My mother always told me the only thing that would really get me in trouble was my mouth… Turns out she was only partially right. My mouth plus a keyboard will likely be my downfall. So be it! Here goes…Welcome to www.RulesbyJules.com -- where I intend to start a conversation about the “new rules” out there that admittedly, I usually break. I wish it was because I was like my friend David who claims to be an anarchist, but I’m not that colorful. I usually break the rules because when I try to play by them, I generally find out they changed and no one told me. Don’t believe me? Let me give you an example. Let’s take a simple one—your job. If you were like me, you grew up in simpler times. I grew up in Detroit, need I say more? The city of “entitled lifetime employment” where following the rules of conformity was sure to lead you to a guaranteed retirement, a condo in Florida, healthcare benefits til you died, and at least one freakin’ vacation a year. Work hard. Be modest. Your actions speak louder than your words. Let others shout your accomplishments. Turns out…the rules changed, eh? Maybe playing by the rules at your job isn’t so wise?
Contrast this with the disparaging remarks senior managers often make about the “next generation” – they’re self-indulged, they need immediate gratification, they want to start at the top, they’re not willing to earn their stripes. Hell they were the products of helicopter parents who could ring the world twice over with store-bought trophies to reward midget soccer teams and Little Leagues. Hellooooo! Remember Detroit? If you knew you could only expect two to three years out of a company before they “reorganized” you out of a job, wouldn’t you want to start at the top? Wouldn’t you want immediate gratification? Wouldn’t you make sure you took every day of vacation you had knowing that putting it off held no value? If you are shaking your head in despair, shame on you. You created these creatures!
So here’s a way to think about what the new rules might be at work today. Work hard. Then spend an equal amount of time talking about it, promoting your work, and publicizing it. Chances are in a few years, you’ll need the notoriety to get hired again. Grow the company’s brand, and equally if not more importantly, grow your own.
Just a taste of the many conversations I’d like to start.
So as I navigate my incredibly complicated life as a mother of twin teenage boys (who I am sure will be horrified by this experience if anyone ever reads this blog besides me) living in a large metropolitan area with no extended family, fabulous friends, a sister on the other side of the country who leaps tall buildings in a single bound, and Lulu my slightly neurotic golden retriever, I’m going to share the “new rules” I seem to stumble upon daily
And I’m hoping that a few friends out there might share their new rules with me. Because in the end, if you’re going to change the world, you kind of have to understand where it stands today, and what your world COULD look like if you played by different rules. Ciao.
Jules.
The times they are a changin'. I, too, am from the midwest. Dad spent his entire career at one company: Ma Bell in Chicago. The only way I realized significant advancement in my career on Wall Street was to jump ship every five years or so. Mergers & acquisitions, bankruptcies, bailouts, lawsuits, etc. have been altering employee loyalty for several decades now. I think teenagers today are going to be in the driver's seat...big time, when they finally get off of facebook, and get serious about their skills. Whether we like it or not, they are learning so much through their digital universes. The internet has afforded these kids a huge education, which has been mind-expanding at very young ages. It's not all bad.
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