One Piece of Advice Series – Sukhala Vashi, Product Business Analyst & Practice Lead

Are you comfortable in your current role? If so, might you be ready for your next growth opportunity?

When we sat down with Sukhala Vashi, Product Business Analyst – Practice Lead, for our “One Piece of Advice” series, we asked her about the most unconventional or surprising insight that completely changed her career for the better.

Early on, Sukhala’s natural instinct was to look for professional stability, seeking out roles where she already felt completely confident and experienced. However a mentor shared a counterintuitive truth that flipped her entire perspective on career progression:

“If your next role doesn’t make you a little uncomfortable, you’re probably not growing.”

Embracing this advice changed everything. By reframing uncertainty as a green light for development rather than a red flag, Sukhala unlocked three massive growth chapters in her career:

1. Pivoting Across Disciplines

Sukhala’s first major test of this mindset came when she stepped away from the familiar world of mainframe development to transition into business analysis and project management. It was a career shift that took her outside her familiar routine, prompting her to build an entirely new professional toolkit.

2. Navigating Global and Cultural Shifts

Growth didn’t stop at a role change. Sukhala later embraced the opportunity to move countries and work in a completely new environment. Stepping into the unfamiliar meant rapidly adapting to entirely different team dynamics, workplace cultures and new ways of working, a significant step that greatly expanded her perspective.

3. Stepping into Leadership

Most recently, Sukhala accepted the challenge to become a Product Business Analyst Practice Lead. Even though she hadn’t held a similar formal leadership position before, she recognised the familiar feeling of uncertainty. Instead of backing away, she stepped into the role knowing it was the exact catalyst she needed to scale her impact.

It is incredibly easy to mistake the discomfort of a new challenge for a sign that you’re making the wrong decision. But looking back at Sukhala’s journey, the lesson is clear: discomfort is simply the feeling of your comfort zone expanding.

If these insights have made you curious to learn more about the people who make NextGen special, you can:

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