A Raw Guide to Extraordinary Corporate Success
Tired of mediocre career advice? Learn about unspoken rules of corporate success. From networking secrets to financial strategies – the strongly opinionated view that drive extraordinary careers
Welcome back to another episode of Tech Trendsetters! It's been quite a while since we’ve explored the productivity side of things, or even a philosophical approach to life. In today’s episode, we're taking a sharp turn into the space of corporate survival and success. Buckle up, because this isn't your typical feel-good, politically correct career advice. We're going raw, real, and possibly offensive.
Fair warning: there's no tech discussion in this episode. If you're sensitive to harsh truths or prefer your career advice sugar-coated, you might want to sit this one out. For those brave enough to continue, prepare for an unfiltered look at what it really takes to thrive in the corporate jungle.
We'll be challenging some deeply ingrained beliefs about work, success, and personal development. We'll explore why the conventional wisdom about career advancement often leads to mediocrity, and what you need to do if you want extraordinary results. From the lies of mainstream financial advice to the brutal realities of office politics.
Your personal guide to life and the sober reality check.
The Illusion of Ordinary Methods
Let's start with a fundamental truth that many refuse to accept:
You cannot achieve extraordinary results with ordinary methods.
If you're living a socially approved life, following the well-trodden path, guess what? Your results will be identical to those of the average person. And let's be brutally honest here – the average person is poor, physically unhealthy, trapped in a cycle of conspicuous consumption, and living a life without real prospects.
One of the biggest lies perpetuated by mainstream "lifestyle gurus" and "financial literacy experts" is the idea that you can achieve financial independence and a comfortable retirement without significantly altering your lifestyle. They sell you this comforting fairy tale: Just manage your finances responsibly, maintain a work-life balance, save 10-15% of your salary in index funds, and voila! Financial independence is yours!
The main selling point? You don't have to change anything substantial about your life. It's a seductive proposition, isn't it? But here's the kicker – if (when) it doesn't work out, you're not to blame. It's the government's fault, or society's, or the market's, or the latest economic crisis. How convenient, hm?
This approach is nothing more than a financial version of the age-old advice from older generations: Study hard, get good grades, secure a prestigious degree, land a job at a reputable company, work diligently, and everything will fall into place.
Spoiler alert: It doesn't.
Interestingly, generation Z is acutely aware of this disillusionment. Growing up in the shadow of the 2008 financial crisis, witnessing the economic fallout from a global pandemic, and navigating a world increasingly defined by technological disruption, they see through the comforting narratives sold by older generations.
The contract between older generations and younger ones doesn't work anymore. In fact it never worked, but that's a topic for another discussion.
World is Much More Complicated
Study hard, work hard and wait for success.
Let's not underestimate how appealing this idea is. It gives the consumer the complete feeling that they did "everything right" (i.e., "officially socially approved") and, consequently, they are now free from guilt and responsibility if something goes wrong. Even more so, if "something goes wrong," they will have the moral right to consider themselves unjustly wronged and demand satisfaction from those who ruined everything for them (such a good and proper individual who followed "the instructions").
By the way, in terms of toxicity and the severity of its consequences, the aforementioned advice can only be rivaled by the advice that "you just need to be a good person, and then people will treat you well."
And, of course, there is also a popular principle (which, in fact, is presented by many philosophical works): Never ask for anything, especially from those who are stronger than you. Embrace self-overcoming and personal strength, emphasizing the importance of not depending on others for validation or support, – this is simply the best method to ruin your own biography and become a lifelong resentful loser, full of soreness (and depression) for not being appreciated, chosen, supported, or given enough.
Eventually, it becomes clear that the world and life are much more complicated, and that school doesn't really teach you about life, that a good education at a prestigious university does not guarantee a good job, that promotions and salary increases are not given to the best workers, that the most desirable sexual partners do not go to the “good boys” and “good girls”, and that in order to achieve the real success and truly significant financial independence, the combination of “ordinary (even good) salary” + “ordinary (average, "like normal people") life” works rather poorly.
But for all those affected, it's fine because they have the moral right to consider themselves victims, as they "did everything right" and are generally "good." Because of this, such people have major problems achieving any significant results (in any area, from personal life and career to finances) until "being good", "being like others", and "correctness" are buried in the backyard of personal mistakes and replaced with practicality and extraordinariness. And here back to original thesis: You cannot achieve extraordinary results with ordinary methods.
