Are you looking for a job? Maybe you are curious about getting a job or you are already in one and want to hear the truth about office politics. In this article, we will not be holding anything back and if you are among those faint hearted, I will suggest you do NOT read this article. If you are already in an office, you will bear witness to this and if you are looking forward to getting a job, then you will want to hear this before it becomes a shock to you.
You have always heard of a phrase that ‘the world is a monster and will swallow you if you are not careful’ but today I will phrase it to mean the corporate world is a monster. So who is the corporate world. Like when people refer to the church as the people in it, the corporate world is made of people in it. If you have met these people then you are lucky but if not, woe unto you. There are three types of people in the corporate world:
1. Real People: These are those who are concerned about people issues. They will always come to your help when you have a problem. They will genuinely care and show you love. If you have a problem at home, they will give you permission to go home and sort out your issues. They are concerned about ‘real people issues’
2. Corporate Wanna be’s: They think they are already bosses and if they aren’t they feel they are being groomed for leadership. They look down upon people in the same grades and behave as if they are of a higher calling. They think they know more than the rest of you and they impose their opinions on people. If a promotion by-passes them, they may commit suicide because they feel that they are always meant for them.
3. Don’t Cares: These are those people who easily jump from one job to another. They are quiet and seem to monitor what is going on from a distance. They will not easily be involved in decision making but will watch decisions being made and they will be in the implementation team. They care less about the goals of the company and will not be concerned if the targets are met. They are more concerned about their personal wealth and not the company’s profits.
So which category do you fall under? Just think about it but for the sake of your personal growth, I prefer category 3. If you are joining the corporate world, you will meet most wanna be’s who care more about the company than their families. They can do anything to get a promotion, to please the boss and to bootlick seniors.
Let me tell you from experience because I worked with a leading audit firm around six years ago and then moved into manufacturing. In audit firms for example, you will find all manner of sadists because they recruit people directly from university who believe that they are the brightest among the harvest but if you look at what they do, you can do better. They will use very big terms to scare cheap brains off and quote names of very big clients they serve to scare you off but these guys never make any money that you can call decent.
I later moved into the manufacturing world with the hope that things will be better but I was wrong. The corporate world seems the same, people are sadists and will do anything to step on you in order to move forward or up the ladder. So what are the basic solutions to avoid being stepped on or stepping on people:
1. Be your own man/ woman and believe in yourself.
2. Work hard to be an authority in your own field.
3. Care more about your personal goals but let them stay under or in tandem with your company goals.
4. Keep quite when you do not have anything to say.
5. Listen more, talk less.
6. Control your destiny rather than letting your destiny get controlled by your company.
7. Always think that there is another company that can employ you.
8. Do NOT be an island. Work as a team.
9. You are not the brightest. Accept ideas from others.
With the hope that you can be a good employee, you need to be what you want in your own way.
All the best from HCC
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