Say Yes and You’ll Figure It Out Afterward
This summer working for Evol8tion gave me a lot of freedom that I reference in “Why Startups are Ideal Nurturing Young Minds.” In that freedom, I recognized a small, yet important, lesson that I think is important to mention. It’s a message made popular by Tina Fey a couple years ago.
“Say yes and you’ll figure it out afterward.”
As an intern there are certain qualifications that helped me land my position, I am smart, motivated, and have the knowledge to complete many of the tasks I am expected to work on. But I think landing an internship, or job, is small in comparison to what you do once you have the position.
Saying yes, then figuring it out afterward helped me more than once in my internship. Working at a small company where my role changed weekly constantly put my ability, or lack thereof, to the test. I was forced to try things that I had never tried before and learn the skills I lacked in order to complete tasks. Tasks could be as small as writing reports, in ways I had never done before, on topics I have never heard of or tasks could be larger like negotiating contracts with other companies.
As simple as saying yes and figuring it out afterward seems, it can be tough. You must put in extra time and effort in increasing you capabilities, but with the hard work comes several benefits, the most notable being the additional tools added to your repertoire.
Saying yes, will increase your value at your company, especially when you are successful. As interns, we are generally given smaller projects to begin internships. As we prove to be productive and capable our workload and its difficulty is increased. Saying yes, will show employers that you have the motivation to aid the company and the will to do what is needed.
I believe Tina Fey was right. Continually saying yes was one of the best decisions I made while interning with Evol8tion. I will continue to say yes and you should too.