Career lessons from a former intern
“It’s their skin in the game, not yours.”
We tweeted this article during the week, but thought the advice was so great we would share here as well. Our favorite tale involved a member of the design team telling a client that he was missing something key from his business, which of course, ended with some strong words and a swift end to the conversation.
"Don't ever say anything that suggests that you understand their business better than them; you don't, " was what the team member who made the mistake was told. "Its their skin in the game, not yours."
Sourcing managers and buyers negotiate with suppliers, brand managers do the same with retailers. Store operations, supply chain, planning and product teams all interact with each other to keep a business moving forward. The above is a great thing to keep in mind when negotiating and working with another team - your skin in not in the other person's game.
The other lessons:
- bring some passion to the presentation
- find your own voice
- work will always be there - take time for other things
RETAIL ASSEMBLY is a mission-driven organization, upgrading skills and enhancing great businesses. Our top offering to this day is The Retail Buying Course, with case studies, great foundations and business insight.
The workshops are a nice quick deep-dive into a variety of topics which supplement a good career, including our best on Negotiation.