“Volunteer for the most difficult projects early in your career.” - Indra Nooyi
There’s something undeniably powerful about the words of Indra Nooyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo. She isn’t just tossing out some casual advice here—she’s talking about one of the key moves that helped her rise to the top in an industry known for fierce competition. Let’s be real, when you’re just starting out, it’s tempting to keep your head down, do the work that’s handed to you, and maybe sneak under the radar. But Nooyi suggests the opposite: dive in, headfirst, to the toughest stuff. Why? Because that’s where the magic happens.
Embrace the Sink-or-Swim Moments
When you’re early in your career, everything feels like a proving ground. And it kind of is. It’s easy to want to play it safe—to wait until you feel “ready.” But let me tell you a secret: you’re never fully ready. And that’s the beauty of volunteering for the hard projects. They force you to grow into readiness.
Difficult projects are those where there’s no clear roadmap, the stakes are high, and the potential for failure is real. But these are the moments that forge your character, sharpen your skills, and set you apart from others. When you volunteer for these kinds of projects, you’re choosing the path of accelerated learning. It’s like signing up for a crash course in resilience, adaptability, and critical thinking—all things that are essential if you want to advance your career.
Imagine being at the beginning of a career in construction. The easier path might be to stick to the routine projects, blending into the crew. But the difficult projects? The ones where the client wants something completely out of the box, or where the deadline seems impossible? Those are the projects that teach you more in a few months than the easy stuff would in years. They force you to get creative, to collaborate more effectively, and to learn from mistakes without fear of failure.
Why Tough Projects Matter Early On
Here’s the deal: the start of your career is the best time to take risks. You don’t have much to lose and everything to gain. It’s a time when your energy is high, your curiosity is on overdrive, and your willingness to learn is at its peak. You want to look back in ten years and say, “Yeah, I took on the projects nobody else wanted—and here’s what I learned.” Those experiences turn into stories that define you, not just to your boss or clients, but to yourself.
Tough projects also have a way of shining a spotlight on your abilities. They provide you with an opportunity to showcase what you can do, not just to those above you, but to your peers. People notice the person who volunteers for the complicated stuff, who’s ready to roll up their sleeves even when things look daunting. It communicates a kind of fearlessness, a commitment to growth, and, more importantly, leadership potential.
What You Learn from the Tough Stuff
Volunteering for the difficult projects isn’t just about making an impression; it’s about what you’re building internally. Here’s what taking on the tough assignments gives you:
1. Skill Acceleration: When you’re put in a challenging situation, you’re forced to adapt and learn at a much faster pace. Problems that seem impossible at first glance can be tackled step-by-step, and the learning curve is steep—but rewarding. You learn how to deal with unexpected obstacles, how to strategize under pressure, and how to think on your feet.
2. Confidence: There’s something incredibly powerful about overcoming a challenge that scared you. It builds a kind of quiet confidence, a voice in your head that says, “If I could do that, I can handle whatever comes next.” Early on, this confidence is crucial because it pushes you to keep volunteering, to keep going beyond your comfort zone.
3. Reputation and Trust: When people see you stepping up, they remember it. Managers and mentors love those who aren’t afraid to take on the difficult tasks. You become the person they can rely on. Over time, this builds a reputation that makes people want to work with you, recommend you, and eventually follow you.
Failure is Part of the Process
Let’s be honest—taking on difficult projects means there’s a real chance of failure. But here’s the thing: early in your career is the best time to fail. Why? Because mistakes are expected when you’re starting out, and if you’re going to learn how to pick yourself up, it’s better to do it sooner rather than later. It’s through failure that you develop resilience. It’s how you learn what works and, more importantly, what doesn’t.
Imagine a young shopfitter working on a complex hotel renovation project. There are a thousand things that can (and probably will) go wrong. Maybe the design hits a snag, maybe the materials get delayed, or maybe a supplier falls through. These are the kinds of headaches that would be easy to avoid by sticking to smaller, easier jobs. But by facing them, you learn how to problem-solve in the moment, and you build a deeper understanding of how to navigate the industry. And that’s a lesson worth its weight in gold.
Turning Fear into Growth
The truth is, tough projects are scary for a reason. They push you into the unknown, where you’re not sure if you have what it takes. But it’s in that space—where you’re balancing the excitement of opportunity with the fear of failing—that real growth happens. You go from being the person who’s just following instructions to the person who’s innovating, finding new solutions, and leading initiatives.
Early on, these challenges help you craft a story for yourself. They give you the kind of experience that can’t be learned from books or through careful observation. They help you discover what you’re capable of, and they make you stronger in every way.
Final Thoughts
Volunteering for the most difficult projects early in your career might not be the comfortable choice, but it’s certainly the right one if you want to grow. These projects have a way of shaping who you become—professionally and personally. They test your limits, teach you resilience, and build a skill set that sets you apart.
Indra Nooyi’s advice is about taking the long view. She’s challenging us not to coast along but to be brave enough to embrace the hard stuff. So, step up. Put your hand up for the project nobody else wants. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re looking back, not at a career of easy wins, but at a life of meaningful challenges met head-on.
After all, who wants to remember just the smooth rides? The real stories, the real growth—that all comes from the bumps we brave early on.
Taking on tough projects is like getting into the deep end when you’re still learning to swim. It’s terrifying at first, but it’s also where you learn to truly move—beyond just staying afloat, to thriving and discovering your potential.
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