Passion is Thy Name!

Today marks the 8th year of my life as a Dellian.
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That’s close to 3000 days of madness, anxiety, excitement, endless learnings, sleepless nights, great adventures, wonderful experiences and above all, discovering lifelong friendships across the contingents.

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Rewind 8 years on a Sunday morning in PJ, my then-bf lightly said to me :
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“Hey, Dell is having a walk-in interview at Shangri-la, KL. Since we are here for the weekend, why don’t you go try your luck? Just to see how much your market value is worth.”
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“But I have no documents with me. No proper interview clothes. How to go?”
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“Just go lah. Besides, haven’t you been bitching lately that you’re getting bored of your job at HP. That even the excitement from the San Francisco biz trip has worn off?”
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“Yea hor….hhhhmmmm…”
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That Sunday changed my Life forever.
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Totally unexpected. Totally impromptu. I have grown by leaps and bounds since then. Even my then-bf commented that Dell changed me through the years.
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I learnt to be more demanding from myself and from others. I learnt never to settle for anything less than exceptional. I learnt to manage folks with their many idiosyncrasies and how to bring out the best in them. I learnt how to differentiate between the real gems and the NATOs (No Action Talk Only). I learnt to be super tolerant of extremely unreasonable customers. Most importantly, I learnt to pull the right strings, push the right buttons and turn the right knobs - just to get the jobs done.
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And I must say, it was all worth it. An experience I would not trade for anything in the whole world. Honestly.
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So folks asked me, “How do you do it, Eleen? EIGHT years?!?”
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My answer is simple.
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“Never, ever, ever allow yourself to get sucked into a comfort zone. The minute you feel too comfortable, time to move on! And only move upwards. Not much sense moving laterally. Does nothing for your portfolio.”
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And the Secret is :
“Learn to identify and grab opportunities as they come along. If they are not heading your way, give it a gentle push towards your direction. Then, meet it halfway. The battle is already half-won.”
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Looking back, I realised that I have moved 5 times in the past 8 years. That makes it an average of 1.5 years in one role. I just didn’t allow myself to get too comfortable. It’s a reminder I give myself every single day.
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The wonderful thing about being a Dellian is that we are all part of such a humongous family. With just a simple switch to a different role, it’s like I’ve moved to a totally different world. Different team goals, different challenges, different management styles but always, always one culture : The Dell Way.
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I am not sure if I will be here to receive my 10th year award (nothing in this world is guaranteed anyways!) but one thing’s for sure : I will keep on pushing myself to reach higher. To achieve more. To be better and more of who I am today.
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Happy 8th Anniversary, Eleen.