Six Lessons Learned Over 16 Years in the Corporate World

We gain years through learning from others

When I look back through my shoulder, I see a guy who thought this world was vastly different from what he had lived so far. The corporate world, as I realized, is an extension of the life lived in the school. With the money thrown in, the difference begins to accumulate.

Money and power make things serious.

The lessons I learned here helped me develop a holistic approach to situations. When you can do that, you drop the mask. The person who steps out of the home and the one who enters the office building are the same people.

1. Honesty demands common sense

This incident happened when I was in the 5th standard. My classmate, who was good at art, made a caricature of the new teacher on the blackboard. He was met with a suspecting silence when he asked, “Who did this?”.

He tried to cajole a couple of us to extract the truth. Then he said, “This is an exceptional piece of work.” I admire the talent of this chap. He can collect his reward as and when he wishes to”.

My friend stood up gleefully to take the credit. The tension evaporated. The teacher called him to the front of the class. Even before he finished his gait, he was slapped, “thud,” on the back. Then more, and more. His dark-complexioned face had the finger marks red.

That day, we saw the death of innocence. Our first real lesson on honesty came the hard way. I learned my first corporate lesson several years before I stepped in.

I have seen the non-physical assault of the dead honest ones in the office. If you are the one whose armour has no chinks, then it’s a different story. It is necessary to weigh the situation and speak accordingly.

People call for honesty. They promise fair treatment, but very few have the character to digest honesty.

2. It’s all about money

I was one of the top sales managers. My level 2 manager rang me up to inform me that I had been chosen by the top management to be moved to another territory that was struggling badly.

He confided in me about the goodwill I command and that my abilities can transform the territory. I was flattered by the unqualified praise.

Naivety.

I didn’t negotiate a promotion, a salary increment, or anything. The assignment was downright torture. I let it come for no measurable gain.

Later, I understood that it was my immediate manager who did me in. He recommended his boss make the change. He wanted me to be cut to size.

A pat on the back and the accompanying appreciation are good to have, but without the associated monetary benefit, it means nothing. Be careful of the entrapment of good gestures and words. The first measure of your worth is your salary, and the second is your profile.

3. The holy grail for people managers

If you want to make serious money, you need to be managing a lot of people.

Identify the core values of each of your team members and never challenge them. Or else he will hate you for the rest of his life.

I made this mistake a few times. But once, it floored me completely. This guy, a level-1 sales manager, had a good knack for sales. He was terrible with numbers, had no presence in e-mail, and was awful with protocols. He was a good motivator for the team and was hands-on with distributors.

I pulled him a lot for the poor ethos and lack of adherence to processes. I went overboard in punching his core strength of the “talk-based” approach.

He openly revolted against me, went to my manager and started scheming against me with other team members. I unwittingly invited unnecessary cargo.

Every person draws their self-esteem from their perceived strengths. Play down these traits at your peril. You may tinker with the weaknesses, but the game is to be played around the strengths.

4. Your network serves as your long-distance projectile

There is a commonality between the marriage market and the job market; only the residuals come up for grabs. The cream gets allotted to the ones who curry the favour.

The best jobs seldom come through consultants. The selection happens in the backroom. People work with and move with others; the power of community is evident in key hirings. The strength of top business schools is their Alumni. Connecting with important people is everything.

Spending casual time with seniors after office hours is a precious skill. If five employees have similar performances, then the one who makes their boss most comfortable with their presence will get the call.

I have had as many bosses as the years I spent working. Each time, whether internal posting or external placement, it was my ex-boss who handpicked me for growth.

Your boss is the most important customer. It’s your job to sell yourself to him before you do to anyone else.

And this is not sycophancy. The ones who are proud of “I call a spade a spade” and “I don’t care what he thinks about me, he is a jerk” are the ones who either sulk at the same desk for years or walk out in ignominy.

And remember, if you lack performance or skill, he won’t let you cosy up to him. ever.

It’s about your hard skills as well as your interpersonal skills. The question is whether you should load him or shed his load.

5. The most valuable skill to have

The demand for a new set of skills has proven to be the most difficult barrier I’ve seen in people’s ability to advance to higher-level positions. People fear challenging the status quo.

The single biggest help that I got in successfully transitioning my career from sales to the strategy was to google the problem and implement the solution.

Whether it’s making a kick-ass presentation, learning Excel formulae, or making the best-in-class document, the solution is finger-taps away. Gradually, you build up skills.

One of my peers mastered this art; he became the “to-go” man for the function head.

The ability to learn new skills step by step speaks volumes about a person’s character traits such as determinism, adaptability, ambition, method, and enterprise. These are rare and highly sought-after traits.

6. Be careful what you wish for

I see people around me who live for work. For them, their designation, paycheck, and appraisals define the meaning of life.

The top executive role looks alluring, but it comes with a cost. Often, it drives you towards singularity.

Ascending to senior management roles is a very ego-driven process. People who care about power, money, and status are more likely to succeed. They are willing to put in extra time and effort to accomplish things that many of us would not.

If you are a person who wants to invest in creative pursuits, then a fair evaluation of your true desires is a must. Don’t only see the power and money at the top level, but also the work your lungs need to do to stay at the top.

Recap

1. Speak as per the need of the situation, not as per your need. Situational awareness supersedes the right intentions.
2. Analyse new opportunities with the lens of money. If it brings more money, power and autonomy, it’s likely to be good. See the intentions of pretentious talk and duck smartly.
3. Never hit the core image of the person in order to make him improve. He will ponce back on you.
4. Your office network can get you the finest job offers.
5. The ability to learn new skills is your most powerful enabler.
6. Personal space shrinks drastically in senior management roles. Factor the whole package of life that comes with executive positions.

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