In 2019, I’d had enough. I walked away from my corporate life and all of its perks: the consistent paychecks, a clear path and the feelings of power. Today, my business suit sits in my closet collecting dust, like an artifact from a bygone era.
The only consistent thing in my career was that things were always changing. These seven hard lessons made me a better person.
They’ll help you even if you never set foot in an office building.
1. It’s not always about being great
There are 82 large casinos here in Florida. A few years back, our local casino turned in one million dollars in revenue a day. After costs, this translated to annual profits of fifty million dollars.
But the manager was still fired. Why? Because it doesn’t matter how great your performance appears to be. The only thing that matters is the expectation. That casino manager had much higher profit targets and he failed to meet them.
With any white-collar job, you get stability but give tremendous power to another individual. They’ll dictate your upward mobility. Ensure you know precisely what they want from you. Then deliver on it, and just a little bit more — because that is the key to success.
2. Don’t play with boomerangs
I was interviewing for a great position that paid well. I was with my third interviewer that day, Jeff. He was leaned back in his chair. He didn’t ask me many questions about my resume, which was fine. Lots of interviews go like this. You arrive to hear someone “practice talking” at you.
However, I was bothered by how he spoke about people. He spent half the interview telling me, “Yeah, we need to clean house. These people are dead weight. I’d fire half of them today if they were mine.”
I didn’t get a job offer. It was probably for the better.
Here is where things get interesting. I took a new job. Things were going well. A year goes by. I get a notification on LinkedIn. I go to my profile and see a familiar name. It was from Jeff. And can you guess what it said?
He was asking if I knew of any good opportunities. His company had cleaned the house, and he’d been part of that cleaning. It turns out he was one of those loose ends he’d been describing.
There are a hundred reasons to put on your best filter at the office. Karma is just one. Words are boomerangs.
3. You might catch feelings for coworkers
Sensational headlines and harassment suits rightfully draw attention to the danger of dating at the office.
It seems like such a scandalous thing. But go spend a few years in a big office and watch how often it happens. As many as half of US employees have engaged in-office romance at some point. One in five were already in a relationship when it happened.
Even while in a relationship, I experienced the tug of temptation. You are working in close confines with an attractive, driven, smart person. There’s often great chemistry. The grounds for attraction are strong. It wasn’t something I acted on — but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t moments of temptation. Getting a drink after work quickly escalates into something more. Beware.
4. Stay close to revenue sources
A very small percentage of employees get wealthy in the corporate world. You’ll need to deliver a huge premium for every dollar increase in pay.
The manager who makes $300,000 often generates 10-50x that for the company. Making money and cutting costs for a company forgives many sins.
Also, don’t expect to make big money without managing people. Barring a few small exceptions, you’ll need to hire, fire, and deal with subordinates to get your payday.
Remember, stay close to revenue. Support roles are often the first to go when things hit the fan.
5. You have a window of time
Ageism is unique in that it’s something we’ll all be guilty of, and subjected to at some point.
Fresh, early-20s grads come in, with the memory of a baby elephant, absorbing the constant changes and processes. You’ll feel your age as early as your 30s.
Most people that don’t achieve middle management by 45–50 will struggle to break through at all. Use your 30s to start setting up the direction you want to go.
It’s OK if you don’t want to go the management route. The world we live in offers many opportunities outside of the corner offices. Just know that aristocratic environments don’t smile on junior employees with grey hair.
6. Human Resources is there to protect the company — from you
A manager I supported could not have been a bigger HR nightmare. For example, I was sitting in a clear-glass meeting room with him and three other employees.
A female coworker walked by on the outside of the room. A coworker said, “Oh is Becca pregnant?”
This manager said, in a deep southern drawl, “If she was with me, she’d stay pregnant.”
On another occasion, I heard him say, “I hate the Japanese cuz’ they bombed Pearl Harbor. I hate the Jews cause they killed Jesus.”
Why was he still at the company? Per point #4 — he made the company buckets of cash. He epitomized the predicament of the high-performing jerk.
Most HR departments aren’t worth their weight and everything they do is bound in red tape. Ignore any talk of “we are family” — they’ll still show you the door. Ignore any employee awards. I saw a woman win employee of the quarter (for the entire company) and get let go two months later.
I’m not trying to scare you or sound cynical. Just be hyper-realistic as you go into this world and you’ll position yourself to thrive.
And choose wisely when making an HR complaint. People that do often end up with a cleaned-out desk.
7. Lastly, don’t blur your identity with your job
I worked with people who drew all of their self-worth from their performance reviews and paychecks. They were financial analysts and human beings on the side.
Ascending to an executive role is a very ego-driven thing. People who care about power, money, and status — tend to perform well. They are willing to sacrifice more time and do things many of us wouldn’t.
If money, status, and power aren’t your mojo, go find something else. That’s what I did and I haven’t missed it, not even for a minute.