I share the biggest fear as former Unilever CEO Paul Polman

A decade ago, I first published part of this note in my now-defunct blog. And 10 years later today, the content remains very relevant. I still hold the same fear...

"My biggest fear is that I become useless or less useful by not being up to date—be it with technology, be it with changing consumers, be it with changing global situations. You continuously have to have a little level of paranoia that forces you to set the bar higher every day." — former Unilever CEO Paul Polman

It is not everyday that you read the news and find something common with one of the great leaders in the world. And I discovered I share the biggest fear as Unilever CEO Paul Polman.

This is the reason why I emphasize on learning everyday, not staying stagnant, but to be reinventive. At the workplace, this could mean finding a new way to do a report efficiently. In the day to day life outside work, this could mean trying a new bus route to get to your destination.

You may want to jot down at least one thing you learn each day. This can make for interesting coffee talk.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None

To survive in this world, it seems that we have to be a master of some.

The state of mastery depends on your interpretation. If you think someone is very good at something, you may equate the person to a master. However, in this digital age, it can be difficult to differentiate popularity/virality with mastery.

There is a Chinese saying 天外有天，一山还比一山高, which means there will be no end to comparison since there is always someone, someplace, or something better. Afterall, the grass seems greener on the other side.

Nick Vujicic taught me to have the right mindset. Nick was born in the same year as me, but without limbs. If you watch his videos in YouTube, you will be sure to notice his positive attitude and mindset. Sure, he had his dull moments in life too, but look at him - with his beautiful family and outlook on life.

Don't judge me or anyone else for that matter. We are fellow humans, imperfect in our own ways, molded to perfection in some.

If you noticed, I have bold the word 'some'. Let's be honest. We are not omnipotent. We can't be at every place in each moment. We can't be that perfect to excel in all things at all times. But we are sure to know when we have put in our best.

I am not a master, at least this is how I feel. But in the workplace, colleagues often hone me as the 'master' for data accuracy. I'm not 100% accurate every time, but I sure drive fear (according to these colleagues) when I have checked and tell the respective data owners that "Hey! This data is not correct. Please get it corrected."

Specialist or Generalist?

I find that you have to excel or specialize in something in order to pit your value against another fellow generalist colleague/candidate in a promotion/job opportunity.

This could mean technical skills, soft skills, and business acumen. When I doubled up as an Executive Assistant, I learned to be more business-minded by finding out what's happening within and outside the company. This helped me anticipate the needs of my leaders, rather than having an order-taking mindset.

Moreover, if you decide to specialize in your career, most companies often pay higher salaries to (more-difficult-to-hire) specialists, as compared to generalists in the same career level and industry.

Are you a master of some?

I've met masters of managing their households. I've met masters of social media. I've met masters of organizing office parties. In a previous company, we had a self-appointed CPO, i.e. Chief Party Officer, who hosts our festive lunches and organizes farewell parties. I doubt offices can run smoothly without administrators.

You may be a jack of all trades, dabbling in this and that. But surely there are some trades/skills that you find yourself stronger in. So, look into your strengths and explore the avenues you can add value. Keep learning, don't stay stagnant, and never be complacent.