256: How to Make the Best Career Decisions and Work on Impactful Projects with Nyari Samushonga

Phil’s guest on this episode of the IT Career Energizer podcast is Nyari Samushonga. Nyari is the Chief Executive Officer of WeThinkCode_ where her primary responsibility is to gear the organization up for growth. She also co-founded FoldLeft, a digital consultancy that uses hypothesis-driven models to design and deliver impactful software solutions.

Her expertise lies in bridging the divide between business executives and tech innovators to maximize the value of software.

In this episode, Phil and Nyari Samushonga discuss the best way to make complex decisions, especially those that relate to your career. They also talk about how to successfully handle the politics that exists in most workplaces.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

(4.55) TOP CAREER TIP

Get good at making decisions. It is easy to be overwhelmed by the many different things that could happen as a result of your decision. You need to learn how to understand and make sense of all of that complexity. During the podcast, Nyari shares 4 important questions you need to ask yourself when making decisions that will help you to do that.

(5.53) WORST CAREER MOMENT

Some time ago Nyari found herself working on a project that had big issues. She realized there was no way what had been promised to the client could be delivered. So, she spoke up. When she did, everything she was doing was called into question and she was frozen out.

For her, it was an awful time. In the podcast, she explains what she did about the situation and how she managed to come out the other side of it.

(11.23) CAREER HIGHLIGHT

Finding effective ways to enable someone who has been struggling to learn how to code to breakthrough and finally succeed has been a career highlight for Nyari.

(13.25) THE FUTURE OF CAREERS IN I.T

It no longer matters what business you are in, you need IT. A fact that makes this a great time to be working in the industry. The opportunities are endless.

It also means you can find work in any industry that interests you. Whether you enjoy finance, architecture, teaching, or agriculture you can work on transformative IT projects that are relevant to that field. Better still it does not matter where in the world you are based.

(15.22) THE REVEAL

What first attracted you to a career in I.T.? – Nyari wanted to create things and make a real difference in the world.

What’s the best career advice you received? – Learn to let go. Stop worrying about how the world perceives you and just try things. If you fail, let go and move onto the next thing.

What’s the worst career advice you received? – Don’t be so argumentative. Nyari thinks it is important to be authentic and open, which sometimes ruffles feathers.

What would you do if you started your career now? – Nyari would have started coding at an earlier stage in her career.

What are your current career objectives? – Right now, Nyari is focusing on scaling WeThinkCode and ensuring gender parity within the company.

What’s your number one non-technical skill? – Her accounting skills. They have enabled her to drill down and look at the bottom line to make sure there is a good reason behind everything her company does.

How do you keep your own career energized? – Nyari finds that constantly reinventing herself keeps her career energized.

What do you do away from technology? – Nyari enjoys road cycling, especially when she does a 100k ride and really pushes herself.

(23.59) FINAL CAREER TIP

Focus on being impactful. You want everything you do to count and make a difference. To succeed at doing that you need to be clear about what you are trying to achieve and only opt to work on those projects where you can have a positive impact.

BEST MOMENTS

(5.29) – Nyari - “Don ́t take decisions for granted. Make sure you are aware of what you are giving up and what you are gaining,”

(9.19) – Nyari - “Even when you strongly disagree with something, display empathy. It helps to keep the communication channels open.”

(14.11) – Nyari - “Take advantage of the fact that working in tech means that you can reinvent yourself more times than Madonna.”

(16.46) – Nyari - “If you fail, let go of that moment, then reach out and start something new.”

(26.03) – Nyari - “Focus on being impactful. Think about what you want to achieve, then work out how to succeed at making that change.”

ABOUT THE HOST – PHIL BURGESS

Phil Burgess is an independent IT consultant who has spent the last 20 years helping organizations to design, develop, and implement software solutions. Phil has always had an interest in helping others to develop and advance their careers. And in 2017 Phil started the I.T. Career Energizer podcast to try to help as many people as possible to learn from the career advice and experiences of those that have been, and still are, on that ...