Breaking the Mold: Unconventional Wisdom for the Modern Graduate
Three Game-Changing Rules for Thriving in Today's Workplace
Recently, one of my favorite humans, Thomas (my nephew), graduated from University with all the honors and awards. We're all very proud and excited for him. Like all his peers, he's entering the world of work and is already overwhelmed by the hard reset of his expectations.
Probably the most brutal shift in expectation for him and his fellow graduates is the answer to the seemingly simple question, "What do I need to do to get an A in the future?" The day before graduation, they had an answer and an expert to tell them. Today, they do not.
Every graduate eventually learns (often painfully) that you have to figure out what an "A" is for yourself.
An A-Student himself, Thomas realized pretty quickly that the rules of the “work-life” aren’t quite as simple. And while he's always beaten to his own drum (we are related - you shouldn’t be surprised), he's learning many life rules that might need re-thinking. So he reached out to his Auntie Jo Jo to chat.
We've been having fun. And because Thomas has a generous helping of ambitions for a champagne-and-caviar-driven future, he's also very gracious and kind. So he suggested I share. "Because Jo Jo, not everyone gets to chat with you."
So, thanks to Thomas, here are the 3 ideas I shared with him that might help you navigate your future, even if you're not graduating.
Old Rule: "It's not what you know; it's who you know."
New Rule: "Every decision made about your future is made in a room you're not in."
While the first rule is still valid, you need people to know who you are; it misses the critical point. Knowing many people might be great for your follower count and your ego, but if they're all saying, "Thomas is a brilliant frog researcher." and you don't want to BE a frog researcher, then you have a problem. You want your "Who you know" to be telling the people in the rooms you're not in your tale of potential. You want the person you know saying something like, "Thomas, so bright and eager. He has the mind of a scientist and the personality of a community builder. It's a unique combination - humanist and scientist. I have a hunch he’d be great in the fundraising space. You should meet him."
Old Rule: "Do these things, and you will get an A." Or the corporate version: "Your value is what you've done."
New Rule: "Your value is the perception of what you're going to do."
The people who want to hire/collaborate with you are creating a story in your head about what you're doing to do in the future. Literally creating a sentence in their head about who you will be in the future. That sentence determines if they will move forward with you or not. And that sentence is influenced by the following:
What you share with them about what you've done.
Their experience with ideas like yours / people like you.
Their perception of their power.
That last one is a doozy and a conversation for another day. But Thomas, if you only share your past, you're letting other people make up a story about you that might or might not be accurate. Share what you've done and HOW that might be useful in the future for THEM. Start to seed the language of your tale of potential so they don't make it up.
Old Rule: "Follow the rules and level up."
New Rule: "Be clever in the things other people need someone to be clever in."
If you were your Aunty Lucy, I wouldn't be sharing this rule. Aunty Lucy thrives and is spectacular in a workplace with clear and logical rules. Why? Because Aunty Lucy is brilliant at helping others navigate environments with complex regulations. You are more like me; I've watched you try to "figure out a better way, so we have more time for fun" or the “Can’t we create the fun way of doing this?” since you were a little kid. Your determination to re-imagine and re-design is impressive, even while balancing it with your mind of a scientist. Does working in an environment where there's only a "right way" of doing a thing sound awful? I got you. Find the places that want to collaborate with you BECAUSE you like to re-think the rules. Sadly, you can't just ask for these great gigs. People have to trust you before they’ll give them to you. So, the fast path to getting rule-rethinking jobs is to be clever in the parts of business where either other people don't want to be clever or don't know how. I got to do this in my 20s as someone who worked in the early phases of Web 1.0. Did I know how to code, or had I gone to school in computer science? Not at all. Did I jump in and figure things out so I could be helpful to all the other people who were more powerful than me who "didn't know how to code and hadn't got a CS degree?" Yes. I can't tell you the number of doors it opened. Re-read "Your value is the perception of what you're going to do." Like the 1990s, we're on another precipice of technological innovation. And like in the 1990s, it didn't matter how powerful someone was; everyone made it up as they went along.
Become the "I'll take a stab at that-guy." Then, before you know it, you'll become known as the "Figure it out-guy." That's how that tale of potential thing works.
I have a bunch more, including "The weirder the job, the better stories you'll have to tell." and "Don't let other people's ambitions FOR you distract you." and "Sometimes working for a tyrannical boss is just what you need." and one of my favorites "A resume is about as useful as a nutrition label on a can of beans." And don’t get me started on how insane I think it is that the whole job interview process is built off a Word document. Really? Take a peek at the sales page for an Apple Pencil. It’s glorious. You are WAY MORE MAGICAL than an Apple Pencil, even if it is pretty great. Resumes - worst marketing tool ever. Job descriptions - even worse.
Ah, Thomas, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that you want to hang out with my untraditional mind. So I'll end with this and your clever and kind mind.
Here’s the big secret no one has told you. You’ll figure it out yourself. But here it is.
The only rules worth following are the ones you create for yourself. And when that happens, you can give yourself that coveted A. Except I have a hunch, by that point, you'll have figured out that A's aren't what it's all about.
Here's to the Future You, Thomas; I look forward to hanging out with him, too.
PS. I’d be a terrible Aunt if I didn’t let any reader know that Thomas is looking for a job. When we talked about what I should say about him, this is where we landed.
Meet Thomas Bates,
With a robust scientific research and project management background, Thomas brings a unique perspective to interdisciplinary challenges. His experience spans investigating the effects of single-species management on ecosystems, analyzing human impact on biodiversity, and fostering community resilience. Proficient in ArcGIS, R, and Microsoft Excel, he excels at data-driven decision-making. His professional roles have also honed his skills in community building, sales, mental health advocacy, and leadership. He’s passionate about applying his expertise to innovative projects that promote sustainability and social well-being.
What kind of organization is Thomas hoping to work with? He hopes these are the values you share with him.
Dynamic Environment: I thrive in environments offering diverse experiences and opportunities to explore natural wonders and new ideas, leveraging my scientific expertise and my passion for community engagement.
Collaborative Culture: A workplace that values teamwork and open communication aligns with my strengths in fostering community and motivating team members, ensuring that scientific and public-facing goals are met.
Mission-Driven: Organizations focused on conservation and public engagement would benefit from my dedication to preserving natural resources and my proven ability to connect with and inspire the public to support environmental initiatives.
You can find his LinkedIn profile here if you want to learn more and connect with Thomas.