I want to work in the tech world, keep learning new things about business and startups every day, and challenge myself to reach my highest potential. I want to use my skills, knowledge, and experience to bring value to companies and help them to grow. For this reason, during this month, I am searching information, interviewing people, and consuming content that helps me to know every business area. I want to have a better understanding of each of them and being successful at my job once I get it.
This week, I am studying the area of operations. I particularly feel an attraction for this role. It is because, in the past, I had experience working on this position in my own business. There I realized how vital it is for the whole functioning of companies; I also like that it stimulates my creativity and resourcefulness for solving problems.
Inspired on my passion for operations and my commitment with myself to improve my skills, I designed a plan that is going to help me to become an expert in this area:
Action # 1: I will build a second brain: Excellent organization is crucial in operations because it requires to manage projects and teams, create content, and optimize processes. For this reason, this month, I am learning in the Praxis program boot camp how to build a second brain. It means that I am creating a system that helps me to manage useful knowledge that I gain in software. So that I can have easy access to it whenever I need it. Having a second brain is extremely useful in operations because it allows me to organize information and categorize it into projects, areas, resources, and archives. In that way, my mind is not clogged but clearer for thinking more critically and come up with new ideas and solutions to problems.
Action # 2: I will learn how to use CRM software like Salesforce: Something fascinating about operations is that it allows me to learn about other business areas as well. It is because people who work in operations do tasks that will enable teams in marketing, customer success, or sales to carry out their functions. For example, the marketing team of a company might not be able to create a new campaign without the money they need for designing it. They might not receive it until the operations team/person send the budget and information of the activity to the finances team, and it gets approved. For doing this type of task, it is necessary to use software like Salesforce. It also helps to manage information such as what products were sold, to whom, and when, etcetera. In the next upcoming two months, including this one, I will be teaching myself how to use this platform and the features that I will use the most in operations.
It is also essential to manage project management software. I am already familiar with Trello, and I use it to keep up with my weekly tasks and responsibilities. In the present, there are many different options and types of tools. Now that I know how to use Trello, it will be easier for me to get used to other similar software that companies might use.
Action #3: Over-communicate things: This week, Haley Pratt reminded me in our interview how important it is to over-communicate things in an operations role. Fortunately, since I started the Praxis program, I have been trained here to answer emails within 24 hours or less, if possible. This practice is vital because it helps me to maintain excellent communication with my work team. In the future, this will avoid delays in solving customers' concerns or problems that are under my control. Over-communicating also means not to assume that some information is irrelevant. It is vital to maintain my supervisors informed of any troubles I might experience at work or any irregular situations that might happen. I think that the best way that I can practice over-communication is here at the Praxis boot camp. I do this with my instructors and peers. Once I get placed with a business partner during my apprenticeship, I will also have the opportunity to apply my communication skills.
Action #4: Always being willing to do whatever is necessary to do:
This week, I read an article called How 5 Operations Managers Got Their Start; it was about the importance of being willing to do whatever my position requires. I think that this aspect is not going to be a problem for me at all. I have already experienced issues that implied me to do unusual things in my children's subscription box company. For example, walking the city from one extreme to the other, looking for the best quality and most affordable materials. I am a go-getter, and I have had no problem spending all night packing boxes by myself. If I have done this in the past, I can make it again at other companies, with the same drive and attitude.
I am pretty sure that along the way, I am going to gain more traits that will help me to increase my efficiency. In the meantime, these action items I planned are preparing me for having a good knowledge basis for succeeding in my role. Once I get the job, my goal will be to contribute to the optimization of processes in my business partner in the best way possible.