Career Lesson From a Performance and Planning Manager at a Global Airline Company
A significant career lesson learned was to be comfortable "getting a little bit outside of the box," exploring interesting results and challenging the status quo, as this led to more engaging projects, travel opportunities, and new roles; "every time I've done this, it has been a positive impact on my career."
Project Management, Problem-Solving, Communication, Overcoming Challenges, Achieving Goals
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Alex Olafsson
Manager, Performance and Planning
Global Airline Company
Kalamazoo College 2011
UCLA Anderson MBA
Economics
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense
Business Strategy
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. It's important to be comfortable stepping outside of the box and challenging the status quo. Don't be afraid to explore ideas and dig deeper into tasks, even if it means going beyond initial instructions.
2. Many career successes come from exploring interesting results or unexpected findings. Taking initiative and asking further questions can lead to more interesting projects, travel opportunities, and networking.
3. Taking initiative can open doors to new roles and projects. By exploring beyond initial assignments, you might discover opportunities to significantly contribute to the team and even shape how the department operates.
Transcript
What is one lesson you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
One lesson learned was to be comfortable getting a little outside the box. For example, if you're given a task and a specific way to do it, but you have an idea or see something interesting, explore it.
It's easy, especially early in your career, to just complete the task as assigned. From my perspective, many of my successes and the most interesting projects I've worked on came from diving into something unexpected.
This often happened when I was given a task and noticed something that looked interesting to explore. Maybe it was related to performance, or it looked different than anticipated.
Whenever I've done this, it has led to more interesting meetings, travel, and conversations with people. Engaging with other teams to gather more information and make connections has always had a positive impact on my career.
I would say it's about challenging the status quo. Don't go the extra mile for everything, but if you see something interesting, dig a little deeper, go a little further, and ask more questions.
You never know what it might lead to. It could result in a whole new role or a new project that becomes a cornerstone for a team or department. It’s a really interesting area, and you never know when these opportunities will arise, so take them when you have the chance.