Significant Career Lesson From A Digital Media Strategy And Analytics MBA Intern At A Fortune 500 Entertainment Company
Guanyu emphasizes that "communication and soft skills" have been the most significant lesson learned, playing a much larger role than anticipated, especially coming from an engineering background where technical solutions were prioritized. They highlight the importance of understanding stakeholders' positions and focusing efforts on those who are resistant to a plan, underscoring that even the smartest individuals can face setbacks if "people don't like working with you."
Communication Skills, Stakeholder Management, Soft Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Collaboration
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Guanyu Liu
Digital Media Strategy & Analytics, MBA Intern
Fortune 500 Entertainment Company
University of California, Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles; MBA
Engineering - Biomedical
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Immigrant, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Communication and soft skills are more important than initially expected, especially when working with diverse stakeholders.
2. Understanding stakeholder perspectives (buy-in, hesitation, opposition) is crucial for effective implementation of plans and resource allocation.
3. Technical skills are valuable, but strong interpersonal skills are essential for successful collaboration and career advancement.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you have learned that has proven significant in your career?
Communication and soft skills have been the biggest lesson I've learned. They play a much bigger part than I ever would have expected.
This might be because I came from an engineering background, where I thought having a solution was enough. But working with different stakeholders, it's important to understand who is bought in, who might be hesitating, or who is severely against the plan of action.
You need to understand where to focus your efforts. If someone is already bought in, you don't need to do much. You can then focus your efforts on those who are against what you're trying to do.
This has been severely underrated. I've found that you can be very smart, but if people don't like working with you, it always backfires somehow. So, the biggest lesson is just working on soft skills.
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