More or less every piece of workplace advice you have been given is either wrong or suited to more predictable economic times. Workplace advice is really human behavioural advice: how to regulate your own and how to shape that of others. Given that early twenty-first century workplaces run the full gamut from Alaskan crab fishing fleets to the International Space Station, there are a surprisingly high number of universal approaches worth incorporating into your mind war. Here are some personal observations from reasonably successful campaigns across multiple industries in five separate countries (so far).
Personal finances. You are sunk before you begin without a working knowledge of your own finances and tax laws. I know it is boring. Too bad.
Project management. Everything is a project. Your whole incarnation is a project. There is an abundance of free project management resources and training available on the Internet. Consider investing in certification as it only costs a few hundred dollars. There isn’t a workplace on earth that could not benefit from a better understanding of project management among its employees.
Opportunity cost. Learn what it is and always be calculating it.
Especially in the occult world, there are too many micro-businesses that allegedly break even but consume huge amounts of time and energy that could be better allocated elsewhere … thus freeing up more time for the hobbies people are so desperate to turn into businesses so they can spend more time on them.
Actively seek problems to solve. Complete or solve problems either in your workplace or for real-world groups if your current job status does not allow for independent problem solving (though I would struggle to find examples of such workplaces even in low skill industries). Do not show up and expect to be told what to do—that is what robots are for.
Job titles are a trap. Experience is more important. Engineering your résumé to reflect a progression of job titles you think are in demand is a hugely risky strategy, as the job you are aiming for may not exist in two years’ time. Focus instead on what you want to accomplish. “Launching an m-commerce store in Brazil” is vastly more impressive than “Mobile Product Manager: LatAm.” In every role, ask yourself, “What problem am I solving?”
If your job does not offer scope for additional responsibilities, volunteer at a church or food bank. The days of juniors being
“groomed” for senior positions are long over. It is questionable whether they existed at all beyond the limited sphere of nepotism in family-owned businesses. No one is going to spend more time thinking about or caring for your career than you. No one.
Be healthy. This means more than “do not be fat,” but it also means that too. People who are overweight are paid less than those who aren’t. I dislike this as much as the next guy who has struggled with his weight his whole life, but the numbers do not lie. As for a wider definition of health, the evidence that regular physical activity improves mental and emotional performance is overwhelming. Spending time at the gym is the same thing as putting in extra hours at the office. Additionally, Americans make up only 5 percent of the planet’s population but consume more than half of all pharmaceuticals. This rises to 80 percent when it comes to prescription painkillers. Be healthy so you do not need to be stoned at work. That alone will leapfrog you over most of the competition.
Learn to compartmentalise. The reason business is called business rather than “fun” is that sometimes it isn’t. Especially with the looming
demographic and economic changes the economy is undergoing, you will need to be very good at compartmentalisation. A chaos magic approach to multiple selves is particularly useful in separating your work from your non-work life. Be warned. It gets murky out there.
General roles are preferable to specialist ones when it comes to promotion. Getting caught in “functional silos” like legal or comms or human resources is more likely to cap your promotional opportunities.
Get a wide variety of operational experience and ensure you have P & L responsibility.
Gain international experience. Most top executives have international experience. Plus it’s fun.
Marry well. This does not mean marry above your station, it means find a spouse/partner who can function as a solid support system at home. Top executives may not always have children, but they almost always have a supportive spouse.
Avoid the workplace pariah. You will recognise the workplace pariah as the one who befriends you the second you join a business. Just like in a game of poker, if you don’t know who the workplace pariah is … guess what?
Never complain about your boss. Ever. Similarly, be above office politics. If you want to complain about people, get a therapist.
Be aware of your class indicators. People promote those who are similar to themselves. Table manners, which television programmes you watch, where you holiday, which sports you play, these are hugely important.
Not too many senior executives eat pizza at their desk while talking with their mouth full about the NASCAR-themed cruise they took last year.
Americans have an unfortunate tendency to confuse class with wealth.
Wealth is not required for the most important class indicators.
Have a game plan, but keep it secret. It has never been clear to me why some people think vocalising how ambitious they are will assist them with their ambition. It won’t. See above about class indicators.