Rise To The Challenge
I’m a big believer in showing all your cards in the case where someone is much senior than you. Show your knowledge and expertise — rise to the challenge.
‘Just talk. Let them stop you. Just talk and just be passionate. If they start taking notes, you’re doing something right. Everyone can learn from everyone.’
Rather than addressing this in the context of the QMGS and Presidency.
I want to take a different approach.
Mainly because of an encounter I had today with a lecturer.
I quite like to study in an obscure spot away from distractions.
The library can be hit and miss. Sometimes it’s packed and you wasted valuable study time in a place where you can’t eat or make any noise.
I like to be somewhere where there are no noise restrictions, close water supply and toilets nearby.
It’s a cool place to sit.
It’s not too quiet but not too loud during lecture hours.
And it’s usually empty which is a plus.
It also happens to be near some offices of Geography lecturers.
On occasion, some will stop by and ask me how I’m doing.
I do like that community aspect, there are no barriers between students and lecturers — only if you want there to be.
I’ve gained career and dissertation advice from off-chance meetings with lecturers and it’s nice to know there are those people you can speak to if they have a spare second.
Today, in between sorting out QMGS things and transcribing for my dissertation, I saw a lecturer whose colleagues I recently met at the Modern Slavery Conference in London.
My background in human rights, professionally speaking, is only this year.
Not before.
From February, one way or another I’ve been fully engrossed in commercial human rights issues and the values of NGOs too.
June — I visited the OECD for the same issues.
September — I returned to the Modern Slavery conference as a delegate rather than an organiser.
I’ve managed to be a lifetime of people in a matter of months.
So I’ve somehow managed to retain a lot of knowledge too.
Writing a 6000 word report on the first conference is one reason why I have that knowledge.
It comes in handy when someone asks you about your expertise on a topic.
I don’t consider myself an expert.
Just someone with a solid knowledge basis honed through intensity and necessity.
I spoke to this lecturer about what I’d learnt and how I’ve applied it.
It seemed to make her very surprised that I had this knowledge.
But like I said, necessity and intensity were the two key factors.
I had to know my stuff to continue business development and I worked an intense communications job which required concentration.
It was a demanding job now that I look back.
It was somewhat staggered where there wouldn’t be any work sometimes and it was hard to be proactive when you were following by example.
But by going to the OECD, that was proactive.
Being invited to attend a welcome conference on some new modern slavery standards by Norton Rose Fulbright was also a plus.
Speaking to industry leaders, listening to their enthusiasm and growing from their ambitions.
I’m a big believer in giving everything your all.
I don’t know anything half-hearted.
There is a strong sense of fulfilment of getting the job done efficiently and most importantly, quietly.
Only involving people you need and doing it with little distractions is sometimes the best way to work.
That’s the philosophy we use at QMGS.
I spoke to a friend about it today. While it’s a lot of painstaking work, whatever it is, and you don’t get recognition for every little part — you can be happy that you did your bit for the eventual goal.
Our fear of failing stops us from trying.
Our fear of trying stops us from living.
Our fear of living stops us from experiencing.
Our fear of experiencing is just a waste.
Fail, fail and fail some more.
Some day, you’ll get that kick. You won’t know it at the time but you’ll hit the jackpot.
Rise to the challenge.