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- Wise Words -
Talk the talk and walk the walk.
This and the other lessons of my transition to the office 

by ben seymour

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Early on in Martin Scorsese’s 2014 film The Wolf of Wall Street, Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jordan Belfort is shown the stockbroking ropes by the charismatic Donnie Azoff, played by Matthew McConaughey. As the baby-faced Belfort looks on in awe, Azoff dismantles the notion that brokers are any more informed about the finer workings of the stock market than anybody else. Says Azoff: “First rule of Wall Street: nobody knows if a stock’s going up, down or sideways, least of all stockbrokers. But we have to act like we know.” 

This advice remains as one of my early workplace experiences involved acting as if I knew what I was doing a lot of the time - without the advantages afforded by McConaughey’s effortless cool.

My goal in writing this column is to share my experience in the event they help others as they make the transition (a nice word for the upheaval we face from the comfort of life at school and university) from formal education to the workplace. I will do this by following the first lesson I learned, to maintain the façade of someone who knows what they’re doing!

Everyone Talks a Good Game - You Should Too
It took me a long time to learn the “Donnie Azoff Lesson” but I was not the only person in the office struggling to get a grip on how things worked.  For my first graduate-level role, I landed in the compliance office of a prestigious law firm. Having studied Spanish and History at university, my only legal experience at that point involved binge-watching Suits on a Saturday morning while recovering from the previous night. What’s more, the only transferable skill which I carried over from my undergraduate studies was the ability to talk like somebody smarter than I really am! 

This skill turned out to be key, although I was too proud to admit at the time. I remember very clearly talking with a colleague, who remarked that the one thing his working life had taught him was that it doesn’t matter how smart you are and that the key to making the best of any job was learning “how to talk a good game.” 

I remember, thinking that that was a cheap shortcut to success. Even to this day, I believe that we increasingly undervalue intelligence and expertise (more on this later). However, a good article on LinkedIn by Maurice Ewing talks about the importance in the workplace of ‘the ability to recognise the social context of one’s work situation and adjust one’s behaviour so as to appear sincere, inspire trust and influence others’.
This is not to say that the key to making a success of working life is to be dishonest, hide our intelligence or not work hard. Rather, employers value skills such as the capacity to maintain relationships, hard work and decisiveness just as much as they do academic credentials. 

You are not a fraud
Following on from the first point, in a working culture that seems to place more value on attributes other than academic qualifications, it is not uncommon for graduates to feel as if they only ended up in their position due to luck as opposed to talent. We can suffer from imposter syndrome.

Imposter syndrome is the “feeling of inadequacy or self-doubt that prevail despite obvious accomplishments and successes” or “the fear that your friends or colleagues are going to discover you’re a fraud and you don’t actually deserve your job or your accomplishments.” The Independent, says one-third of people between the ages of 18 and 34 will suffer from imposter syndrome and there’s other research out there that suggests most of us will suffer from it at one point or another. It’s natural, especially when you land your first professional role after university or begin postgraduate education, to feel as if you somehow don’t belong. 

I certainly felt like I didn’t. 

After gaining a place on an MA degree course, I convinced myself that I did not deserve to be there, that I was not smart enough to complete the degree and inevitably would drop out. That I would fail. Like many, I discovered that these fears were misguided. However, that does not disguise how debilitating these negative thoughts can be if left unchecked. 

So how does one check this imposter syndrome? What helped me was “policing my thoughts” and identifying the specific mental “triggers”. I got this from reading an article by Dr. Loren Soeiro in Psychology Today. “When you know what these are”, he continues, “start questioning them critically in your thoughts and challenging them in your behaviour…[and by] confiding in someone you can trust. You’ll most likely learn that you aren’t the only one suffering from these feelings.”

For me, this meant facing my doubts, and being honest with myself about what I hoped to achieve. After a long wait between accepting my offer and starting the course and constantly second-guessing my decision, once my return to university life was completed, being able to take matters into my own hands was a great release. 

