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8/9/2015 – After 10 weeks, here’s one major lesson from each of my journal entries:

1. CAVU–Anyone with access to the internet or to other people is capable of using those tools–it comes down to choice whether those tools will be used to achieve goals or not.
2. Fit in, fit in, fit in–Beginnings are delicate times and provide inadequate opportunities to make significant progress on “business results”. So, it’s best to over-value networking early on as opposed to trying to make quick progress on projects.
3. Future state vs past state projects–If it’s unclear how to tackle a project, it’s helpful to categorize it as either a future- or past-state project. Future-state projects require the recommendation of a set of behaviors. Ideally, this set is delivered in the format “who does what by when”. Past-state projects require the creation of a resource, for example a manual for setting up a program of some sort. The project is not to deliver a set of behaviors, rather a tangible document. At the completion of the project, then, the document will forever be “created”–that is, in the past the work was done.
4. DISC>MBTI because behavior>personality–In a professional environment, disc is more effective for encouraging effective communication than myers-briggs. While MBTI is more “accurate” for analyzing personality, disc is a better tool for immediate assessment of personal communication styles. Memorizing 16 MBTI types  is inefficient and unrealistic; memorizing the 4 disc types is efficient and realistic. Also, disc relates better to workplace communication, whereas mbti explicitly intends to tie personality outside of work to preferred behaviors INSIDE of work.
5. 4 keys to an effective proposal—
   1. To think “outside the box”, first find the box and understand why it’s the status quo. Then decide what falls outside those parameters but within absolute limits.
   2. Interns are paid to arrive at conclusions the company wouldn’t arrive at themselves. Otherwise, the intern is just a replacement for an employee who’s left the company, rather than justification for them being hired in addition to current employees.
   3. Knowing your audience goes beyond addressing the concerns they’re supposed to have. The  effective communicator addresses, instead, the interests they actually have.
   4. Zoom out when beginning to tackle a problem. Consider the big picture before considering details/framework of a solution. For example, ask who assigned the project, what projects weren’t assigned instead, and who the customers of a solution might be.
6. Fund your passion–with several hobbies it may be better to give up doing something you love as a career in order to have a career you’re content with which makes doing your hobbies easier or more sustainable, financially. If it’s possible to “make money doing whatever you’re passionate about”, then for many of us it’s likely just as possible to make more money in a career we’re simply content with. Especially for people with multiple hobbies/passions, it may be better to try to “fund” your passion rather than “follow” it, as popular guidance suggests.
7. How to live in the present while preparing for the future–since the future is likely, and preparation today has a predictable effect on future situations, it’s helpful to consider what priority would benefit from preparation today. However, forsaking today’s passion for a possible future in 50 years is probably negligent and naive. The balance I’ve found is to identify a priority you’d predict will arise in a few years and begin making efforts now to set yourself up to do that priority well. This will allow alignment to occur in the present as you find ways to incorporate your current passions into the preparation for an ideal near-term (likely) future.
8. HR is vital, but may not need a department–if all line employees are trained in appropriate HR practices, and if legal is outsourced and used ad hoc, an HR department may not be necessary in all companies. HR work, by definition, is done to support the business and its line employees in their pursuit of results. So if a single HR employee, ideally right beside the CEO, sets the business strategy with the executive team, the effective hr practices normally provided by the department could be performed by the natural benefactors. In other words, hiring managers would be trained in recruiting, compensation and benefits, training and development, etc. If this is not feasible, it’s at least a vital aspect to include the HR function in overall company strategy.
9. True negotiating =/= asking for more–don’t negotiate for more salary as an entry level new hire and call it “negotiating”. Interviews include a candidate communicating the value they can bring. If an offer is made, the response to a candidate’s request for more should be, “what didn’t you tell me about your ability? What more will you give us?” It’s also a big risk for little reward. You risk losing goodwill (crucial for a new hire) and you only stand to gain maybe a few hundred per month extra. Future salary depends on performance, not on starting salary, at any company worth a good candidate. Finally, a smart company doesn’t allow negotiating salary  since it risks a wider gap in salaries of men and women, as men are currently more likely to negotiate.
10. Thinking is crucial. Thinking with purpose makes decision-making easier, lowers anxiety, illuminates what’s important, and leads to growth. The key to happiness may be learning to value only those things which no person can take from you; thought is the only thing I can imagine we all have which meets that description.

11/29/2017 review–These may not be the top 10 lessons I’ve ever learned, but they represent the most important takeaways from my three months as a corporate intern. Lessons 1-9 are hyperlinked to the journal entry that describes them and how I came to believe them. I totally acknowledge these are not certain to be true–I may flip my position on any one of these in the near future. Still, it’s been two years since writing this list and I have only grown stronger in these ten beliefs.