By the way, there may be periods of unique conditions (1950s America for everyone, 2010s America for IT professionals, …) when “living by the usual instructions” (as mentioned above) works quite well, but:
such periods are usually short;
and they psychologically cripple the participants, many of whom later spend their whole lives not understanding why "the good times ended" and are constantly waiting for them to return.
Now, let's talk about corporate specifics, recognizing that the idea of not changing your life much probably won't work. The main advantage for people who follow these approaches (in any mix) isn't some secret knowledge. What you'll read is just a common sense on steroids. The real edge comes from actually putting these basic ideas into practice with incredible persistence.
The Corporate Survival Guide
So, an effective and happy corporate workers constantly asks themselves certain questions and then calmly and consistently implements actions based on the answers. This approach is not limited to corporate workers; successful people in general, regardless of their field, engage in similar practices. It may seem banal, but very few people do this.
Question 1: The Real Path to Promotion
The first question you need to ask yourself is:
At my job, do promotions and salary increases come from doing good (quality) work or from something else (e.g., office politics)?
Depending on the answer, you need to make a choice. More often than not (very rarely otherwise), the answer is "for something else." Okay, then you need to stop asking yourself "how can I earn a mega-deal on the financial freedom with my current salary?" and instead urgently choose between:
finding and getting a job at another company, where promotions and salaries come from quality work, not from kissing the boss's ass;
and urgently improving office politics skills, and overall people skills;
Ideally, of course, you should do both, but it's better to focus on one thing at first. We'll talk below about how certain actions can help in this situation.
Technical note: sometimes people say "well, there are no companies where they promote for good work! What should I do then?" — Well, great, then either change your profession or improve your "office politics" skills — really make a table like: who are the real bosses here, what do they like, how can I make them happy, what actions give positive results.
As a rough direction you can start with tough courses, you will have to attend them in your free time, on marketing and sales — at least you can learn basic psychological manipulation skills there. And start with the simplest things: a box of chocolates for accounting — just like that, a sincere compliment to the grumpy HR ladies. Asking the boss about their favorite football team, learning to praise the boss with genuine enthusiasm in your eyes. Then follow the common sense, as reading the right books (some examples are down below in “explore more” section) and maintaining Excel table "How the career ladder works in our office" with observations of who and on what grounds was promoted in your company — that information will suggest what to do next.
All this does not mean you should neglect working on improving your professional competencies. No, the work on yourself as a professional needs to be radically intensified, but you must forever rid yourself of the illusion that your professionalism is somehow connected (or is the sole condition for) growth within your company or anywhere else. Focusing exclusively on "office politics" and developing only this skill set is strongly discouraged because it makes you very vulnerable and also closes off opportunities to start your own business or become a truly indispensable independent specialist, which is extremely valuable in every sense.
Yes, then a question arises, "When do I have to time to live? If at work I deal with office politics and satisfying the dumb whims of the boss, and in the evenings I work on professional growth, when will I live?" — here it's a personal choice: you can continue to look for an opportunity to "live normally" now and live your whole life "waiting for Friday," or you can “Hawk tuah” and spit on this thing and do what is necessary now to be able to live by your own rules and desires later.
Another point I've noticed among many IT professionals, also found among engineers in general, but not exclusively: very often they, justifiably, perceive the boss as an obstacle to work and try to minimize interaction with them, but this is a mistake – high salary and the boss's love are not generated this way. You need to understand that at work (unless it's a unique case where the boss needs quality work) you should not focus on the work itself, but on satisfying the boss, i.e., roughly speaking, the main task is to timely create the "pink button in unicorn shape" that the boss thought of at night on Saturday, and not what is really needed by customers or "for the cause."
You need to set the right priorities in your activities. And just in case, this is common sense, but it needs to be clarified: the "pink button in unicorn shape" should not only be quickly made but also be accompanied by a qualitative explanation to the boss about how smart and wise they are for choosing such an amazing shape and color for the key element of the product. Without this, it doesn't count. Don't like it? I understand wholeheartedly, and then welcome either to the bottom of the career ladder or to small business (option "private practice"), where results and money are obtained in a somewhat different way.
Question 2: Time vs. Results
The second most important question to ask yourself:
Do I get paid for selling my time or for the result of my work?
This is very important because if you work "for time" – the standard salary approach – your time is limited, and the only way to increase your personal profit is to increase the rate at which you sell your time. In the worst case, you sell your time "wholesale," i.e., immediately 20-22 working days or, even worse, "a year of working days." Wholesale goods is always sold at a discount. Selling time "by the hour" (like top lawyers or escort girls) is much better because "retail" time can be sold much more expensively.
