The pandemic arrived, and everything went down for the second time. Due to lockdown, traveling was not allowed, so I had to quit my job. I was devastated.

However, I did not stay unemployed for long and found a new company, which helped me to understand how companies work internally. I was promoted to lead a team. I took care of people, addressed issues, and encouraged my team to be motivated and inspired.

After that, a moment came into our life. Our operations manager told us that he was going to leave. I needed to understand why he was leaving, why people depended on him, and what made him so valuable.

I observed and thought. He was good with people. He was good at motivation. But the thing I liked most about him was that he was data driven.

From that moment, I needed to study a tool that we always used. I studied Excel. I paid for online courses and got credentials. I studied so hard that I can now confidently say that I am very good at it in my environment.

I reached the point where every time I opened an Excel file, there was always one thing that I looked for to check if someone was good with formulas, which was F4, the absolute and relative cell references. If their formulas did not have that, I knew I was still better.

I deep dived into:

Excel
Power Query
Data visualization
Analytics fundamentals
Data quality

I learned to think in patterns, in numbers, in precision, and in invisible connections. Patterns always exist, even in chaos.

(If you want to collaborate or work with me, please don’t hesitate to contact me through my social media.)

Then there was a manager who became a lesson. He trusted me, guided me, and believed in me. Even when I left, he would unexpectedly keep his arms open to welcome me back.

Leadership is hard. You need to make sure that you always keep your people motivated, even if you are lost or don’t have enough time to pursue what you like.

Leaving that company taught me to always be humble, let my ego down, and remember that there is always room for improvement. Leaving that company is also, maybe, part of a new chapter that I will write.

THE PIVOT

Fear was also part of me. Fear of AI. Fear of being left behind. But the line from Henri Ducard in Batman Begins kept reminding me of it:

"Breathe in your fears. Face them. To conquer fear, you must become fear."

So, I left. I upskilled. Future-proof skills.

Even fear became a teacher. The thing you fear is often your map.

End of Story