Career Development & Professional Growth

Behind every opportunity is a relationship, and behind every relationship is a conversation. Networking is about building real connections that last and have the potential to help you find your next opportunity. Data shared by the University of Maryland’s Department of Economics indicates you won’t find 70% of available jobs on any site that posts open positions. Those positions are usually found on a company’s internal network, often by referral. In other words, relationships can make the difference between finding a job or not. That’s no surprise to me. Throughout my journey, from engineer to investor, relationships have been a constant driver of growth. Mentors, colleagues and peers have not only opened doors, but also challenged my thinking, sharpened my skills and inspired my vision. Here’s what I have learned: - Be curious: Ask questions that show you care about people’s stories. - Be intentional: Connect with purpose, not just for your own gain. - Be consistent: Follow up, follow through and add value where you can. Networking isn’t a one-time event. It requires maintaining ongoing relationships rooted in trust and genuine interest in other people’s lives. Whether you’re just starting out on your professional journey or deep into your field, relationships are what power careers.

𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁, 𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗅 Awareness is a crucial career skill that I think often gets sidelined. How well you understand yourself, your surroundings, and your relationships has a big impact on how effectively you lead, collaborate, and communicate. Maybe it's because we're all already great at it....😉 or maybe it's worth assessing our awareness and seeing where we could learn and improve! There are 3 elements of awareness that affect your impact: 1️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 – 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 🔍 Questions to reflect on: - What do I want to be known for? - If others described me in three words, what would they say? - What’s a piece of feedback I’ve received that surprised me? 🎯 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲: Ask a trusted colleague or friend, “What’s one thing I do well and one thing I could improve?” 2️⃣ 𝗦𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 – 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 🔍 Questions to reflect on: - Do I notice when the mood or energy shifts in a conversation? - How often do I pause to observe before responding? - Have I ever misread a situation? What happened? 🎯 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲: In your next meeting, take 30 seconds to scan the room (or Zoom). Observe body language, tone, and engagement levels before speaking. 3️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 – 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 🔍 Questions to reflect on: - Do I adapt my communication style based on who I’m speaking to? - Do I listen to understand, or just to respond? - How do I react when someone disagrees with me? 🎯 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲: Practice playback to sense check your understanding rather than assuming you know what someone is trying to say. I think it's useful to score your awareness, see where you might have some gaps and discuss with someone you trust. You may be being self-critical, in which case, they will help you see what you might be missing. Or you may get their support to try something new to increase your awareness. It's definitely an exercise worthy of self-reflection at least! ____ 😀 I post about career development and learning at work. Follow Helen Tupper to add more learning to your LinkedIn feed!

The power of shadowing at work. Someone asked me today if they could just sit in on my meetings to learn—and it took me back to the days when I did exactly that, shadowing folks to soak everything in. It’s one of the most underrated ways to learn, yet so powerful. Shadowing isn’t just about the content of a meeting; it’s about observing: • Soft skills – How do people handle questions or respond to challenges? • Unspoken rules – What are the cultural nuances, the “unwritten” do’s and don’ts? • Real-world application – How a meeting’s discussion turns into tangible next steps. • Follow-ups and accountability – what happens offline and the importance of hustling. A lot of people ask me how to get started in AI when they have zero background. My first piece of advice is exactly that / to shadow someone that’s already doing the work. It shows genuine initiative, earns respect, and—best of all— you can jump in here and there to help. Those little contributions add to your experience and enrich your portfolio. Never underestimate the power of simply absorbing knowledge in real-time. If you want to accelerate your growth, find someone who’s doing what you aspire to do and ask, “Can I just join a couple of your meetings?” You’d be amazed what you’ll learn just by being in the room.

It’s easier to set up a business than you might think. Whether you dream of launching an enterprise that’ll be bigger than Amazon in 20 years or want to begin a side hustle from your day job, the foundations for every successful business are exactly the same. There are six start-up basics that will get you to the starting line: 📝 1. Write your business plan You may have seen me taking Apprentice candidates to task for having too flimsy a business plan, but don’t let that put you off. If you’re not pitching for £250k like them then a short business plan with objectives and a clear timeline on a couple of sides of A4 will be fine. This is your route map for the future. 💰 2. Figure out your P&L Your P&L (Profit & Loss account) is a forecast stretching at least a year ahead and should relate to your business plan. Create a spreadsheet with the months running left to right in columns. Your rows then go from top to bottom in this order: - revenues by type - variable costs (ie what it costs to make a product or supply a service) - fixed costs (salaries, offices, any cost that doesn’t flex according to the revenue line) - the bottom line (hence the name) is your profit before tax 📄 3. Register your company at Companies House. There are companies out there which offer to help for a fee, but it’s not rocket science and if you do it directly it'll only cost £12. I’ve added a link in the comments below to a useful step by step guide. 🌐 4. Buy your domain name and claim your social handles A simple website name (. co . uk or . com, ideally both) can really help with SEO, but often it’s even more important to get your social branding right because that’s where you’ll build a dialogue with your customers. Try to get the same handle across all of the social channels you plan to use. 🛠️ 5. Build your website If your site is principally to market your products or services then it’s difficult to look past Squarespace. Similarly if your business is retail then the most flexible platform is Shopify. They both provide easily customisable sites and good email marketing functionality straight out of the box. 💳 6. Open a bank account I left this to last because it’s often the most time-consuming stage. All high street banks offer business accounts, but for most start ups, online-only players like Monzo or Tide are ideal. They won’t offer things like a business overdraft but then neither will the big players until you’re a more certain bet. You can always move to a larger bank once you've got a trading history. Now you’re on the start line to success. Jeff Bezos best watch out eh? Please let me know if there are other aspects of starting or scaling up a business you’d like to read more about 👇 

