We were equally curious, so we decided to test this on Valentine’s Day this year, during our annual Ladies’ Lunch Event, a platform where we invite a group of young female professionals who are looking at advancing their careers.

The result? Beyond our expectations!

In general, participants captured a lot of values given the broad mix of mentors from different backgrounds, each bringing their own unique lessons to the table. In return, the mentors were equally energized by the conversations at the table, that uncovered different perspectives and challenges.

Here are my 5 key takeaways on “How to Future-Proof Your Career” from the session:

1. Define the journey – but not too rigidly By defining one’s career aspiration and development goals in each phase, we will find that we actively set our own career’s journey. It does not mean a perfect 10-year plan, but rather a vision of who we want to become, which certainly helps to provide more clarity when faced with options. It also helps us become more conscious of our development goals. Without aspiration, life can be set on auto-cruise and sometimes, we might miss an opportunity when it is not defined. On the contrary, having too rigid of a plan might get us blindsided and will invite stress, since most things are out of our control.

2. Reflect – what gets measured, gets done Some business leaders swear by this approach: what gets measured (and calendared) gets done. An effective reflection will allow us to course-correct. The important part of reflection is the ability to honestly put the mirror in front of us, and ask ourselves for the lessons and modifications we need to employ at that stage. Having the courage to admit and pivot is a critical part of one’s career reflection.

3. Say “Yes” – and say “No” Our mentors shared their own experiences on saying “Yes” to stretched assignments that opened doors and opportunities within their organizations. However, it is equally important to learn how to say “No” in certain contexts where boundaries and priorities need to be set. The wisdom is in the ability to discern which ones we will say “Yes” or “No” to – which can be cultivated through experience.

4. Enlist support – in many forms In any journey, it helps to have a series of support to lift us, to guide us or simply, to be our cheerleader along the way. These are the roles of coaches, mentors, sponsors and informal networks we build throughout our professional (and also personal) life. Most times, there is no specific structure for some of these roles, though personally, I found professional coaching has been helpful to me at various points of my career to help bring me to the next level. Having sponsors had also helped create career advancements that I would not have otherwise accessed. A lot of us also enjoy the support of informal mentors and professional networks who can come in many different forms. These do not necessarily come through a specific program but rather, a mutually agreed arrangement. Some of these can even be short but still enriching.

5. Build your brand – and be yourself We also touched on building our brand in a broader sense. In my group, I advocated the approach of building our core competencies as part of our professional identity. Having these core competencies will help us in navigating the changing career landscape more effectively – it is also important that we identify transferable skills as we switch industries or as we build our own businesses.

More importantly, all of us agree with the same mantra: Be ourselves. To show up better as a professional, we have to have the courage to embrace all parts of ourselves, rather than conforming to society’s definition.

In closing, we are very grateful for these amazing and generous female leaders who joined me at the tables as mentors:

• Suit Fang Chin, Independent Non-Executive Director, Bank Negara Malaysia (formerly Partner, PwC Malaysia)
• Datuk Zunaidah Idris, Head of Dealing, SVP, Corporate and Institutional Business Group (CIBG) Public, Hong Leong Investment Bank Bhd, MGA Council Member
• Lily Rozita Mohd Khairi, Shell Ethics and Compliance Officer Downstream Global
• Shasha Kartini Ridzam, AirAsia Group Head, Global Affairs, Government Relations and Sustainability (currently, Obama Foundation Leader)
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Thank you to all our participants who have shown such enthusiasm in sharing their experiences as well. We hope that through such platform, we have planted some seeds and shown you possibilities that you can take with you on your career journey. Stay hungry and keep going!

Quotes from Participants:

“It was a valuable experience – it provided me clarity, inspired me to dream bigger and to move forward stronger!”
Khairul Alia, Talent Development and Succession Planning, Employees Provident Fund (EPF)

“The mentors today shared valuable real-life knowledge that inspired and challenged me.”
Siti Noorhana Saidin, Data Analyst; Lean In Malaysia Career Program 4.0 Graduate and Best Speaker

“Incredibly vibrant and supportive environment with generous and genuine exchanges!”
Chew Ai Hui, Investment Banking Analyst