce, or joining a new organisation  

Go ahead! Try the 7 ways mentioned above and take that little step to be a valued contributor. 

Share This Post

If you are an employer or if you work with interns, share this post with them and make a difference by helping them to succeed. 

If you are an intern, share this post with your friends who are also interns and let me know some of the winning ways you employed to succeed in your internship. 

Taking one little step at a time,
Aslam Sardar

Discover Good Luck!!

A few days ago, I was having a chat with a friend and we spoke about work, career change, and life in general. As we chatted, our conversation moved to the topic of LUCK!

He asked "why are some people so lucky?" 

I thought it was a good question to write about.

The Story of "Good Luck"

This is a picture of a book given to me by my former employer, as a parting gift. A simple-to-read book about luck. 

Its a story within a story of how 2 friends met after many years by chance. One had achieved great success while the other did not. The secret to success is told within a fable about a Magic Clover, with two knights vying to find it. The book is peppered with valuable gems about creating your own luck.  


Serendipity Is All Around

Everyone we meet, every conversation we enter into, every situation we face present a chance that could have a potential impact in our lives. 

Some years ago, a chance conversation at a BBQ dinner opened the door to training opportunities in South Asia, that became a multi-year engagement. A phone conversation that started out as nothing more than a casual remark proved the opening for me to switch careers. More recently, the types of projects I have been assigned led to the discovery of capabilities unknown to me and my superiors, opening doors to further new opportunities. 

On hindsight, I think a lot of the lucky breaks I experienced came about through such chance moments. I believe you can increase your propensity to be "lucky" in life if you apply some "lucky" lessons.

"Lucky" Lessons!!

1. Be Observant

Sometimes it pays to take a step back, observe, and seize the lucky breaks that come along. Keep your eyes open, pay attention and you will be surprised what you can find.

In a famous research by Richard Wiseman, a psychologist from the University of Hertfordshire and author of The Luck Factor, he asked 2 groups of people, one who said they were generally lucky and another generally unlucky, to count the number of photographs inside a newspaper. In the 2nd page of the newspaper was a huge message that said "Stop counting - There are 43 photographs in this newspaper". 

The lucky people spotted it and stopped counting when they saw this, but the unlucky people continued counting and on average took 2 minutes to complete the count. Somehow, despite the information staring in their face, the group that said they were generally unlucky either missed this or didn't quite trust this information enough to use it. Or perhaps they felt they should "stick to the rules" which was to count the number of photographs. 

When an opportunity presents itself, take a chance. Investigate it, understand it, and find a way you can leverage on it. And sometimes, a little faith can go a long way. 

2. Be Curious

Keep an open mind. Welcome new ideas that might not fit into your world view. Don't just accept wisdom from traditional sources you are comfortable with. Have the intellectual curiosity to learn from a variety of sources. 

The Power of "Why"
"Why" is my favourite question. Its a good way to get to the reasons behind a comment, suggestion or solution to understand the intricacies. Always ask "why" to gain better insights. 
  

3. Don't Wait - Create New Conditions 

Lucky people are prepared to take chances, try new things or explore new ideas. They create the conditions for good luck. 

Here are some ways I created conditions that worked for me that I hope will bring you luck:  

a. Take a new course of study. When you take a course, you get exposed to new ideas that can open new avenues. 

b. Help others. Rather than think only about yourself, see if you can be of help to others. They will remember you and in time, should they feel an opportunity might be useful to you, you will be top of mind. 

c.  Reach out to different people. In my second post, I wrote about reaching out to your networks. I'm a firm believer of the power of networking. Meet different people because through such meetings, an opportunity may arise. 

Luck Is In Your Hands

Sometimes, it takes a little bit of luck to successfully transit to a new career, new role, or a new opportunity. I hope with this post, you will see that you can create your own luck. 

Before I end, I'd like to share a video I stumbled upon. I won't say its a scientific experiment of any sort about luck, but I did enjoy it and I hope you do to.  

Derren Brown - The Experiments: The Secret of Luck (Full)

Good luck!!

Taking one little step at a time,
Aslam Sardar

Build Your Adversity Quotient

In Remembrance!

I wish to start this post with my personal note of condolences to all the families of the recent Sabah earthquake tragedy. As a parent, of primary school going children, I am particularly heart broken to read about the tragedy of the Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS) pupils and teachers. 

I used to organise corporate team building programs, some with adventure themes. I can attest that safety is always of upmost in the minds of organisers, and I believe every conceivable safety measure would have been taken by those organising such programs. 

I'm in no position to comment what the authorities or the school should do in light of this tragedy. It is an act of God that we really don't have control over.

Rather, I am in a position to share that it is through such programs that one will build one's Adversity Quotient (AQ), which can be useful during transitions and periods of change. 


So what is Adversity Quotient (AQ)?