Six years ago, I took over marketing at a company that went to 40 trade shows per year, and I cut that to 4. When I joined CoLab to lead marketing, we had zero conferences planned. I booked 2 the first year, and increased it to 6 the following year. What happened? Did my opinion on trade shows do a 180? Nope - the black and white pro - trade show vs. anti - trade show narrative is just an oversimplification. Most companies can go to at least a couple shows per year and get a positive ROI. Problem is - most companies are going to way more than a couple of shows per year and they have no idea which ones produce a positive ROI. You actually need a decent amount of rigor and discipline to figure this out. If you scale your conference spend too fast, you'll skip important retrospectives. It's easy to end up in the first scenario I described, where I had to cut trade shows by 90% in a year. Here's what you should do instead: 1) Start with a manageable number of conferences (no more than 1-2 per quarter, unless you have someone working on it full time) 2) Define success criteria going in: - You should have a qualified pipeline target - You should have tight definitions for what constitutes qualified pipeline, in the context of a conference - If you want to measure success based on other things (like establishing partnerships, moving in pipeline opps forward, etc.), figure those things out ahead of time too 3) After each show, do a retro and understand whether you achieved or missed your success criteria 4) If you missed, figure out why: - Is it a bad show for you? (e.g. not enough good fit ICP attendees) - Or could you make something of it, with some tweaks to your own execution? If it's the latter, you can go back again next year and test the new approach. Just like your email list, your trade show portfolio is something you should be constantly managing and "pruning" Most companies don't apply this level of rigor, which is why most trade show + conference programs are really, really wasteful. #b2bmarketing

I had a 6-page pros and cons list. New job. More money. Bigger title. But something felt off. It wasn’t fear—it was something deeper. And the question that cut through it all was this: “Am I running FROM something or running TO something?” The quality of your career isn’t shaped by the opportunities you say yes to. It’s shaped by the questions you ask yourself before you decide. So here are some of the questions I’ve asked myself at every turning point in my career: 1. When you're thinking of quitting... “Am I running from something or running to something?” “If nothing changes in six months, can I live with that?” 2. When you're offered a new opportunity... “Would I still take this if the title and salary were the same?” “Does this move me closer to the life I want—or just the one that looks good?” 3. When you feel overlooked or underused... “Have I actually asked for what I want—or just hoped someone would notice?” “What version of myself am I showing them—my current one, or the one from five years ago?” 4. When you’ve just been promoted... “Do I enjoy the work—or just the recognition that came with it?” “What part of this role gives me energy?” 5. When you're managing people for the first time... “Am I trying to be perfect—or just present?” “What would I need from me if I were on this team?” 6. When you’re constantly busy but don’t feel accomplished... “Am I producing real impact—or just staying in motion?” “What would change if I believed my time was valuable?” 7. When you want more visibility but feel awkward asking... “Who needs to know what I’ve done—but doesn’t yet?” “What’s one small way I can advocate for myself this week?” 8. When the job no longer aligns with your values... “What part of myself have I muted to stay comfortable here?” “What would I be proud to say at a dinner table about what I do?” 9. When you’re on a career break—by choice or not... “What parts of me have I rediscovered that I don’t want to lose again?” “What do I want more of in my next chapter—and what’s non-negotiable now?” 10. When you’re returning from parental leave or a sabbatical... “What boundaries do I need now that I didn’t before?” “What do I want to reintroduce intentionally—and what can stay gone?” 11. When you're bored but afraid of change... “What would I try if I weren’t afraid of starting over?” “Am I more afraid of change—or staying the same?” You don’t have to figure it all out today. You don’t need a 10-step plan. Sometimes clarity doesn’t come from a perfect plan. But maybe—just maybe—you need to ask yourself a better question. So if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or restless… You don’t need to fix everything. Stop asking "What should I do next?" Start by asking better questions. What’s the one question you asked yourself that changed everything?

