From Academia to Corporate

The following are some observations based on my 5+ years experience in corporate America.
1. Corporations exist to make money. Bottom line. Therefore, never take it personally. It’s all about business, really.
2. Think.
3. Know your stuff. Stay up-to-date, stay relevant. No one will listen to you if you don’t know what you are talking about.
4. Know you numbers. Inside and out, and be ready to interpret them within and outside contexts.
5. Innovate, be creative. Everywhere and always.
6. Be precise, matter-of-fact kind of precise. Keep your communication short and neutral. No one has time to read emails longer than 5 sentences. No one has time to deal with your attitude.
7. Change is the only constant. Priorities, goals, tasks, people, science, research, structures, teams, knowledge, processes, rules – all change all the time. Find your balance and move forward.
8. Keep your boss informed at all times.
9. Be fair and nice to people above and under you. It matters in both short and long runs.
10. Listen to gossips. Listen to what people say.
11. Be neutral. Provide your expert opinion but don’t join ‘camps’. The truth is always somewhere in the middle.
12. Consensus is nice but sometimes you just have to make decisions without. Period.
13. Be ready to work long hours. And I mean – looong, like 60+ hours/week. It will be worse if you are not productive.
14 If possible, avoid human resources. They exist to support the structure, not you.
15. Don’t fight. Especially with your boss. Too bad if your boss is stupid. Or psychopath (most of them are). Determine your tolerance threshold and leave when it’s crossed.