Adversity Quotient (AQ) - The Muscle of Determination

Adversity Quotient refers to the ability one has in dealing with challenges, set-backs and difficulties. Its is premised on the idea that the higher your AQ, the greater will be your ability to deal with life's challenges. 

It adopts the C.O.R.E. dimensions that measures your response pattern towards difficulties. C.O.R.E. refers to:

• Control - determines resilience and tenacity

• Ownership - sense of accountability, responsibility and engagement

• Reach - impacts your perception of how the difficulty will affect your stress level

• Endurance - willingness and drive to persevere 

You can learn more about AQ here. 



Strengthening Your AQ...

Like muscles, I believe you can strengthen your Adversity Quotient (AQ). From my experiences having run many team building engagements for clients in the past, I have seen first hand how individuals who had doubts overcome them and develop determination and resilience they didn't realise was within them. 

Below are 3 thoughts I hope to share:

1. Take small steps

Strengthening AQ is like weight training. Start with light weights, but as you get stronger, put on incrementally heavier weights, and in no time, you will be surprising yourself with some real heavy lifts. 

When you face an obstacle, break down the challenge into small parts. Tackle them in small parts and as you overcome them you will find that you would have out performed yourself. 

2. Don't be afraid to try new things - Build Adaptability

Every time you try something new, you will invariably have to deal with setbacks and challenges. But the more you put yourself up to try something new, the more you will be used to uncertainty, discomfort, and difference.  In time, you will become more adaptable and respond well when change comes around. 

3. Re-frame your beliefs about yourself. 

Credit: The Death Crawl Scene from the movie "Facing the Giants". 

I've watched the "death crawl" scene (click on the link above) many times and every time it strengthens my believe that if we ever wish to achieve our dreams or goals, we must believe in ourselves and our abilities to achieve it. 

Re-frame the perceptions of your own limitations. Recall the achievements you have accumulated in the course of your career and life's journey. They tell a story of someone who can do more than what might be possible. Identify the emotions, motivations, drive and causes of your success. List them down and find the common themes behind them. These themes tell your story, and will be the compass you can follow towards your goals. 

Stay Strong

I end this post with a word of encouragement to Stay Strong in the face of adversity. And to the families of the Sabah earthquake victims, we grieve with you. 



Taking one little step at a time,
Aslam Sardar

3-Steps to Transition

People who know me know that in my previous role, I was a corporate trainer. I've been in this industry for more than a decade, with numerous hours conducting classroom training, workshops and facilitation. I can say with some confidence I know what it takes to succeed as a corporate trainer.

Recently, an old contact of mine reached out to me and wanted some advice on how to transit into this industry. It is not new for me to receive such requests. 

Each come with their own reasons. 

For some, its because of a calling. They have entered a phase in their lives where they wish to make a difference to people's lives and being a trainer could be a way to achieve this (I can attest that this can be a powerful motivation). For others, it could be because their industry is undergoing the tectonic shifts from globalisation where jobs are shifting to low cost countries (you can read more about this here). 

So when I received that call from my old contact, it got me thinking what would be the steps one should take to transit into a new industry or department within the organisation they currently work in. 

I took a leaf from my own experiences and came up with 3 steps in my opinion are the more important ones. I'm sure there are many more steps to apply, but the 3 that I am about to share are perhaps the more important ones, from my experience. 

Step 1: Know the Industry

Cliche as it may sound, this is a very important first step. You must learn as much as you can about the industry you wish to enter, or the department you plan to join. 

When I was transferred to the logistics arm of the company I work for, I read as much as I could about the industry. I tried to understand the players in the industry, the competitors, customers, suppliers, trends and the opportunities in the logistics and supply chain industry. 

Tip 1: Apply a Framework to Understand the Industry 

A good framework that can assist you with this is the famous Porter's Five Forces framework used to analyse the level of rivalry in an industry. You can Google it to learn more. 

If you have time, you can watch the video below.

I find the Five Forces framework a useful mental model to apply to get a high level sense of the industry, its dynamics and potential challenges and opportunities.

Tip 2: Learn Your Industry's "Language"

Every industry has its own unique language. In the supply chain and logistics industry it is no different. I took time to learn the different Incoterms. 

Learn the various acronyms used in your industry. Find out the different "short forms" or special definitions applied. In doing so, you come across as knowledgeable, and when you meet interviewers, they will come away impressed you have done your homework. 

Step 2: Networks & Mentors

I'm sure you have heard of the saying "no man is an island". Similarly, if you wish to transit into a new industry, it will be very challenging to move into one without the help of friends or contacts who can mentor or guide you. 

When I made the conscious decision to switch to logistics, I reached out to many people I know whom I thought could be of help. I'm fortunate that one of my good buddies and classmate who did the Executive MBA with me made a successful career switch. He was a good mentor that gave good advice. I also reached out to people not from the industry to find out their perspective just to get a complete sense if I am on the right path. 

