Getting Personal About Business

Advice for the soon-to-be graduate

This is the season when commencement addresses take shape, the restlessness of soon to be graduated students takes over, and old fogeys attempt to share their insights on what it takes to succeed in life, love, and for purposes of this column; business.

Adding My Voice

The lessons gleaned from having worked for the last 10 or 20 or even 30 plus years are only relevant in part.  The world has changed and with it, so have the expectations, skills required, and education.  Whether it is the result of technological advances, the economic and political changes, or just the evolution over time of how work is to be completed – the content of many jobs have changed and therefore, any advice offered by someone who once did the job, knows someone who used to do the job, or thinks they know how to do the job should be viewed suspiciously.  What once was is no longer.

However, there are certain things that can be shared with the soon-to-be graduates that still do apply.

1. No one starts at the top – the graduates from schools have grown up used to getting a bowling trophy for participating and have often been raised in environments where there contributions have been valued and significantly praised. The business world is not going to expect, nor are you ready to be coronated as the leader of a company, division, or function.  Your degree is the price of admission, it is not a ticket to the executive suite.
2. The business is not run for your convenience – surely you have good ideas that can assist the business and may contribute to the overall success of the enterprise; however, the business is not in existence to please you, to accommodate your whims, preferences, or desires.  Graduates will have to recognize that there will be frustrations, disappointments, and things that seem illogical to them.  Either learn to deal with it and adjust, or be prepared to repeat, “It is not fair” over and over again.  Oh, and by the way – no one cares that you think something is not fair, so you are wasting your time and will be seen as a malingerer.
3. Be patient – Graduates, you may be in a hurry to get where you think is your rightful place.  The business wants that energy and craves the enthusiasm.  Yet, there is much you still have to learn.  If you have not worked and experienced things at each step and in as many different circumstances as possible – your ability to influence the organization once you really do become that next rung on the ladder will be compromised.
4. Really, you are not the first – New graduates tend to think that their ideas are unique and that no one else has the insight, smarts, or forethought that they possess.  Afterall, they graduated from State U.!  However, plenty of experienced, smart, and aware people have thought about the business and have tried things to improve it.  Before you assume that your idea has never been tried – ASK!
5. Customers first – As you embark on your career, you have to be thinking about how your skills are enhancing the experience of the customer.  If you cannot draw a straight line between your efforts and the customer, then it is time to go back to the drawing board.  Every job needs to be seen in terms of impacting the company’s customer.

Final Words

The work environment does not have to be painful for you.  In most instances, the product or service is not determining life and death.  Have a sense of humor.  There will be plenty of things that confuse, contradict, and confound you about the way things are done, should be done, or need to be done.  If you are able to laugh and see the irony or farce in things; it will serve you – and the business much better.

Don’t be afraid to challenge yourself and others.  Ask questions to truly learn and to compare your beliefs against others or against reality.  But, don’t think you know best just because you hold a sheepskin from an accredited institution.  It just expired upon your hire date.  The rest is up to you now.