5 Things No One Tells You About Leading A Team In Your 20s, According To Dani Barretto And Cosmo PH Executive Editor Ida Aldana

There's a lot of pressure to have your life—and especially your career—figured out in your 20s. Social media can make it feel like everyone else is landing their dream job, getting promoted, or moving abroad while you're still trying to figure out your next move.

But your 20s aren't a deadline. Cosmopolitan Philippines Executive Editor Ida Aldana has had her own share of figuring things out, including stepping into leadership while navigating her career. Dani Barretto, who has also built her own career in business and media, knows a thing or two about finding your footing as you go.

On the Bare It All podcast, Ida sat down with Dani Barretto for an episode titled "The Reality of Being a Young Boss," where they talked about growing into your career, leading a team, making tough choices, and finding your footing without having all the answers.

Leading a team in your 20s can make it easy to feel like you have to have everything figured out. But taking on more responsibility doesn't mean you have to rush through the rest of your life. There will still be things you want to try, mistakes you'll make, and parts of yourself you're still figuring out.

For Ida, that's what it means to actually live your 20s instead of constantly worrying about what's next. "Live life now and then you can share your story later," she said.

One thing Ida credits for helping her through life's biggest transitions is the people who got her back. "Surround yourself with the right people. I think that's what helped me the most. A support system." Whether it was her family, closest friends, or mentors, having people she could lean on made a difference when she was navigating unfamiliar territory.

She recalled moving to New York and having to make tough decisions about her future, including choosing career opportunities that came with personal sacrifices—a.k.a. love. "I felt like I was in a cliché Filipino movie. But no matter where I was in the world, I always had my best girl friends with me."

You feed off the energy of the people around you, so surround yourself with people who push you forward, challenge you, and remind you what you're capable of. When you're leading others, having that kind of energy in your own corner matters, too.

You don't need to have all the answers to be a good leader. Sometimes, the better move is knowing when to learn from someone else.

"Before kasi you have to prove na 'Leader ako, kailangan alam ko 'to lahat.' But now, yung generation natin kailangan yung mindset na, 'No, I know what I don't know.'"

Sometimes that can be as simple as saying, "I don't know—let me look that up," or "Let me get back to you." Being comfortable admitting what you don't know also makes room for different perspectives and experiences.

This resonated with Dani, too. She shared that she entered the business world without a formal background in it. "I didn't get to finish school. So when I entered the business space, I was going in blind," she recalled. But it didn't discourage her. She trusted her instincts and learned from the people around her. "I never stopped learning because then I kept hiring people who [could] also teach me the ways."

Leading a team also means accepting that the way you work will change as you grow. What worked for you before might not always be the best approach for where you are now—or for the people you're leading.

Dani pointed out that the way we work is constantly changing, from new technologies and social platforms to new generations entering the workforce. The key is being willing to keep up, listen, and rethink what you thought you already knew.

Ida has learned the same in leading a team, especially when it comes to knowing which lessons to carry forward and which ones to let go. Just because something was considered "normal" at work before doesn't mean it still has a place today. "It's also just unlearning and relearning ano ba dapat yung tamang gitna," she shared.

Some career lessons only make sense in hindsight. Ida moved to New York alone during the pandemic to pursue her master's degree, and later, while leading Cosmo, experienced the loss of her dad. At the time, neither came with a clear idea of what would happen next.

Looking back, though, she can see how those experiences shaped where she is today. "It felt like everything aligned. I lived my life to share it with the Cosmo Girls," she said. "Looking back, parang, 'Oh my God, kaya ko pala yun.'"

Sometimes, you won't understand why you're going through something until you're already on the other side of it. Translation: the only way out is through! Sometimes, you just have to keep going and trust that things will make sense later.

Dani echoed that idea, reminding listeners that there's no one-size-fits-all version of success. "Iba-iba tayo ng personality. Iba-iba tayo ng character," she said. Instead of trying to fit someone else's mold, own who you are and don't be afraid to do things your own way.

At the end of the day, taking on more responsibility in your 20s doesn't mean you have to have everything figured out. Take the opportunities that excite you, learn from the ones that don't work out, and give yourself permission to change your mind. Things take shape along the way, at your own pace, in your own way.