8 years at LinkedIn, partnering for success & everything in between!

It’s been 8 Years at LinkedIn, and the ride gets better with each year. The last 8 years have been full of learning, friendships, and growth. I’ve grown both professionally and personally in these 8 years and I am grateful for this opportunity. This part of my professional journey will always stay with me for all the goodness it has brought to my experience.

As per my ritual of posting once a year about my journey, this time I wanted to summarize a few thoughts that have been relevant to me and what I've done over the last year.

1. Getting Work Done: I recently saw an interview that Daniel Roth published with President Obama. Of the many insightful things during that chat, the one that stuck with me the most was President Obama's best career advice - "Just know how to get stuff done". I feel this is the first and foremost thing that I have learned during my time at LinkedIn . Whatever role you have, whatever you're team you're part of, it's always helpful to be the person to roll his/her sleeves up and get the job done.

2. Why: Post COVID and the hybrid work era, it's become even more imperative to have a strong WHY. I say that as the boundaries of work and personal life have blurred, and a very powerful way to stay motivated. The changing macroeconomic environment and uncertainty it's bound to affect your productivity and morale. Remembering the WHY behind your hustle is what can keep you going at times like these.

3. Upskilling for uncertain times ahead: It's a time of uncertainty in all industries, but especially for the Tech industry. After a decade of unprecedented growth across the globe for almost all the tech giants the current time is a challenge, to put it mildly. Even though a lot of things are not in your sphere of influence but upskilling yourself at this time is. A few skills that I am working on building to stay agile are pivoting quickly and effectively, building for both the short and long term, focusing on what's in your control & lastly generating value in all your actions and results. I was able to enroll in 2 programs that LinkedIn offered during the year with 2 very different perspectives :

• Inner MBA - This course is offered by New York University . Having the opportunity to learn how to be Mindful, Build Exceptional Teams & Do Great Work is more relevant now in this Hybrid work era than it’s ever been before. Tami Simon , Soren Gordhamer , Scott Shute & Shannon McNally really appreciate your thoughtfulness in putting this together.

• C.E.O Program - To enhance my understanding of leadership, create impact at scale, and continue to volunteer for causes close to my heart. Elizabeth Lee , Alison Crawford , Rosanna Durruthy , and the entire team of the C.E.O Program a big thank you for investing time with us on this journey.

4. Motivated Peers & Leaders: One of the biggest factors that have helped me stay committed is having a team and having leaders that are motivated to build a successful Academics & Government India vertical for LinkedIn Talent Solutions.

Saba Karim is leading the charter of building this new business in India and the team comprising Anup Menon , Aanchal Chopra , Arti Dwivedi , Jayanth Prakash , Kunal Godinho & Abhishek Kohli have been invaluable in ensuring that we make small steps towards the ultimate goal every day. Couldn't have asked for a better peer set while we attempt to build a new vertical ground-up.

Lisbeth L. , Tim McCluskey , Eddyman Kharma , Chi Ming Loh & Asako for being part of the Channels journey in different markets across APAC and being open to sharing their learnings and experiences.

Dharavi Dassani , Chirag P. , Deep Rastogi (He/Him) , and Anushka Dey for their continuous support to the A&G Team while we build together.

Lastly Saba Karim , Ruchee Anand , and Vivek for being leaders who act as strong sounding boards and for keeping us honest along the way :)

5. Finding a Win-Win: The biggest learning that I have had since I took the channels role at LinkedIn, is the art of finding a win-win. This has changed how I approach my work significantly and I am sure it'll hold me in good stead for times to come. The reason this is simple to understand but complex to execute is that constructing a win-win requires a deep understanding of organizational fundamentals, how to win in the short and long term, and keeping realistic and honest expectations along the way. To all the partners, individuals, and teams that have helped us scale in the last 12 months, I owe a huge sense of gratitude. This would not be possible without every conversation that we've had in the last 12 months.

6. Enjoy the ride: As cliched as it sounds, the last but surely not the least learning is to enjoy the ride. There is a reason you sign up for your role/job/8-hours a day. The results take time, sometimes even after huge efforts we have hardly moved an inch, it's easy to feel dejected and it's also natural to want to give up. This is when enjoying the ride makes the end objective worth it.

I'd closing I'd like to refer back to the interview that I spoke about with Dan and President Obama, and close with President Obama's best career advice. He says "If you are absorbed by what you're doing, you're going to get really good at it and whether you're rewarded, recognized, or get the positions you want, your journey will have been a good one." Here is to continue on the journey of learning, building, and growing at LinkedIn !