What I’ve learnt (so far)

This year marks my 24th in the business world. 24 years in 2024 has a nice ring to it. Many lessons learnt and many more mistakes made along the way.

Here are 10 things I wish I knew 24 years ago.

Listen more. In my 20’s I wasted so much time thinking I knew it all. If I had spent more time listening and absorbing the knowledge of those ahead of me (instead of shooting my mouth off to sound clever), I'd have learnt a lot more.

• Learning never ends. If you think you know it all - you don't.

• Don’t mistake arrogance for confidence

• The simplest questions can reveal the deepest insights

• Always be kind. Jobs come and go but kindness is remembered forever

• Never back away from truth. Right and wrong are not concepts

• Failing will always hurt, but it builds character and the world needs more people with character

• Stop looking at what others are doing. It won’t make you feel better and will only steal hours from your day.

• Earn the right to be at the decision makers table. There is no shortcut to gaining experience. 

• If you commit to something, see it through. This one is so important and has stood my company in good stead for the past 14 years. Being someone who can be relied on is rare.