Although I was far from the most naturally gifted student on the course, I refused to let anyone work harder than me. If that sounds petty, it was not born out of a sense of needing to be better than everyone else. Rather, what this approach gave me was a feeling of being in control over my thoughts, and giving myself the best possible chance of proving myself wrong. In doing so, I realised that it was impractical to allow myself to be dragged down by a scenario that was highly unlikely to come to pass. Quite the opposite, in fact. So take that first, most daunting step- you will forever kick yourself if you talk yourself out of opportunities that come your way.

A call to action. Don’t be afraid of showing your intelligence 
In the build-up to the 2016 Brexit referendum, Michael Gove proclaimed in an interview that “The people of this country have had enough of experts”, an alarming assertion from a political leader who, at the time, was in charge of the UK’s education system. 

What I want to say in this final part of my column is that we should value our expertise and intelligence and not hide it away. 

Anti-intellectual sentiment starts innocently enough in schools, where the smartest kids are rarely the most popular or confident classroom personalities. However, the true extent of anti-intellectualism becomes most apparent when we reach adult life. In the workplace, I have seen people to err on the side of feigning ignorance rather than show off their passions and interests. Some even say that the most intelligent members of the office are passed over for promotions in favour of more charismatic and extroverted colleagues. 

There is, admittedly, justification in the argument that there is more than one kind of “intelligence” which is valued in leadership roles- namely empathetic traits such as emotional or social intelligence which cannot be measured by exam or university assessment grades, and which all the best leaders exhibit. Rightly, these qualities play a crucial role in determining who receives the positions of responsibility. 

But if we in the workplace continue to undervalue- even demean- expertise in areas like education and science, how can we look on in horror as these same trends play out in the real world? I understand that this is an extremely tricky balancing act. It is essential that leaders at every level- professional, local and national- possess the confidence, vision and courage to make the toughest calls. 

But an even more crucial aspect of leadership is bringing outside expertise into the decision-making process and demonstrating a willingness to embrace both radical new ideas and hard truths. If more senior officials valued such contributions, then the world would be a richer, more diverse and more hopeful place. Here’s hoping….

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Related content: "Reputations Travel So Manage Your Professional Relationships, Be The Genuine Article, Don’t Take (Stage) Fright, 

More transition from College to Workplace experiences: Mind The Gap. How I Moved From College To Office, Millennial Reflections, 


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Ben Seymour holds an undergraduate degree in Spanish and History from Nottingham Trent University. Upon graduating in 2017, Ben worked for a year as a compliance officer for Freeth’s Solicitors, before returning to NTU in September 2018 to study a Master’s Degree in International Relations. He graduated last December with First Class honours, earning the university’s prize for the best performing politics student. He is about to embark on the NCTJ’s Diploma in Journalism, and hopes to pursue a career as a Foreign Affairs Correspondent. You can read some of Ben’s writing about international politics at his blog, “Engage, Inform, Advocate”.


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More Wise Words...

