The Corporate Ferris Wheel

The world is a gigantic Ferris wheel. You heard that before? Here’s what I mean, if you’re on top of the world and decide to throw a paper ball (to use a subtle example) at the person diametrically below you remember that when the wheel turns the person you threw the ball at can return your gesture (but they might prefer an object different from your paper ball).

Next time you think about your career remember the “Gigantic Corporate Ferris Wheel.”

It’s not about being friends with everyone or “sucking up” to ensure that everyone “loves” you—for one thing you will never reach this level of consensus.

The thing is that your actions, accomplishments, and deeds have the “Gigantic Corporate Ferris Wheel” effect and you shouldn’t ignore them. You might think that the world is huge and that nobody will remember what you did when changing jobs or industry.

But this is an illusion! More than globalized, the business world today is connected and allows for fast checking very easily. I usually receive resumes that don’t match the information included in the professional’s LinkedIn account, or Facebook or even a quick search on Google (have you already searched your name on Google?). It’s not difficult to find out who your co-workers, assistants, or bosses were at a certain point in your career. And it’s also easy to find out that those professionals are in your contact network, in a platform such as LinkedIn. And sometimes we even know them, which makes it easier to check references.

So here are some tips in order to make the best of your ride in the “Gigantic Corporate Ferris Wheel,”

1)    NEVER LIE. Not in your resume, interview, size or authorship of projects you managed or participated. It may work in the short term. ONLY in the short term;
2)    When resigning from a job, always value the “don’t burn your bridges” adage. Finish your last projects at the company and don’t just cross your arms and “coast”!!
3)    Value your word and commitment. For instance, accepting a job offer which involved a lot of work and time from a company’s top management and then changing your mind might have serious consequences for you;
4)    Harming other professionals in order to get advantages in the short term leaves a mark in the career of those professionals and might have repercussions for you in future;
5)    This may sound funny, but don’t “create” characters to increase or aggrandize your experience or professional accomplishments.

As Profeta Gentileza[1] used to say, “Kindness Generates Kindness.” Believe me, this works for everything in life. Even your career.

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[1] Translator’s Note: José Datrino, better known as Profeta Gentileza, “Profet Kindness,” was a sort of preacher in the Rio de Janeiro urban landscape who became famous in the 80’s for inscribing his peculiar writings on the columns that supported an overpass in the city. He would walk around wearing a long white gown and long beard. His preaching and writings were about love, kindness, and respect for humans and nature. He has been immortalized in songs, such as this one by Marisa Monte, Gentileza, with English subtitles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Tfbw6818Ls)

 

BOSSES: MYTHS AND REALITIES

This week I’ve asked my Twitter followers to help me write this post about bosses. By the way, thank you to all of you who participated! What you’ll find below are some reflections about everything we discussed online together. Myths and realities about this much-talked-about character: THE BOSS.

1) Most of the time your boss sees everything you see (right and wrong things), but since their understanding of the issues tends to be broader their actions are different from yours. Here’s an analogy to make it clearer. When we’re teenagers we have ideas with which we think we can move mountains. When we grow up we realize those ideas were silly. Why? Because when we grow up we are able to perceive the consequence of our actions in the mid and long term more broadly, something we couldn’t do as teenagers. It’s the same thing with your boss. Believe me!

2) Being a boss generally includes working harder and being responsible for EVERYTHING that goes right or wrong. That’s why they mobilize people toward reaching a goal. And mobilizing is NOT easy at all. If you become a boss and don’t know how to mobilize people; you can give orders but if the result doesn’t come you’ll probably think, “Why have I become a boss?”

3) Being a boss means making more money. But it’s also about doing more (not necessarily more hours, but doing more for sure). Being a boss is making more money but it’s also about paying a higher price. If you’re not sure what I mean, check this post.

4) If you have children, maybe you recognize the feeling that children don’t come with instruction manual and that sometimes you don’t know how to make the right decision. Being a boss is similar. People who report to you don’t come with instruction manuals and—contrary to your children—generally have no family ties to you—which not always makes things easier.

5) If you want to open your own business so that you get rid of the boss, beware. At the end of each month you’ll have a payroll to take care of, taxes, suppliers to negotiate, clients to please, and none of them have any employee relationship with you. They resemble more like bosses. You can expect them to hold you accountable.

What matters is that ALL OF US HAVE BOSSES. The figure of the boss may take the form of your clients or even the government to which business people owe taxes and several types of responses.

The absence of someone to respond to doesn’t exist. And the bigger your “power” as a boss, the more complex your decisions and the more people you owe answers to regarding your attitudes.

One of the most powerful men in the world is US president Barack Obama. Do you really believe he can do anything he wants without consulting anyone?

Maybe he’s the guy with the largest number of “bosses,” to whom he needs to render accounts of EVERYTHING he does and says.

So, do you still want to be a boss?

GOOD LUCK!