The squeaky wheel gets the grease is a maxim of life and it goes against everything I am.
In corporate America I discovered that what I thought of as whiny and insecure translated into team player (read subservient) and interested in improving the workplace. When you choose the position of observer, it's hard for your superiors to get a read on you I was told. I was of the mindset that hiring someone was set upon their immense qualifications and that needless and incessant micromanaging could be counterproductive. Boy was I wrong.
In one position I held, although your productivity was all over the place (in that everyday you visibly interacted with several others and produced something tangible and available for scrutiny) there were still all these hoops to jump through and busy work--reports to do about these tangible products! The thing that ripped me up inside was that this material was barely analyzed or examined! They just needed you to do it. It was exhausting and exasperating being controlled by a machine that couldn't even take the time to interpret your data.
I have no idea why I am either so wrong about this or just completely not cut for corporate America. When I had a question (rarely) it was met with such enthusiasm that it made me question the genuineness of the person answering. Really? You really think that's an "amazing" question? When I had no questions it was seen as suspect; as if I could not possibly know all I needed to know to be able to perform my duties at a suitable and perhaps even higher standard than the others (who routinely asked questions, no matter how inane).
I get that participation indicates a certain level of interest, but soliciting help when it's not needed is as phony as a three dollar bill. Soliciting help when you don't need it just to make your superiors aware of what you're thinking at all times is just silly to me. Why is corporate America of the mindset that if you aren't licking boots then you must be plotting the demise of the company or even more paranoid, that you don't like them personally?
Some people may be surprised to know but essentially I'm an observant person. I've always been comfortable looking from a distance. I'd rather say nothing than the wrong thing. Part of this is true shyness, another part is fear of sticking my foot in it or even worse--not sticking my foot in it and being misunderstood anyway. Furthermore I have lightening fast thoughts and translating my own thoughts into comprehensible statements is often more than I can do. Please accept my smile or nod as currency in the same way as, "That's awesome," or "Great going,": It really is just as valuable. Can you conceive this with me? That a person can be with you and present in the moment without practicing some lame communication technique that says, "Reiterate what you just heard."
As to shyness, it's something that definitely requires a bit of moderation. It's an area that must be finessed because most of us have an internal voice that keeps us silent when we should be speaking. Some of us even have a switch that keeps us speaking when we should be quiet (you know who you are). Being fabulous one moment then crossing the line is a place I've found myself in before so take it from my experience; it's not an easy area to navigate. The only thing I can add is, in the end you are who you are, so love yourself even when you make mistakes--but DO MAKE THOSE MISTAKES. You learn things and it tells you you're alive.
I just want to say to corporate America that the days of Mad Men have passed. The corporate think tank has been drained dry and what you have now is a bunch of yes men and women. Productivity is down along with morale and that is why people have turned to small businesses, boutiques, creative types and more "real" and thoughtful entities to have their needs and services met. No matter how you dress it up, you can't look down for the cause if you aren't down for the cause and trying to do so is desperate and disingenuous.
Even if you want to have the best of both worlds, a bit of all worlds or all of one world, you better be authentic. Greased or ungreased doesn't matter; in the real world, you only squeak when necessary and that's sincere and always sexy.
PS - I love this guy's illustrations about corporate America.
In corporate America I discovered that what I thought of as whiny and insecure translated into team player (read subservient) and interested in improving the workplace. When you choose the position of observer, it's hard for your superiors to get a read on you I was told. I was of the mindset that hiring someone was set upon their immense qualifications and that needless and incessant micromanaging could be counterproductive. Boy was I wrong.
In one position I held, although your productivity was all over the place (in that everyday you visibly interacted with several others and produced something tangible and available for scrutiny) there were still all these hoops to jump through and busy work--reports to do about these tangible products! The thing that ripped me up inside was that this material was barely analyzed or examined! They just needed you to do it. It was exhausting and exasperating being controlled by a machine that couldn't even take the time to interpret your data.
I have no idea why I am either so wrong about this or just completely not cut for corporate America. When I had a question (rarely) it was met with such enthusiasm that it made me question the genuineness of the person answering. Really? You really think that's an "amazing" question? When I had no questions it was seen as suspect; as if I could not possibly know all I needed to know to be able to perform my duties at a suitable and perhaps even higher standard than the others (who routinely asked questions, no matter how inane).
I get that participation indicates a certain level of interest, but soliciting help when it's not needed is as phony as a three dollar bill. Soliciting help when you don't need it just to make your superiors aware of what you're thinking at all times is just silly to me. Why is corporate America of the mindset that if you aren't licking boots then you must be plotting the demise of the company or even more paranoid, that you don't like them personally?
Some people may be surprised to know but essentially I'm an observant person. I've always been comfortable looking from a distance. I'd rather say nothing than the wrong thing. Part of this is true shyness, another part is fear of sticking my foot in it or even worse--not sticking my foot in it and being misunderstood anyway. Furthermore I have lightening fast thoughts and translating my own thoughts into comprehensible statements is often more than I can do. Please accept my smile or nod as currency in the same way as, "That's awesome," or "Great going,": It really is just as valuable. Can you conceive this with me? That a person can be with you and present in the moment without practicing some lame communication technique that says, "Reiterate what you just heard."
As to shyness, it's something that definitely requires a bit of moderation. It's an area that must be finessed because most of us have an internal voice that keeps us silent when we should be speaking. Some of us even have a switch that keeps us speaking when we should be quiet (you know who you are). Being fabulous one moment then crossing the line is a place I've found myself in before so take it from my experience; it's not an easy area to navigate. The only thing I can add is, in the end you are who you are, so love yourself even when you make mistakes--but DO MAKE THOSE MISTAKES. You learn things and it tells you you're alive.
I just want to say to corporate America that the days of Mad Men have passed. The corporate think tank has been drained dry and what you have now is a bunch of yes men and women. Productivity is down along with morale and that is why people have turned to small businesses, boutiques, creative types and more "real" and thoughtful entities to have their needs and services met. No matter how you dress it up, you can't look down for the cause if you aren't down for the cause and trying to do so is desperate and disingenuous.
Even if you want to have the best of both worlds, a bit of all worlds or all of one world, you better be authentic. Greased or ungreased doesn't matter; in the real world, you only squeak when necessary and that's sincere and always sexy.
PS - I love this guy's illustrations about corporate America.
No comments:
Post a Comment