WORK IT:
A simple guide to getting ahead in a complex world
What advice did you never get?
From how to make a warm introduction to negotiating new ideas, I learned some very basic lessons the hard way along my career path. I'm writing a book series called Work It: a simple guide to getting ahead in a complex world for all the young people out there who aspire to do big things in their career but haven't yet connected with life-changing bosses and mentors.
VOLUME 1
your Work Life is a cumulative project
I showed up to my first day of work at My First Real Job wearing a turtleneck sweater I'd bought at a thrift store the day before, and missing an earring. It wasn't until halfway through my intake session with HR that I reached up and realized the earring was missing. When I remarked to the HR manager that it must have fallen out somewhere in the lobby, she said, "Oh honey, I just assumed it was some trend you were following."
When you're just starting out, no one is checking to make sure you dressed yourself properly. You know what? No one is double-checking your work for you, either. Work skills are a world away from what got you through college. You're not able to coast through the semester and squeak through finals. Your Work Life is a cumulative project.
VOLUME 2
managing people, or,
fumbling in the dark
When I was assigned my first direct report, I went to my local Barnes & Noble and bought Managing for Dummies. The opening few pages use an analogy about driving to San Francisco and how it's ok to "take different routes." Everything I'd believed about my 'route' being better suddenly melted away.
I was so ashamed of the bright yellow cover that I wrapped the book in a brown paper grocery bag, junior high style, and snuck it into my office. On any given day, you could find me hunched over it, flipping to pages about how to enforce deadlines or confront tardiness.
Just like this guide, one book wasn't the silver bullet. I never asked my boss for advice. Even though it was my first time managing people, I was afraid of looking weak or incompetent in front of her.
Looking back on that time, I'm astounded that I wasn't a worse supervisor. I was fumbling in the dark.
VOLUME 3
you're a big wig.
now what?
In my first month of business school, my program held an etiquette dinner. The night stands out for me for two reasons: 1) I got my bangs trimmed beforehand at my local neighborhood barbershop and I showed up to the dinner looking like a Fraggle, and 2) the cool kids in our class spent the evening asking an escalating series of questions about how much to tip on a bill that includes a $100 bottle of wine. What about a $200 bottle? A $300 bottle?
While the major lesson could have been, "don't be an a--hole," what I actually realized was that there was another echelon of behavior that existed beyond casual lunches and happy hours, and entered the realm of Grown Up Stuff.
As I moved from managing people to leading teams, the list of Grown Up Stuff only grew. Over and over I found myself asking, "so, now what?"