Hell yeah, enthusiasm matters

Dear readers,

I joined Tech in Asia to run the sales team at our Studios arm, where we help brands connect to our network through sponsorships, content and events. Shortly after that, Willis, our CEO, and Maria, our COO, approached me and asked if I could take on a few new projects and a new group. While it worked out in the end, I have to admit that my immediate reaction fell short of expectations.

I hemmed and hawed at first, thinking out loud, “I mean… OK, I guess I can, but I’m not really sure how I’ll make time.” I was met with a surprised look that said, “I thought you’d be more into this.”

I learned an important lesson that day – one that I’ve learned before, but it clearly didn’t stick: Hell yeah, enthusiasm matters. 🔥

I thought about how this might be helpful in the context of other fast-moving startups. We often can’t control the pace of change around us, but we can control how we react to it. If you try this, I promise it will supercharge your career.

There are simple ways to recalibrate your reaction to change. Saying “yes” doesn’t immediately solve every operational problem, and that’s OK. Those details are important, but you can address them after the moment has passed.

When presented with a new opportunity, instead of saying, “I don’t think I have time,” try: “That’s interesting! Let’s discuss how to prioritize this among my current projects.”

Instead of saying, “I don’t know how to do that,” try: “Can! But can you help me learn the right way to do this?”

Instead of saying, “That’s not the kind of project I want to be working on,” try: “I’m open to trying, but can you help me understand how this builds on the career goals that we’ve talked about?”

Some minor repositioning will work wonders for your career growth. It doesn’t mean you have to agree at once – you’re not a pushover – it just means you aren’t rejecting change out of hand.

If you enjoyed this, you can check out these other opinion pieces:

• 🖊️ ‘Information wants to be free.’ It’s time we bury the phrase forever
• ❤️ Southeast Asia’s startup ecosystem has a lot of heart
• 🚶‍♂️ There’s no such thing as a perfect layoff
• 🏢 The leadership practices that helped us survive as business ground to a halt

You can find last week’s commentary via this link: “Are you in the Grab or Gojek camp?”. You can also read all other commentaries here.

P.S. If you want to learn more about Tech in Asia Studios, check out our website and get in touch with our team.

Cheers,
Andrew