When Someone Believed in Me Before I Did
A few years into my career, I was allocated to a new project within my organization. While the background verification and ID creation processes were underway—a process that would take several weeks—we were still expected to report to work every day. During this period, I spent most of my time in the Offshore Development Center (ODC), a secured area dedicated to a specific client, reporting directly to the Delivery Manager. One day, my manager casually mentioned that I should "create a team." Having always worked as an individual contributor and being relatively new to the project, I didn't fully grasp what was being expected of me. The statement was repeated a couple of times, but I continued with my routine, assuming it wasn't directed at me in any significant way. That changed when I received a gentle reprimand for not acting on the request. It prompted me to pause and reflect. Instead of making assumptions, I decided to seek clarity. During our conversation, I f...