Internally, I reached out to colleagues who were in the logistics subsidiary to learn more. When I was mentally ready to switch, I made known my goal to pursue a career in logistics and supply chain to them. I took every opportunity to connect with colleagues to learn more about the opportunities within the subsidiary and the sector. 

Tip 3: Reach Out To Your Networks

Everybody I know has a LinkedIn account. If you still don't have one, its time you did. LinkedIn is a powerful platform to connect with friends and through those connections, and those of their connections, reach out to people who can help you in your transition. 

Reach out to friends, old colleagues, and relatives for advise. They can be a good source to learn about the industry you wish to enter, or better still, point you to someone you can then reach out to understand about your chosen sector. 

Tip 4: Find Mentors

When an opportunity to be seconded arose in the logistics subsidiary, I took it immediately. Despite the fact that I had no background or experience in logistics or supply chain management. I admit the initial couple of months wasn't easy. To help me, I found mentors who were willing to teach and transfer knowledge. I found that people were willing to mentor you if you showed a keen desire to learn and a humility to listen. 

Through my mentors, I learned about the industry, the acronyms used, how the operations were organised, and in short order, picked up valuable knowledge to become a contributor to the team. Today, I report to one of the mentors who guided me. 

Finding someone to be your mentor will take time. If you are looking to switch to a new industry, this could take longer since you will first need to reach out to the industry's network, build trust with the individual, and appeal to him/her to be your mentor. If you are looking to move within your organisation, it will probably be easier to find a mentor who can advise and guide you. 

Look for someone who is open to sharing and is patient. Ideally, your mentor should be older than you, and has a good network in the sector you plan to join. 

If its an internal move you are looking for, look for a mentor who is widely respected internally and someone who can help you navigate the transition. 

Step 3: Know Your Transferable Skills

The best place to start preparing for a career transition is to know your transferrable skills.

What do I mean by transferrable skills? 

Transferable skills are skills that can be applied in multiple roles and industries. One can say they are "generalist" type skills. Some examples include:

• Problem solving skills
• Communication skills
• Ability to work in a team
• Computer skills, especially the ability to use the Microsoft Office Productivity Suite
• Ability to learn 
• Ability to listen
• Organisation skills 
• Ability to handle complexity
• Project management skills
• Ability to come up with creative solutions

I found that these skills are in high demand, particularly in my chosen industry. In fact, as jobs get increasingly automated in pursuit of productivity gains, as knowledge heavy work gets outsourced to low cost countries, these are the skills that will become increasingly crucial to horn as they can be transferred easily. 

Tip 5: Conduct a Skills Audit and Find Your Transferrable Skills

This is a good site listing down some transferrable skills you can review and determine if you score high or low in them. 

This is another site you can check out. It includes a list of transferable skills that is categoried into 5 categories of Human Relations, Design & Planning, Communication, Organization / Management, and Research & Planning. It also has a simple table for you to list your Top 10 skills. You can use this as an exercise to list down your preferred skills. Check it out. 

RECAP

Let's recap again what are the 3-steps to transition and the 5-tips accompanying them. 

Step 1: Know the Industry

• Tip 1: Apply a Framework to Understand the Industry 
• Tip 2: Learn Your Industry's "Language"

Step 2: Networks and Mentors

• Tip 3: Reach Out To Your Networks
• Tip 4: Find Mentors

Step 3: Know Your Transferrable Skills

• Tip 5: Conduct a Skills Audit and Find Your Transferrable Skills

I hope you find my second post valuable. Please do share your own tips and steps in the comments box below so that we may collectively learn from each other's experiences. 

Taking one little step at a time,
Aslam Sardar

Prologue - Why this Blog?

Change and career transition is never easy. It can be scary too. 

Two and a half years ago, I took the leap into the supply chain industry, after more than a decade having run my own business in a completely different sector. 

Transition Pains

My transition was eventful, to say the least. Learning about the industry, its language, and the nuances wasn't easy. But perhaps the most challenging aspect of my transition was how I had to adjust mentally, and emotionally to the role of an employee. Having been used to giving orders, I now had to take them from others.

Its All About Little Steps 

My transition didn't happen overnight. It was a series of small steps I took that I believe helped me. Going back to school, preparing my partner to step up to take over the business, and getting encouragement and support from the family were all crucial to my transition. 

Were these planned? 

On hindsight, I'd don't think so. I went with my instinct, and had some help with Lady Luck. 

What is Little Steps? 

As a former trainer and consultant, I find my journey fascinating from a learning point of view. I want to remember the momentous inflection points, and teachable moments as a way of self-reflection and personal growth. It is with this intent in mind that I thought what better way to do this than to blog my experiences. 

Little Steps is my small space in the World Wide Web, where I get to chronicle my journey, and share my experiences. In time, I hope to learn from others as I receive comments, and as I post interesting articles from similar sites. 

Blogging is new to me, and if you come across this site, do share constructive feedback so that I can, as always, learn, and better myself.



Taking one little step at a time,
Aslam Sardar