I Wrote My Boss’s Promotion Presentation
As my last post exposed, I am currently in the midst of creating my own success. Unlike the last post, this will touch less on the somber sides of what I like to call “figuring it out”, or F.I.O., and more on the benefit. I had the opportunity to speak with one of my creative advisors, and all around Y.S.I. (You’re the Sh*t Influencer), Mr.Gomez and like many of our conversations, we dived into how making it feels vs. how making is. Much of what creatives do is look for a way to make old standards less intrusive, but the challenge in that process is we are immersed in a society of old standards.
Now, do not misinterpret what I mean, I am actually a believer in traditions and I can understand and support the value of maintaining traditions that promote self-esteem and pride. But when it comes to the standards of societal survival based on sacrificing inner visions for the steadiness of a check…the idea feels unfair. On the opposite side of the coin, money is a significant & valid concern. Anyway….back to Gomez…
As we spoke he gave me great advice, that I’m sure is logical, but when experiencing the woes of “WTF is going on” it seems to resonate a lot more. Gomez explained in this track to “FIO” (figuring it out) no one route is the exact or perfect route. We all want it to happen, and we all want it to make sense. The inspiration to that is in the process. The advice continued with, “You have to choose which headaches you want to have.” In other words, you get to move beyond having a shitty boss…but you also have to worry about your own time management. As you know, we can be our own worst enemies. Accountability becomes a lot more difficult when you are the only one who has to answer to it.
When Gomez said, “At least you don’t have some boss you know you’re smarter than standing over you…” it hit me like a gust of wind. That’s the factual point I needed to make it through today. In my last position, I LITERALLY developed my boss’s promotional presentation. The rest of that presentation was compliments of Google Search. I would help her draft her emails because her spelling and language were not well versed, and I would even help her with meetings and team incentives. At the time, because these are talents of mine, I thought nothing of it. In retrospect, I essentially helped create something good enough to assist my manager in getting a promotion. Something she herself, admitted, she was not really able to create.
As I sit back and think about that, I worked for a fortune 500 company & one of the LARGEST media conglomerates…I find encouragement in the idea that if it was good enough to excel someone else it must be good enough to excel me. Especially since it is mine. There are many times where I wish I could have been taught how to develop a business plan, how to monetize my talents, or how to generate revenue off of opportunities. I think about how much further children would be if we pumped them with less propaganda and more resources at a young age. If our children left high school with a fully developed business plan ready to give to investors…what type of society would we live in?
Nonetheless, I digress. In the meantime, as I grow into the vision I have held for so long. I love the benefit of having a circle of Y.S.I’s who are still in the process themselves, and have been in the process for years and their survival, experiences, and encouragement is empowering. It is imperative that you keep people in your corner who understand, but also who see the value you have within you. Allow their conversations to cultivate it, and bring it to the front. This is not to bash corporate society, with my own vision I would love to have my own business that is massive and large…but I also understand…sometimes you are the asset but are used to playing the role of the worker. If you are also pursuing your own success, just remember it’s yours. It will, soon enough, inspire someone else to do the same. Allow yourself the time to grow into your position. Progress is a process, see it through.
