Or put another way, being smart isn’t a prerequisite for success. Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed in the NY Times discusses how Jews, Asian-Americans, and blacks of Caribbean descent have succeeded through hard work and their high cultural value on education – interesting, debatable, but nothing too new there.
Rather than continue the discussion on whether certain minorities achieve more with less, and how education policy shapes the economy and opportunities for individuals, I’m more interested in what it takes to succeed once you’re in the workplace. Most people who’ve been through the educational system aren’t surprised to learn that success in education is about more than I.Q., but the realization that being the smartest person in the office doesn’t mean success in a company often comes as a shock to workers in their first job.
Okay, so you think your boss is dumb. But he or she was smart enough to get promoted at some stage, and if you want to get promoted, pay attention to what your boss did right. And start learning now how to be a good manager when you get that promotion - don’t wait until you find yourself in a position of responsibility just to realize that you don’t have a clue what you’re doing.
Future posts will discuss how to be a good manager. But this one focuses on getting ahead. If you’re relatively junior in a company, you don’t need to prove you’re smarter than the boss to get his/her job. You need to be useful to him/her, or better yet, useful to someone above him/her.
First off, network. Inside the company, outside the company, anywhere you can – get to know people. You’ll never know where a champion might come from. Second, talk more. I don’t care what you say –just say something, even if it is to ask questions about things you don’t understand. Research shows that those who are engaged are viewed as more competent. Finally be nice – it is human nature to want to work with people you get along with. Just as workers often think that a good boss = nice boss, bosses think that nice employees will make good managers.
Who is the worst boss you've had? What did you learn from him/her personally, or the experience more generally?
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The worst boss I’ve ever had was also probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever worked for. I never did figure out if she was just nice and incompetent or the devil. Either way, she was completely untrustworthy. Always promised things that she couldn’t deliver – to me, other employees, and clients. Lied outright about not saying things she had clearly told me - or was it that she was so dumb she didn’t remember?
ReplyDeleteSo what did I learn from the situation? Because she wasn’t able to keep track of the details of what was going on, I really had to be on top of things. I learned the importance of keeping a great paper trail – both with the client, but also about our conversations. I sent summary emails of phone conversations and asked her to confirm whether I had the story straight. Not that it always helped – but it didn’t hurt, and at least I didn’t doubt myself when she insisted she had never said things! So it helped my sanity, at the very least…
My worst boss, or as I like to call him, the devil incarnate, was one of the most evil people I've had the displeasure of encountering. He believed in "sink or swim" development, was a horrible communicator, and incredibly inconsiderate. He was also a yeller. Not cool. The worst thing he did? He told me to come in on Christmas day so we could work on something. When I showed up on Christmas, I was greeted not by him but by his missive. On a post-it note. Needless to say, I was not a fan.
ReplyDeleteWhat did I learn? I learned the importance of asking your boss lots of questions and ingratiating yourself just a bit. I'd been taught that figuring things out on your own and working hard is the way to go. That works well in school but not so well in the workplace. Connections matter.
Oh and I also learned to cut my losses. That boss was a jerk. And I'm I glad I left when I did.
My worst boss ever was definitely very smart, and definitely had good intentions, but I think she was just inherently not a "people person." She once said to me, "I'm not here to be a cheerleader for you," and I wanted to say back "well, you kind of are..." I mean, she wasn't supposed to cheer me on if I was going in the wrong direction, but some positive feedback and energy would have been nice once in a while! During my two years at that job, I cried at work TWICE!
ReplyDeleteSo what did I learn from her? Nothing I didn't already know! Be f-ing nice! Think how the other person feels. Sure, you're a manager, not a cheerleader, but you SHOULD give positive comments once in a while!