Significant Career Lesson From a Regulatory Affairs Analyst at a Large Medical Device Company

An important lesson I've learned is to understand that people have different styles and personalities. Once you learn to work with them, you can make people who might have initially intimidated you easier to work with.

I remember when I first started at Applied Medical, my boss had a more vibrant personality than I was used to. Over time, I realized she respected people who didn't just ask questions but also tried thinking things through before asking. Initially, I would just ask, "What is this?" and she didn't respond well.

But when I approached her with, "Hey, what is this? I'm thinking it's this, but I'm unsure because of this," she was much more receptive. She appreciated the insight I brought, because sometimes my mindset was correct.

There were also other people, like when I was managing my team. I had people with very different personalities, so I had to manage them in different ways. One person was a self-driven go-getter who would take on processes without a problem.

Another person was also very smart but much more reserved. I had to guide them and give them the tools they needed to succeed. So, whether you're managing people or being managed, it's important to understand the type of person you're working with and figure out what they need from you. That can help you be successful in your career.