Achieve: Focus on Results
​
Achieve: Leading from the Start
Achieve: Small is BIG
Achieve: Take Action
Career Management: Annual Review. A "How To"
Career Management: Annual Review. As Career Plan
Career Management: Choosing a Mentor
Career Management: Careers Happen
Career Management: Career Journey
Career Management: Mentorship Explained
​
Career Management: Post Graduate Degrees
Career Management: Promotion Frustration 
Career Management: Moving up by moving out
Career Management: Selecting Your Company
Career Management: Understand Yourself
Finances: Retirement Saving (1)
Finances: Retirement Saving (2)
Hindsight: Balance the short- with the long-term
​Hindsight: Embrace learning and your manager
Hindsight: Focus at Work
Hindsight: Millennial Reflections
Hindsight: Regrets: Time, Money & Pride
​Hindsight: Take Advice Sparingly
Hindsight: Take a Career Mulligan
​
Hindsight: Transition from College
Hindsight: Winning Nicely
Hindsight: Work hard, network, be honest. Have fun too!
Managing Up: Manage Up to Move Up
Managing Up: Manager As Partner
Managing Up: New Manager
Managing Up: Questions for your manager
Managing Up: Secret Skills for Managing Up
​
People & Teamwork: Be A Giver
​
People & Teamwork: LinkedIn As Networking
People & Teamwork: Networking Hacks
People & Teamwork: Networking as a Relationship
People & Teamwork: Networking Simplified
People & Teamwork: Teamwork As Leadership
Speedbumps: Chutes & Ladders
​
Speedbumps: Laid Off? Take A Breath
Speedbumps: Layoffs. The Afterlife
Speedbumps: Owning Mistakes
Work Life: Work Culture. America vs. UK
Work Life: Ask Why
Work Life: Be Yourself. Be Genuine
​
Work Life: Browned Out?
Work Life: Business Travel Guide
Work Life: Calendar Management
Work Life: Difficult Situations
Work Life: Focus on Fiyah!
​Work Life: Ghosting
​
Work Life: Help the Early Stage Professionals
Work Life: International Remote Working
Work Life: Pre-Vacation Checklist
Work Life: Smartphones & The Office
​Work Life: Start-Up Glamor
Work Life: Stress Management
Work Life: Take a Walk
​
Work Life: They Quit
Work Life: Unlimited Vacation
Work Life: Welcome the Newbies
Work Life: "Work" from Home

Crushing It @ Work

What Time Should I Start? 
What If I am Running Late? 
Taking Vacation
Sick Days 
Working Outside Office Hours
​
How to prepare for One/Ones
Making Meetings on Time 
Business Presentations 
Social Media, Personal Email and Hanging Out on the Web
Give it Six to Nine Months to Feel @Home
Be Your-professional-self
Staying Positive

Money Talk

The Basics
Retirement Savings Guide

Job Search Must Do's

Resume
The Application Letter 
​
The Free Conundrum: Should You Take an Unpaid Internship?
Informational Interviews 
Taking a Shortcut: Using Your Network 
Dealing with a Low GPA
​Responding to Recruiters
The Job Interview
Interview Questions
Questions You Should Ask
Simulations 
Interviews with Other Applicants
Dealing with References
Negotiating Your Salary
How to Resign (if you already have a job)
​
The First Week
You Don't Get the Job: Getting Feedback
​Keeping Motivated Through the Search

USA Today Columns by Fergus Mellon

How to get started on LinkedIn: Do this, not that
Warning: Avoid smartphone shame at work.  Keep them out of sight
To succeed, be a Giver in the workplace, not a Taker
4 ghoulish personality pitfalls to steer clear of at the office
​
How to coach today's not so entitled Millennials as they join the rat race

