Work-related advice from our friends in tech

We love collecting tips and insights from peers in our monthly newsletter interviews. We started publishing these valuable nuggets in a series of blog posts called 'We asked friends in tech'. Most recently, we shared our friends' excellent hiring tips. Today, we’re highlighting their one-sentence work-related advice.

In the workplace

Bring a diversity of thinking, skills, and experience to the table; accept a similar diversity from others. - Marcus Zeltzer

Take a sense of humility into everything you do and be open and honest with yourself and those around you. - Rob Cornish

You can be reliable, you can be easy to get on with, or you can be the absolute best at what you do: but you only need to do two of these things to be successful in the workplace. - Maxine Sherrin

Be the person you would love to be mentored by. - Paul Fioravanti

Daily reminders

Show up. The adage "90% of success is just showing up" really has a lot of truth to it. - John Allsopp

Be yourself – find your happy place. If your workplace doesn’t accept you as you are then it is not the right place for you. -Katie Boland

Quality is fitness for purpose. - Justin Mclean

Communication is everything

Every problem eventually boils down to a People-Talking-To-People Problem! - Jess Telford

Brevity breeds clarity — articulating well typically means saying less rather than more, so be sure when you speak and don't use seven words when four will do (thanks Rusty). - Hayden Bleasel

Give people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to communication. Did that person really mean to say what you think they did? Taking some time to reflect before reacting is good life advice too. - Andrea Lau

If you don’t ask you don’t get. - Christine Rodrigues

Dealing with challenges

One of my old managers used to tell me: "It’s not brain surgery". Which, really helped put things into perspective. -Nadia Vu

“You can do it.” For me, that was really powerful. Whenever I have doubts, I try to remember these words from one of my mentors. The other piece of advice is, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’re all learning and we won’t know everything, so a great way to learn is to ask. There will be times when we’re tackling something new and we will need guidance and support. - Claire Tran

Problems with underperforming teams are rarely about the tech stack, but usually about people and communications problems. Focus on the people more than just on outcomes or output. Work smarter, not harder or longer. - Elle Meredith

Whatever you encounter at work—good or bad—is an opportunity for you to make it a tool in your career toolbox. - Rita Pang

Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.” It will invite an honest opinion from whoever you’re talking to, and provide you with more trust when you do have a meaningful point of view. And most people can sniff out a know-it-all, so don’t bother pretending. - Nathan McGinness

When you’re ready for your next opportunity

Follow your curiosity - you might not have a linear path up a career ladder but it will be interesting and rewarding. - Cheryl Gledhill

Take risks and never stop learning. - Jaydn Chou

Few decisions in life are truly irreversible; when a door opens, walk through it. - Hannah Field

When I was thinking about whether to join Modo, my future CEO said “follow your energy”. Find the thing that energises you and do more of it, it will make you more motivated and happier in what you do. That advice stuck with me. - Jo Montanari

Find a company that allows you the career growth that you want, rather than forcing you into a role that doesn't suit you simply because it is the only way to advance. - Ted Tencza

It's never too late to make a career change! I've pivoted careers multiple times and I've seen so many people at all stages of their careers make successful changes. Follow your heart! - Lucy Barnes

Keep it real

Finding the fun in the job is key to achieving work-life integration. - Ric Lavers

You're so much more than just your job, never lose sight of that. - David Banham

Work-life balance is real, try your level best to attain it! - Anmol Deora

From Lookahead team

With people, always play the long game and be more generous than you need to be. It has a funny way of coming back. - Steve Gilles

I’m big on continual improvement of my processes so I love James Clear’s quote in Atomic Habits -“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” ― Debbie Teakle

Find ways to work smarter, not necessarily harder. - Sarah Jacob

Lean into what you’re good at…and what you enjoy - Irena Macri

Looking for a new opportunity? Building your dream tech team? We’re here to help.

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