But the best option is to get paid for the result of your work: volume of sales, specific KPI reached, number of customers attracted, etc.), because the result can be scaled very seriously, and you can also raise the price for it. But scaling time is generally prohibited or radically limited by either the laws of biology (you can't work 20 hours every day, as you could kick the bucket), or the laws of physics (there are 24 hours in a day and that's it).
If the answer is "right now I am selling months/years of my labor wholesale," then the following questions should be asked:
Can specific steps be taken to move to pay, at least for the most part, for objectively measurable results? This is important to avoid arbitrariness from the boss as set your rules. Which department to transfer to? With whom to talk/negotiate? Who to please?
What competencies, inside and outside your professional background, do I need to acquire for this transition to pay for objective results? How to confirm these competencies and to whom to confirm them?
If the answer to all these questions is "this is impossible in this profession/at this job," then it's worth seriously thinking about changing either the job or the profession, because otherwise, you will face a financial ceiling, which will be incredibly difficult to break through.
By the way, people often seriously underestimate the potential of their profession in terms of finding methods to monetize the results of their labor. It is not necessarily limited to the question – Do I want to be a salesperson? Very often there are many other options, you just need to ask around, think, and look for "sideways" options. Very often the best options of this kind are available to top-class specialists with good connections within the professional community. This is an additional incentive to acquire these extremely high competencies and engage in quality and persistent networking.
Question 3: The Power of Exclusive Skills
The next important question:
Can I acquire exclusive or scarce skills within my profession or at the intersection of multiple professions?
This is very important because in many fields there are specific professional niches that require either very serious specialization or specific character traits, in which you can earn several times or even orders of magnitude more than the average in the profession.
Simple examples: Cobol specialists. Cobol is a programming language with an antique reputation and completely unsexy from the point of view of social prestige. Cobol specialists can earn huge money in many financial institutions because maintaining old systems, on which everything relies, is necessary, and it's not a problem to pay any money for that. Lawyers, engineers, programmers, doctors, and even psychologists who specialize in some exotic, as well as difficult and unpopular, niches often earn significantly more money than their "general profile" colleagues, and they usually have significantly more opportunities to get money per hour of work or per achieved result.
Another significant advantage is being a "translator," meaning having the ability to collaborate with specialists from vastly different fields and effectively communicate between them. Being a "translator into human language" or "from programmer to legal language" or something like that can be an important task in some companies, but of course, you first need to find this intersection point and make sure it's highly paid, and only then spend time acquiring the necessary skills, certificates, etc.
A useful life hack for identifying holders of unique skills or determining valuable skills to acquire is to observe your own company. Alternatively, look at other similar companies to see who can act like a jerk. There are always some people who act as they want to, without any repercussions (excluding obvious exceptions like the boss's favourites or shareholder's relatives). To whom do they bring "offerings" for solving issues? Without whom does the "process stop"? If there are such people — understand why they have this position and how you can acquire their skill set. This is not always possible, but it's almost always worth trying, and you should definitely try to befriend them properly. Very often these are people with excellent professional, but zero interpersonal skills and zero negative "office politics" skills. Now imagine how much money and personal freedom you can extract from the surrounding reality if you combine increased competence with deliberately trained "office politics" skills.
Do you see a man skillful in his work?
He will stand before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.
This is the quote is from King Solomon's Proverbs (Prov. 22:29). A good guide to life.
The Art of Networking
Now, let's talk about a couple of important technical points to maximize long-term earnings potential and social status – irreplaceable accessories for any successful person.
Networking.
Healthy networking is a natural process. Avoid relying on the typical "tricks" of amateur networkers, often picked up from dubious sources, like mainstream instagram influencers. For example, there's little benefit in congratulating unfamiliar people on their birthday when you have no common business; it often comes across as insincere and can be irritating.
Healthy networking is distinguished from office politics by the fact that it implies sincere interest and common interests or business; otherwise, it's not worth spending time. You should not deliberately try to often call other people by name (another common advice) — not everyone is so narcissistic that they get a kick out of these "cherished letters," and it may mark you as an amateur and fake which is not the best strategy. You should not invite unfamiliar venture investors, CEOs, specialists in your field, or influencers to tea/coffee/hookah – just to talk or just to look for common ground – this is a very bad offer for people who have something to do and have some self-respect.
Healthy networking, in my opinion, suggests that you should not look for those who will be useful to you, but instead do quite the opposite.
