Jaleh Daie, PhD

Make sure that your contributions to specific goals and goalposts are recognized by people who are in charge of rewarding employees. There are several ways of achieving this. one is to have a one on one conversation with the supervisor. Second is to interact other people as you work on a project, so that they said that they so that they know you are making you’re making contribution in specific areas.

Success or failure of many a startups is closely related to identifying the customer, knowing the customer well to obtain a clear market fit. To identify the best market fit, one must validate certain assumptions in order to ascertain that the product or service being developed has a clear path to target customers and market.

When people are assigned to do what they are deeply interested in and committed to, they would give it all, and then some! Identify the strength of each individual and assign them tasks that aligns with their interest. Ultimately, this is attempting to find the right fit, from which many meaningful outcomes will flow.

Self improvement and learning should never stop. Imagine two pictures. One is a beautiful, clear, running river with because of constant oxygenation and removal of debris. Then think about a puddle of water in the corner of field, without any appeal to jump into. Which of these are you? The metaphoric analogy applies here. Do you seek inspiration for renewal (in the case of the river new snow melt, oxygenation). Are you like a car stuck in traffic or do you find alternative routes to get to a new place? Maya Angelou said: “if you don’t like something change it and if you can’t change it, change your attitude about it.” Often a pivot is far more important than doubling or tripling effort.

Nothing big happens without a great and well thought out market fit. Before doing much and wasting resources and energy spend time and effort on your market and marketing strategy. Know your market/customer; inside out, top to bottom and left and right!

First and foremost; never be a taker only. Give before you ask. Remember, networks are perishable- they are living breathing organisms. They are like gardens. Much time and effort is needed to cultivate them. Before you can draw enjoyment and benefits, you must nourish those plants and as living, breathing creatures. nourishing, and care is a never ending constant. And just like a garden, you must prune and weed to remove the unwanted. Occasionally you end up adding individuals who are at best takers and at worst toxic requiring ending the relationship. I have been fortunate with varied and diverse networks due to my multi-sector positions and my cultural curiosity.