In the realm of business literature, few books possess the power to inspire and impart invaluable wisdom quite like "Winners Dream" by Bill McDermott. I am not saying this because he is technically my boss given that I work at ServiceNow but because I read the signed copy I got directly from Bill almost in one go. 

Not only was it very engaging, but it was full of interesting stories about Bill's humble beginnings all the way to the top of corporate success. These stories is what made the book such a captivating read, making you want to find out what happens next quickly. I especially resonated with Bill's determination to go after what he wants - determined is definitely one of my key traits as well.

As I was reading the book, I thought there were so many helpful nuggets and learnings that I wanted to share these with you, alongside my favourite quotes. 

In essence, my biggest takeaway is that to be successful in life and to lead a fulfilling life, you need to be crystal clear on the goals and priorities that really matter to you and pour your soul and hard work into achieving them. The journey is the dream rather than the outcome itself. 

Top Learnings from Winners Dream

I've been a Chief of Staff for close to two years but I've held similar positions in the past without the title. 

People often ask me "What is it that you actually do?"

Chief of Staff roles have become popular over the last few years, especially in tech. Many of the big companies have a Chief of Staff for all of their SVPs and above, and some even for VP and above. 

I find the Chief of Staff role quite unique depending on who the executive is that you support. I'm lucky to have an amazing leader who I work with hand in hand which allows me to learn and grow. 

But back to the question about what is it that a Chief of Staff does every day. Let me go through a day in my life, however, before I begin I have to say that the Chief of Staff job is so versatile and frankly not every day is the same because the role itself relies on the ability to pivot, adjust and be flexible pretty much all the time as there are often last-minute fires to be put down. So I will focus on explaining the key daily responsibilities. 

A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff in Tech

Setting goals is pivotal for success. This is true in your personal and professional life. If you want to go far in your career, you need to have goals. If you want to manage your finances well, you need to have money goals. The list goes on.

Goals can be this fluffy thing people struggle with because they are not always easy to make them strong and sticky. Especially if they're long-term. You never know what might happen tomorrow. I struggle with this as well which is why my goals tend to be short to mid-term especially when it comes to my career development. I'm the type of person who looks for the next opportunity to make an impact. Business environments change so I prefer to be agile and adapt to the needs of the market rather than stick to a 5 or 10-year goals plan. 

However, even short-term goal setting can be difficult. 

Many of you are familiar with the SMART framework for goal-setting but have you heard of another version called SMARTER?

Last week, I attended the European Women in Tech conference in Amsterdam. It's been a while since I went to an event like this and it was great to be back learning and networking.

I attended dozens of sessions and wanted to spend some time reflecting on them. 

The best way for me to reflect is by writing. Writing is my way of thinking and learning and I'm getting back to it more and more as well.

So, here are my top learnings from the European Women in Tech conference.

A few months back, my good friend Kareem Mostafa who I've featured in the blog introduced me to a friend of his - Leon Nussbaumer. Leon runs an excellent and top-rated podcast about professionals and careers called Leon & The Professionals.

Leon and I got to talking and decided to record a session as well. 

Leon was great to work with and I thoroughly enjoyed our conversation which could have gone for much, much longer. 

His head was probably spinning at some point with all I kept on saying and how we kept pivoting the conversation from one topic to another. Here are some of the key things we covered:

Making the Most of Non-Linear Career Paths