drawing room

two reasons why people say NO! to your idea

1. it’s been done before
2. it’s never been done before

Office Life

Quinn Goldstein, one of my closest friends, sent me a brilliant note on office conduct this week. It’s so good that I had to share with you in its entirety:

….I always teach my team to be helpful to everyone in the company regardless of what’s being asked. I hear too many people say they can’t help because that’s not their job. And there’s a fine line between helping everyone and being the office bitch. Helping others does a few things:

1. It feels good to help others.
2. You learn how to better deal with people.
3. You learn. Teaching is the best way to learn.
4. You meet more people in the company because once you become known as a helpful/knowledgeable person you get more requests and other people refer questions to you.
5. You get a good pulse on some of the the subtle issues that drive the mood/culture of the business. If people are frustrated by the new coffee maker that’s important to know and if you’re the one that knows how to operate it you’ll know how many people are troubled by it.
6. You make your department look good.
7. You become more valuable and harder to replace.

So no matter how high of an executive I become if I’m walking by the copy machine and I see someone struggling I’ll help them. The irony is that the higher up you get the more you should help the people on the bottom because (1) at the top you’re out of touch with the people and (2) it’s good for them to see you with the “people”.

The way you stay away from being the office bitch is by staying very busy and looking proffesional. You walk down the halls with purpose, you’re never strolling. You dress well and you don’t look like the coffee machine repair man. That’s the difference.

Q

Nothing new for those who get it, but good to always keep in mind.