What kind of soft skills have you developed since you joined the firm?

I've been at Micron for almost two years and have had many opportunities to grow my soft skills. This kind of development was actually the reason I joined the company as a manager. Before Micron, I worked in technical roles, successfully leading teams, so I decided to take that success to the next level.

The specific skills I've developed since joining Micron are leadership, decisiveness, and networking. The biggest lesson has been that leadership isn't confined to leading teams, but expands to community engagement and steering the direction of my career. I've stepped out of my comfort zone by speaking at Employee Resource Group forums to reflect on what I've observed at the company, and by talking to leaders about my career path and what I want to accomplish at Micron.

A result of discussing my goals is that I've become more decisive. By developing a vision for my role and pitching it to leaders, I've had to be very clear about what I'm requesting from them. Support comes in a variety of forms, ranging from professional connections to getting the green light on a new project. Being decisive means knowing what I'm asking for and why, and being confident about how I will use those resources or connections.

Finally, networking has been an invaluable skill for knowledge sharing and maintaining a "big picture" view. Reaching out to people in different departments has taught me how various pieces of Micron fit together and how we can break down silos of information. Making new connections definitely takes effort and vulnerability but the results of successful collaboration, and how satisfying it can feel, make it all worth the work.