The lesson I take from so many dispersed teams I’ve worked with over the years is that great collaboration is not about shrinking the distance. It is about deepening the connection. Time zones, language barriers, and cultural nuances make working together across borders uniquely challenging. I see these dynamics regularly: smart, dedicated people who care deeply about their work but struggle to truly see and understand one another. One of the tools I often use in my work with global teams is the Harvard Business School case titled Greg James at Sun Microsystems. It tells the story of a manager leading a 45-person team spread across the U.S., France, India, and the UAE. When a major client system failed, the issue turned out not to be technical but human. Each location saw the problem differently. Misunderstandings built up across time zones. Tensions grew between teams that rarely met in person. What looked like a system failure was really a connection failure. What I find powerful about this story, and what I see mirrored in so many organizations today, is that the path forward is about rethinking how we create connection, trust, and fairness across distance. It is not where many leaders go naturally: new tools or tighter control. Here are three useful practices for dispersed teams to adopt. (1) Create shared context, not just shared goals. Misalignment often comes from not understanding how others work, not what they’re working on. Try brief “work tours,” where teams explain their daily realities and constraints. Context builds empathy, and empathy builds speed. (2) Build trust through reflection, not just reliability. Trust deepens when people feel seen and understood. After cross-site collaborations, ask: “What surprised you about how others see us?” That simple reflection can transform relationships. (3) Design fairness into the system. Uneven meeting times, visibility, or opportunities quickly erode respect. Rotate schedules, celebrate behind-the-scenes work, and make sure recognition travels across time zones. Fairness is a leadership design choice, not a nice-to-have. Distance will always be part of global work, but disconnection doesn’t have to be. When leaders intentionally design for shared understanding, reflected trust, and structural fairness, I've found, distributed teams flourish. #collaboration #global #learning #leadership #connection Case here: https://lnkd.in/eZfhxnGW

Starting a business costs less than your last Uber ride. (£12 and 10 minutes on Companies House if you’re in the UK) The hard part isn’t starting. It’s staying alive. Here’s the starter pack: 1. Customer + problem Be crystal clear. Who are you serving? What pain are you solving? 2. Register It’s literally £12. Don’t hide behind “I don’t know where to start.” 3. Numbers Price point Monthly sales needed to break even Margin after expenses 4. Runway Plan for 6 months with no profit. How will you pay bills? Savings, side income, funding, choose one. 5. Accountant Forget TikTok tax hacks. A good accountant will save you stress, money, and penalties. 6. Contracts Don’t rely on handshakes. At minimum, have written agreements (scope, deliverables, payment terms). Templates are fine at the start, but make sure they cover late payments, cancellations, and IP. Bring in a lawyer once the contracts get bigger or more complex. 7. Sales Nothing matters without this. Talk to potential customers before you “launch.” Test → refine → sell. 8. Costs Keep them low. No fancy office, no vanity spend. Free tools are enough at the start. 9. Team Hire freelancers. Test what you really need before committing to salaries. 10. Systems Track everything from day one - leads, invoices, expenses. The £12 makes you a founder on paper. Sales and cash flow make you a founder in practice. Systems and people make you a founder who lasts.

Internships are your fastest path to a great job! During my bachelor’s degree, I did 5 internships in 5 different domains—each one building on the last. That diverse experience helped me land my first product management internship in the U.S., which then led to another offer as a PM. Eventually, all these experiences combined made me a strong candidate for my current job! In today’s ultra-competitive job market, internships aren’t just optional—they’re essential. They help you stand out and increase your chances of landing interviews. I started with an unpaid internship because I lacked experience, but I used that as a stepping stone. One opportunity led to another, and soon, I was working with some of the best companies out there. 👩🏻💻If you’re a student: ✅ Find internships early – Many top companies start hiring interns months in advance. Set up alerts on job boards like LinkedIn, Handshake, and Glassdoor. Maybe say yes to an unpaid internship? ✅ Network your way in – 80% of jobs aren’t posted online. Reach out to alumni, attend career fairs, and connect with industry professionals on LinkedIn. ✅ Leverage side projects – If you don’t have experience, create it! Work on personal projects, contribute to open-source, or freelance to build a portfolio. ✅ Be open to startups & smaller companies – Big brands are competitive, but startups offer hands-on experience and faster growth opportunities. ✅ Keep learning – Certifications, online courses, and workshops can help you gain new skills that make you a stronger candidate. By the time you graduate, you’ll already have a competitive edge in your job search! 🚀 #career #tips #students #linkedin #internship

EI (emotional intelligence) in the world of AI (artificial intelligence) In the world fascinated with AI, the role of EI is becoming more & more relevant. Emotional Intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as to recognize and influence the emotions/ feelings of others. It enhances mental health, relationships, and of course performance. Here's how you can cultivate emotional intelligence:   Practice Mindfulness - Remaining present in the moment is essential for getting into the state of awareness. Awareness that helps you understand your emotions and observe its influence on your mind and body.   Foster Empathy - Showing compassion to others when they express their feelings is not just a sign of emotional intelligence; it's a powerful tool for building trust and rapport.   Learn Self-Regulation - Responding to any situation rationally, based on logic, is not just a skill; it enables you to express your thoughts clearly and respectfully. Train yourself to stay calm, breathe deep and take breaks to respond instead of react.   Master Communication - Speaking simply and directly will ensure that you convey your message clearly without any dilution. Consider the context, purpose, and goal of your communication. Choice of words matter. Develop Social Skills - Seeking feedback from others will be an important step for improving your interpersonal interactions. Ask for suggestions, listen actively, understand different viewpoints and be open to learn from various perspectives and experiences.   Focusing on these strategies can cultivate EI (emotional intelligence) and significantly boost your workplace joy as well as success. #EI