You need to look for those who you can be useful to. The more professional skills you have from the previous points, the more valuable you are to a wider range of people. Only then to see who can be useful to you in return. In my opinion, 99% of gatherings that are specifically done "for networking" (and even those with an expensive entrance ticket, etc.) are often filled with people who are primarily seeking to exploit others for money, services, or mentorship. These events can feel like a jar of spiders or leeches due to the overwhelming number of attendees driven by selfish motives.
As a result, they mainly exploit and cheat each other, while simultaneously becoming disillusioned with the process. By the way, because of these same people, the term "networking" has a bad reputation.
Once again, back to to the main thesis: start by looking for those to whom you can really do something truly useful, then look among them for those who can offer something useful to you. Plain and simple.
Actively create your professional network of acquaintances based on your own profession and its professional infrastructure: conferences, courses, and everything else. At a minimum, the common professional language and interests will provide some basis for effective communication and a commonality of interests and experience. Cross-sectoral networking, which is very useful, can be the next level of pushing you to the success. Every professional conference, every professional award or social event, and every trendy course with diploma distribution that HR-girls love – these are your key opportunities.
Mastering the Conference Game
A couple of notes about professional conferences: yes, they are often boring and uninteresting and you might think "I'd be better off coding at home," but they are still incredibly useful.
This may not apply to everyone, but at a certain point in your professional career, mastering the conference game might make sense. Instructions for use:
Always Present: Even if it's on the "secondary stage in the back room" – you'll become a headliner after a few successful presentations at subsequent conferences. Prepare a presentation, make jokes, smile, and publish the recording on your social networks. At the very least, it's excellent training for your communication skills, a demonstration of your competencies to a professional audience, and an increase in visibility within the professional community. Moreover, HR-girls love to see that a candidate has given presentations at conferences. This might even impress your boss, not always though. Bonus point: each such presentation is an investment in your reputation for many years and a lottery ticket — you never know who might watch it and what projects/money might come from it later. If you can't present: work on gaining credentials until the opportunity arises, generally, organizers usually have a severe shortage of quality content.
Befriend the Organizers: Offer your assistance and be a pleasure to work with. Being willing to step in for someone who cancels at the last moment is a plus for your professional karma. Build your reputation so that organizers specifically want to invite you again and give you good slots. This is a very good investment, plus organizers of such events are usually very informed about rumors, gossip, and other useful information in the community.
Request the List of Participants in Advance: Review the speakers and their social networks to understand their work, interests, and where your interests intersect. Implementing point 2 will make this task easier to achieve. Prepare to interact with them knowledgeably and have a plan for interaction or proposals if you have substantive ideas. At the very least, aim to leave an impression of yourself as someone who "cares" – this can be highly valuable and will be beneficial in the future.
Have you ever wondered how some seemingly incompetent people in your profession become so influential that they end up representing government policies on topics they barely understand?
Modern journalism. If you are mature enough to have the opportunity to give an interview, this is the way to go. Yes, journalists can often be uninformed, inebriated, and prone to misinterpret your comments, drastically cutting them down in size. But this doesn’t matter. Remember, a journalist's task is not to educate the audience or deliver the truth, but to get an expert comment for the sake of expert comment.
Good specialists often avoid media interactions because they find it pointless or distasteful. Consequently, the ones who do engage, even if they are less knowledgeable and lack authority, gain visibility through industry journals, juries, and expert councils in governmental bodies. Here is one of the mechanisms of how they get there and why there are no normal experts in these positions (not the only reason, but one of them).
Networking on Social Media
It looks like we forgot about social media. A good strategy is to follow by the example of people who truly inspire you. Develop the habit of regularly, ideally once a day or slightly less frequently, writing brief posts on your social networks about your professional activities. That’s what mostly combines all professional influencers on internet. Share your impressions from reading new materials in your field, comment on industry news, and share thoughts on conferences, books, and other relevant experiences.
You don't need to turn each post into a report; just share some brief thoughts out loud. Avoid posting in closed community groups where you could be removed for any reason, nullifying your efforts. The purpose of networking is to make your content visible, so having limited reach is not a good strategy. Social network pages that clearly show you are passionately engaged in your profession send a very positive signal to everyone.
Moreover, in 3-5-10 years, even if you start with only 2 likes and 0 shares, your page will become a point of attraction for your acquaintances and friends, as well as a potential source of useful information and interesting contacts. This strategy works especially well in combination with other forms of networking.
