No one gives a sh*t about your professional accomplishments.
Seriously, give it up.
I occasionally run into people that put their professional past on a pedestal, and make that part of their introduction to the world.
Those accomplishments, these accolades, this amount of money that they’ve made or the fame they’ve been bestowed by others in their field.
In fact, there’s one person I’m thinking of that’s serving as the inspiration for this article.
The line I kept hearing from this individual was “In my 20 years of experience …”, no matter what topic was on the table. They then proceeded to give some of he worst advice to working professionals that I’ve ever heard. Just godawful strategic direction that would set others up for direction-less, pointless exercises in futility.
Worse, this person was representing “design thinking”, and had very little background or related skills to speak with authority on what they was talking about. This person was a nice enough individual outside of work, but they had absolutely zero perspective on the garbage coming out of their mouth.
It’s a real problem that’s only getting worse with the concept of ‘influencers’.
You can’t be a “life coach” when you’re in your 20’s. You certainly can’t be an ‘expert’ in your 40’s and 50’s when the skills that got you to where you are today aren’t what you actively practice anymore… let alone be relevant in an ever changing market for talent.
I’ve been a working professional for over 30 years now, and I can easily put myself in that aforementioned “super godlike expert” category if I was snorting my own hubris. Hell, I could use that leverage to showcase my point of view as gospel for some disciplines I have a history with.
Moreover, I could list all of my triumphs and career heights, sprinkling in white lies, half truths or outright fabrications of my past engagements. No one would think twice, nor care to double check unless I really go off the reservation with the truth. I could twist it anyway I want for personal gain.
And sadly, that kind of thinking is rampant in the corporate world.
Resumes have become nothing more than creative writing exercises that tell fictional stories of amazing, accomplished professionals that never struggle to find a new job. LinkedIn profiles show us when we were 10 years younger, using descriptive adjectives for the work we did that would never surface in a regular conversation.
It’s the grand facade of professionalism in the modern age that hinders those that need mentors, leadership and perspective. When you put your professional past on a pedestal, you’re assuming the world owes you some gratitude for all the hard work you’ve put in, or all the money you’ve made, or how incredibly f*cking smart you are.
Here’s the thing.
Most people who come to you for help only care about what you can do for them today… right now.
And you’re going to have to start asking yourself…
- What have your previous successes and failures done to prepare you for that conversation?
- Are you going to listen or be prescriptive?
- How do you know when you’re being helpful versus being a royal pain in the ass?
- Are you fully accountable to whatever success or failure happens because of your solicited point of view?
- How has your history prepared you to serve this person who’s coming to you for help?
Do you even care about the other person you’re talking to?
If you’ve done some serious damage in the professional world and have a career you can be proud of, your ongoing purpose should be to elevate and help those that desperately need someone. Whether it’s perspective, advice, whatever… your job is to make them a better professional version of themselves.
No one cares about your past. Keep it to yourself.
Instead, show you give a damn and help someone where there’s absolutely no incentive to do so.
Give without expectation, and cheer from the sidelines when they achieve their dreams on their terms, not yours.
That’s the sign of a true professional.
Join the Kung Fu Writing Challenge
This article is part of the 30 minute writing challenge I’m doing throughout the month of June to help and encourage others to improve upon their writing skills and become better practitioners of prose.
If you’re interested in taking the challenge, check out this article for more information: https://medium.com/dallas-design-sprints/heres-how-to-participate-in-our-month-long-writing-challenge-41ca795a5176
