7 lessons in 7 weeks…
So this is my last week at Rapid Innovation Group. Time really flew by. It seems like it was only yesterday that I walked into this office for the first time. Although it felt very short, I learnt a lot of lessons. This week, I decided to expand on 7 lessons I learnt at RIG in the 7 weeks I had here as an intern…
Lesson 1: The software and technology industry is booming…
The first thing I came to notice was my lack of knowledge of the software and technology industry. Particularly in the UK and US, there seems to be an outburst of start-ups with very innovative solutions to real problems (average Joe would only know of the large corporations). What was interesting to learn was that well-known systems integrators and oil refineries tend to differentiate themselves by adopting technologies by innovative start-ups, which is the feedstock of this outburst. It has been fascinating to learn the details of these industries.
Lesson 2: Communication with clients is hard but crucial
Finding myself talking to clients about my 'fairly limited research' on PCI compliance of telephony systems was a difficult change. However, it has taught me an important lesson. How you present your knowledge and how you gain the respect of your clients, by proving that you are capable of undertaking an important task, is harder than it may seem but it is certainly crucial. As one of our interviewees, Fanny Dolo, also mentioned: you build professional relationships by firstly showing focused knowledge over a certain field and secondly undertaking a difficult task from beginning to end.
Lesson 3: You need to respond well to "elevator tests"
There were times where I was asked something quite specific, something I should have really known the answer for. But I froze with no answer because it was not in a presentation format where I had memorised everything I wanted to say. An important lesson was to try and prepare myself for such situations – not only being prepared for planned presentations, and be confident even if the answer is "I don't know."
Lesson 4: Thorough research is important
Getting research done quickly so you can move onto the fun stuff is clearly not the right attitude… Well… it was not so clear to me when I first started! Thanks to my team mates’ patience and support, I learnt that speed is not as valued if there is lack of precision. One must find the right balance.
Lesson 5: Business tools can make work much more efficient
Business tools that Rapid Innovation Group has created and utilised make day-to-day tasks very efficient and organised. I learnt how to create an action register, a three month plan, and a key account matrix, besides learning how to use customer relationship management software, a cloud drive, an internal communications software, calendar share on outlook, and more…
Lesson 6: Identifying benefits of client acquisition
How to categorise the unique selling points of Rapid Innovation Group and the clients we are looking to bring into our business is hard. However, what is really challenging is identifying how and to what extent each side would benefit from such a partnership.
Lesson 7: How to write a blog
Though this may seem irrelevant, I believe it is a crucial skill. What I discovered in writing blogs is that identifying the audience and their interests is key. For example, I would suspect that if you have read until this point, you are either a Rapid Innovation Group employee, looking to become one, or you know Rapid Innovation Group very well. Having written about thirty posts with various themes have given me the skill to attract attention, keep people interested, and make sense in writing (I hope!).
On a more personal note…
It is scientifically proven that the extent to which people adopt different accents in speech is dependent on how much they like the accent, and more importantly how much they like the person with the accent. I think the same could be said about work… I loved working within the closely bonded team here at Rapid Innovation Group, which is why I learned so much in a very short period of time. It was not only because of what the job entitled (i.e. accent), but also due to the very welcoming and always supporting team here (i.e. the person with the accent).
On that note, I would like to say bye by thanking everyone here at Rapid Innovation Group for making me feel welcome, always giving me a helping hand when in need, being understanding of mistakes due to inexperience, and giving me the opportunity to learn and finally make an impact.