The Corporate Worker's Financial Strategy
Let's shatter another illusion, shall we? The conventional financial advice of "save and multiply" and "set aside 10-15% of your salary for 20 years" is another recipe for failure. For the ambitious corporate worker, this approach is not just ineffective – it's downright dangerous. You've been fed a lie, and it's time to spit it out.
Here's where we again diverge from the mainstream: your investment portfolio should primarily serve as an instrument to support your career ambitions and accelerate your growth. We're not talking about waiting 20 years in some ETF funds; we're talking about now, or as soon as humanly possible.
Let this sink in: until you've reached or are approaching your career zenith, don't waste time trying to extract miraculous profits from your portfolio to change your social status quickly or financial security drastically. It's a fool's errand and a misallocation of your precious mental resources..
The Real Goal is Freedom, Not Wealth
For any sane person, the objective isn't merely capital multiplication. It's achieving the status of a "free person" as rapidly as possible through current income. And let's be crystal clear: we're talking about freedom, not wealth.
This freedom, manifested as a current income sufficient for a modest living, is your golden ticket to a world of career opportunities. It's about creating a safety net that allows you to make bold career moves without the paralyzing fear of financial ruin.
Here's why:
Job hopping supreme – it enables you to change jobs frequently (every 2-3 years) to boost your salary;
Exploiting corporate logic – corporations universally pay less to old, loyal employees and more to new.
The notion that old and loyal employees can and should be paid much less than new and trendy ones, who come with credentials, diplomas, media mentions, and the skill to flatter their superiors, is a core element of salary determination strategy, also known as "cost savings on payroll," in all corporations from San Fransisco to Hong Kong, regardless of culture, country, sector, or any other factors. Don't whine about it. Use it to your advantage.
Also forget the conventional wisdom of saving six months' worth of expenses or similar strategies. That's a psychological time bomb. Once this "countdown to starvation" starts ticking in your mind, it deals a massive blow to your confidence and assertiveness – qualities crucial for landing high-paying jobs and dominating office ecosystems. Instead, aim for a current income that ensures, at minimum, basic shelter and sustenance. Everything of this, again, isn't about wealth; it's about freedom and leverage.
So, here's the winning formula: job hopping + current portfolio income. This combination is your ticket to stop fretting over unfair treatment from superiors who "don't notice your achievements" or “fail to provide deserved promotions” despite promises. Instead, you'll start relishing these features of corporate life, turning them to your advantage.
The Paradox of Attraction
Superiors, or should I say rich and successful people, are usually much more willing to pay big bucks to those who already smell like money. It's not about the car you drive or the watch you wear. It's an intangible aura that perceptive managers can sense. If you've been paying enough attention in your corporate journey, you should've seen this phenomenon in action.
Now, let's be clear: I’m not here to give you investment advice or hold your hand through financial planning. That's your homework. Figure it out. This isn't about specific investment strategies – it's about mindset. About understanding that your financial strategy as a corporate player isn't about long-term wealth accumulation. It's about creating immediate leverage to accelerate your career trajectory. Which in turn brings long-term wealth.
TLDR;
Let's cut through the bullshit one last time:
Ordinary methods breed ordinary results;
Office politics isn't optional, it's survival;
Your skills are your weapons;
Networking isn't about collecting business cards;
Your financial strategy should serve your career, not the other way around;
Freedom trumps wealth;
Job hopping isn't disloyal, it's smart.
That's it. The unvarnished, politically incorrect guide to thriving in the corporate world. It's not pretty, it's not always ethical, but it's effective. Remember, the corporate world is not a meritocracy, it's a game. And like any game, it has rules – both written and unwritten. Your job is to learn these rules and play them to your advantage.
It's worth noting that the main advantage of those who follow these approaches lies not in some secret knowledge, but in their readiness to implement these simple principles with extraordinary persistence. This is just common sense at its peak.
However, is this approach for everyone? Absolutely not. It requires a certain level of ruthlessness, a willingness to prioritize career success over other aspects of life, at least for a while. You should choose what's best for you, and that's also a part of common sense.
Remember, extraordinary results require extraordinary methods. If you're not willing to step outside your comfort zone, to challenge your preconceptions about how the world works, you're consigning yourself to mediocrity.
Welcome to the real world of corporate success. You just took a red pill – it's time to hunt or be hunted.
In our next episode, we'll be diving back into the world of technology and its impact on business world. But I hope this detour into the pragmatic side of corporate success has given you some food for thought. Until next time, this is Tech Trendsetters, signing off. Stay hungry, stay foolish, and most importantly, stay extraordinary.
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