Crushing IT

Money

Library

WISE WORDS

Bureaucracy

Copyright © 2016 - 2020
  • Home
  • Getting a job
    • Must Do's - Resume
    • Must Do's - Application Letter
    • Must Do's - Internships
    • Groundwork - Informational Interviews
    • Groundwork - Your Network
    • Groundwork - GPA Issues
    • Groundwork - Recruiters
    • Dealing with Rejection - Feedback
    • Dealing with Rejection - Keeping Motivated
    • Closing the Deal - The Interview
    • Closing the Deal - Interview Q's
    • Closing the Deal - Your Questions
    • Closing the Deal - Simulations
    • Closing the Deal - Group Interviews
    • Closing the Deal - References
    • Signing On - Salary Negotiation
    • Signing On - How to Resign
    • Signing On - First Week
  • Crushing It
    • The Hours - What Time Should I Start
    • The Hours - What If I Am Running Late?
    • The Hours - Taking Vacation
    • The Hours - Sick Days
    • The Hours - Working Outside Office Hours
    • Professional Skills - One/Ones
    • Professional Skills- Making Meetings on Time
    • Professional Skills - Business Presentations
    • Professional Skills - Social Media, Personal Email
    • A Level Head - Feeling @ Home
    • A Level Head - Be YourProfessionalSelf
    • A Level Head- Staying Positive
  • Wise Words
    • Achieve - Focus on the Results
    • Achieve - Leading from the Start
    • Achieve - Showcase Your Work
    • Achieve - Small is BIG
    • Achieve - Take Action
    • Achieve - Your New Job. A Plan
    • Career Management - Annual Review
    • Career Management - Annual Review Feedback Meeting
    • Career Management - Annual Review: How to Guide
    • Career Management - Career Contentment
    • Career Management - Careers Happen
    • Career Management - Career Journey
    • Career Management - Choosing a Mentor
    • Career Management - Discomfort Is Good
    • Career Management - Freelancing and Employment Gaps
    • Career Management - Mentally Healthy Choices
    • Career Management - Mentorship Explained
    • Career Management - Post Graduate Degrees
    • Career Management - Promotion Frustration
    • Career Management - Promotions. Move out to move up
    • Career Management - Selecting Your Company
    • Career Management - Understand Yourself
    • Finances - Preparing for a Downturn
    • Finances - Retirement Saving (1)
    • Finances - Retirement Saving (2)
    • Hindsight - Balance the Short- with Long -term
    • Hindsight - Embrace Learning & Your Manager
    • Hindsight - Focus at Work
    • Hindsight - Millennial Reflections
    • Hindsight - Regrets: Time, Money & Pride
    • Hindsight - Take a Career Mulligan
    • Hindsight - Take Advice Sparingly
    • Hindsight - Transition from College
    • Hindsight - Winning Nicely
    • Hindsight - Work Hard. Be Honest. Have Fun
    • Managing Up - Manager as Partner
    • Managing Up - Manage Up to Move Up
    • Managing Up - Mastering Your Manager
    • Managing Up - New Manager
    • Managing Up - Questions For Your Manager
    • Managing Up - Secret Skills of Managing Up
    • Managing Up - Yes Power
    • People & Teamwork - Be a Giver
    • People & Teamwork - Collaboration is Power
    • People & Teamwork - First Time Manager
    • People & Teamwork - LinkedIn as Networking
    • People & Teamwork - Networking Hacks
    • People & Teamwork - Networking as Relationship
    • People & Teamwork - Networking Simplified
    • People & Teamwork - Reputations Travel
    • People & Teamwork - Teamwork as Leadership
    • Sliding Doors - Decision Paths
    • Sliding Doors - Success Requires Luck
    • Speed Bumps - Chutes & Ladders
    • Speed Bumps - Layoffs & Survivors Guilt
    • Speed Bumps - Laid Off? Take a Breath
    • Speed Bumps - Layoffs. The After Life
    • Speed Bumps - Owning Mistakes
    • Work Life - American Work Culture
    • Work Life - Ask Why
    • Work Life - Be Yourself. Be Genuine
    • Work Life - Browned Out?
    • Work Life - Business Travel Guide
    • Work Life - Calendar Management
    • Work Life - Change is Certain
    • Work Life - Difficult Situations
    • Worklife - Focus on Fiyah
    • Work Life - Ghosting
    • Work Life - Help the Early Stage Professionals
    • Work Life- International Remote Working
    • Work Life - In the Zoom
    • Work Life - Mom Skills
    • Work Life - Office As A Stage
    • Work Life - Office Ghouls
    • Work Life - Pre Vacation Checklist
    • Work Life - Returning to Work
    • Work Life - Smartphones & The Office
    • Work Life - Speak Up
    • Work Life - Stage Fright
    • Work Life - Startup Glamour
    • Work Life - Stress Management
    • Work Life - Take A Walk
    • Work Life - Tasks We Hate
    • Work Life - They Quit
    • Work Life - Unlimited Vacation
    • Worklife - Vacation Overview
    • Work Life - Welcome the Newbies
    • Work Life - "Work" From Home
  • Money
    • Money - The Basics
    • Money - Saving for Retirement
    • Money - Retirement Saving
  • Library
    • Book Reviews
    • Webinar Hub
    • USA Today Columns
    • Buy Early Stage Professional
    • Bureaucracy
  • Help Center
    • Annual Reviews
    • Career Speed Bumps
    • Managing Up
    • Promotions & Career Planning
    • Stress Management