Category: Corporate Games

Sleeping Our Way To The Top

If you hear someone
say or post
that a woman
(or anyone else
but it is 99% of the time
a woman)
slept her way
to the top,
AVOID that person.

Don’t hire them.
Don’t partner with them.
Definitely don’t
work for them.

They are stating
quite clearly
that if they were
ever
in a power position,
they would expect
to receive
sexual favors
from everyone around them.

That is why
their first theory
on why anyone,
especially a woman,
got ahead
was
she f*cked the decision makers.

It is a giant red flag.
AVOID that person.

There are plenty of decent people
in this world.
Deal with them.

Taylor Swift, Elon Musk And Sexual Harassment

After Taylor Swift
revealed
she was voting
for Kamala Harris
in the US Presidential Election,
Elon Musk
posted
“Fine Taylor …
you win …
I will give you a child
and
guard your cats with my life”

Many of us
deal with this type of sexual harassment
every d@mn day
and we’re f*ckin’ tired of it.

And it IS sexual harassment.

The person saying it
knows they’re committing verbal violence
against a woman.
The woman targeted
knows it is an act of verbal violence.
The people listening
and saying nothing
know it is an act of verbal violence.

The only people who think
it is a joke
are other sexual harassers.

The goal of the comment
is to dim the woman’s light.
It is to stop the woman’s momentum.
It is to punish her
and to make her think twice
about using her power again.

Often, it is successful.
Which is why
so many men do it.

Don’t allow it to stop you
OR
the women around you.

See it for the tactic
it is.

What Happened To Your Predecessor?

If Trump loses the upcoming
US election,
his running mate pick,
JD Vance,
will be the target
of the Fascists’ hatred.

I don’t care
because he’s a terrible person.

But also because
he knew exactly
what he was risking.

Everyone knows
Trump tried to have
his previous running mate
killed.

One of the questions
I always ask,
when offered a role,
is…
What happened
to my predecessor?

And I ask this
of multiple people.

Because the odds are good
that what happened to them
will happen to me.

Uncover what happened
to your predecessor.

If You’re a Woman Or Minority Working For Someone Else

Yesterday, I talked about
how many large companies
are dismantling
their policies and programs
helping
women and minorities.

This means, of course,
women and minorities
no longer have much corporate protection.

They will be at risk of being targeted
by managers and coworkers
and
being fired for no solid reason.

If you’re a woman
or minority
working for someone else,
ensure you have your dirt file
ready.

(I wrote in detail
about the dirt file here
https://clientk.com/2023/03/05/the-dirt-file/ )

Keep copies
on non-work accessible personal devices
or print outs
of
any incriminating information
on everyone in power
at the company
you work for.

(Take photos
to make digital copies.
That is less likely
to leave a trail.)

And make preparations.
Save a bit of money.
Think about another source
of income.
Plan for a future
without your current employer.

If you are targeted,
this may make the difference
between being okay financially
and suffering.

Keeping A Needed Job In The Era Of Social Media

A buddy got fired
from a much needed job
because she posted
under her own name
on social media
about Gaza.

This happens.
Quite often.

Most companies
have slipped
into their employment contracts
clauses stating
if you portray them
in a bad light
that can be grounds
for being fired.

This can impact you
before you’re hired.

Many managers
scour social media
for their job candidates’ accounts
looking for a reason
to disqualify them
from the job search.

They’re looking for stances or beliefs
they don’t agree with,
for photos
they don’t want representing
their companies,
for, heck, any mention
of the job search,
and many other things.

I don’t have a social media account
under my real name
for this and other reasons.
I also don’t have photos of me
attached to my social media accounts
(due to facial recognition software).

If you do have a social media account
under your real name,
know that you can be fired
or targeted for anything
you post.

Weigh the risks
before you post.

Your Mentor Isn’t A Mentor In Everything

When I join a new-to-me company,
I often search for a mentor
within the organization.

I’m not looking
for a mentor
in EVERYTHING.

I want to connect
with someone
who knows the political
and working environment
within the company.

That’s it.

I don’t need
that person
to show me
how to
cook dinner
or how to
be a good person
or teach me
to use a new phone.

Mentors aren’t supposed
to be
mentors in EVERYTHING.
They have one specific area
of expertise
and that’s it.

Multiple areas
require multiple mentors.

Don’t expect your mentor
to cover everything.

Mentoring Is Part Of Managing

If you hire an employee,
especially a younger employee,
that employee will require
not only training
but also mentorship.

They will want to know
what their career looks like,
what their future
with your company
looks like.

They will need to learn
and grow
and become a better employee.

Because they’ll want
salary increases
that at least keep up
with inflation.

And you’ll be d@mn bitter
about those salary increases
if the employee isn’t becoming
better at their job.

Set aside one hour
per week
per direct report
for mentorship.

If you don’t have time
for that,
you don’t have time
to manage them.
And you should consider
hiring a manager.

Mentorship
is part of managing an employee.

The Power Couple

The media recently reported
that most high income couples
only have one person
earning the income.

OFFICIALLY earning
the income.

Because, often,
high income earning jobs
require
two people.
Both people in the relationship
have to be committed to
and focused on
the job.

The unofficial role holder
socializes,
entertains
and networks in other ways.

They research situations.

They are a sounding board
for decisions.

They travel plan
and keep the schedules.

And they complete
thousands of ‘invisible’ tasks
necessary for the role.

NEVER discount
the significant other’s influence
or abilities.

Treat them
with the same respect
you would extend
to the decision makers.

If You Don’t Have Equity…

A loved ones feels he’s super important
at the privately held company
he works countless unpaid overtime hours
for.

They couldn’t operate without him,
he claims.

So I told him
he should ask
for equity in the business.

He gave me a half dozen reasons
why now wasn’t the right time
to make that request.

He has been working
there over a decade.
There will never be
a right time
to make that request.

And the owner
will never give him
equity.

Because he isn’t that important
to the business.
He’s replaceable.

If he was important,
the owner would have tied him
to the business
with a small equity stake.

Don’t voluntarily work
unpaid overtime hours
for a company
you have no equity in.

Use that time
to build your own equity
elsewhere.

Career Security Thanks To COVID

Yesterday, I talked about
how humans are getting
dumber
due to repeated bouts
of COVID.

If you avoid COVID
as much as possible,
that means
you will likely have
career security.

There will be
fewer and fewer people
available to work,
especially in
thinking-intensive jobs.

You don’t have
to worry as much
about aging out
of your industry
or
taking some time off
or
being your unique self.

In the future.

In the short term,
business is only beginning
to figure out
repeated infections
are a bad idea.

But the probability is high
that by this time
next year,
people with fully functioning
ie. COVID-avoiding
brains
will be in demand
as employees.

Protect your brain.
Avoid COVID.