When I joined my current company as a Senior Business Analyst, my KRA was clear — assist the Functional Lead and support him in delivery. This was my very first project here. And like in most new companies, people don’t trust you on day one. Trust is something you earn slowly through your work, not something that comes with a designation.
Even though I had already led discovery workshops single-handedly in my previous companies, nobody here believed that I could manage it. I was seen only as someone who would assist, not lead.
We had a prep call scheduled with the Solution Architect, Delivery Director, Tech Lead and Functional Lead. The idea was to get aligned before the client session. But the timing was bad — our US Functional Lead had resigned, and in the US notice period is just 3 days.
On the day of the call, we were waiting for the Functional lead to have a dry run.
But he never joined. He was active on Messenger, but completely absent from the actual meeting. The Delivery Director, shocked, exclaimed twice — “Oh my god… oh my god!” The silence after that was something I can still remember clearly.
For me, it was an awkward but important moment. Here I was, new in the company, nobody had trust in me yet, and the one I was supposed to support was missing. But that situation reminded me of one thing: titles don’t matter, what matters is whether you step up when needed.
You gotta do what you gotta do.!
I went into the call calmly, explained and introduced myself even though the deck still had my Functional Lead’s name (there was no time to change it). I led the call calmly, took the takeaways with patience, and made sure my very first session was productive. I was a little skeptical because people were doubting my skills — but I delivered it with ease.
It was not about proving to others, it was about proving to myself. I didn’t “deliver it with ease” just like that — I held my calm, trusted my experience, and let my work speak for me.
That day reminded me — trust is not gifted. “அதிகாரம் பதவியால் வராது, நம்பிக்கையால் தான் வரும்.” (Authority doesn’t come with title, it comes with trust.)
And that is why I believe…
When trust isn’t given, you earn it.
Lessons Learned✅️✅️
1. Be ready always – situations change in seconds, and you may need to step up anytime.🕐
2. It’s okay if people don’t trust you in the beginning – when you are new, this is natural.👀
3. Trust yourself first – believe in your own skills rather than doubting yourself.😶🌫️
4. People change, processes change – but your skills remain – focus on sharpening them.💯
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