Surviving the Corporate Culture
Corporate culture refers to the beliefs and behaviours that determine how a company’s employees and management interact and handle outside business transactions. Corporate culture frequently emerges naturally over time from the collective characteristics of the employees a firm recruits, rather than being explicitly defined.
A company’s culture will be reflected in its dress code, business hours, office setup, employee benefits, turnover, hiring decisions, client satisfaction and every other aspect of operations.
Many of us have been through internships, businesses and jobs, yet it’s understandable if several people are uncertain about how to survive at their jobs or internships for that matter.
Being a fresher in the corporate world is like Alice in Wonderland.
That said, here are a few practical key steps that you can take to aid your survival in the corporate world.
Building strong connections
Social reach and connections are great tools one can wield, be it working in a high-level or a low-level organization. This results in higher chances of promotion, growth expansion, a larger radius of opportunities and much more.
Frequently, these personal relationships come into play and can make a big difference.
Be in touch with colleagues even if you happen to quit the job, so that you can have the backups to tap into when everything else fails.
However there’s a dark side to it; the corporate world is filled with distinctive people, as any society is. You will meet people with good intentions and even those with crooked ones. Maintain a cordial relationship with everyone but don’t have blind trust. This approach can ensure survival in the business world, so use caution while remaining friendly. Beware but be friendly, this is a trick that can ensure survival in a corporate world.
You can also build connections by developing skills.
Developing adroitness/expertise
The more expertise you gain, the additional facets you understand about a company’s operations and the more valuable assets you hold. To learn is to grow. Just because you finished your formal education does not mean that your learning halts. There’s no harm in developing multiple skills, but you obviously have to invest some time and energy.
If you want to ensure that you climb up the corporate ladder, then modernize your skills and knowledge by taking new courses, attending seminars and workshops and also taking up new responsibilities in your office.
By doing so you’ll gain attention and will become proactive.
Being dynamic
Identifying and resolving the issues before they turn into problems can be a charming trait. Learn to pay attention to details, be it reading and replying to emails, going through each and every point for the meeting, managing the calendar, proofreading your report or even memorizing the names of people, these nitty-gritty details will help you much in your career.
The optimum time to take risks in the corporate world is in the beginning.
Explore new paths, take up new responsibilities and don’t be afraid to take risks in the job. It will undoubtedly present fresh learning opportunities. Being dynamic is contagious, you will make your colleagues proactive just by being around them. And voila!! Suddenly you find yourself surrounded by people who will get inspired by your presence. This will lead to people looking up at you.
Being utterly reliable
If you can make yourself a “go-to person”, counted on by everyone throughout the organization, it will be an excellent reputation to have. As we saw, being proactive will attract people, but being reliable is the bonding key for those people that will make them stay with you throughout the corporate journey.
This will in return increase your connections, therefore your social status. If you look closely you’ll notice that all these things are interconnected; you start with baby steps and soon you’ll find that you have started a chain reaction.
Don’t worry about coming early to the office. But whether you remain out late or arrive early, do take precautions to minimise your visibility.
Emails you send from home will be timestamped, allowing others to see that you were working even if you weren’t. If you’ve worked a weekend, ensure it’s known by the higher authorities. Be at your desk when it matters, and always be punctual.
I know it’s a silly game, but you have to play if you want to survive and strive.
Being remarkably collaborative
Being a team player that can collaborate effectively with other employees makes you valuable in the game. Participate in team activities enthusiastically and offer a hand where you can. When you show your team spirit, you will be automatically admired and you will have an easy time being a part of the office group.
Be agreeable, at least when it matters. Understand that doing your job isn’t good enough; you need to make life easier for those above you. Confrontation will only end up hurting you.
I know this feels counter-intuitive, and that’s exactly what it is. Your expertise and experience have prepared you for your position, but you must learn to budge and submit when called upon. Fitting in is essential if you want to succeed and advance in your career. You must adapt to your surroundings.
One Final advice:
Accept that everyone has their own agenda, and even your closest work friends will be trying to roll the dice in their favour.
There will always be conversations behind closed doors, favouritism, and opportunities selectively given. There will be times when you’ll feel things are unfair or you’re left behind.
Get used to it or it will shatter you, cause you to become angry and noisy, and you’ll be ready to be culled.
And that brings us to the end of the basic and important steps, but wait. If you ask me whether these survival hacks are foolproof then I wouldn’t be so sure. Because there’s absolutely no guarantee of anything in life or the corporate world for that matter. But yes they’ll definitely be of help when you use them wisely and conductively… also a little improvisation would be a cherry on the cake. In conclusion, I recommend the book ‘The Infinite Game’ by Simon Sinek, an inspirational speaker, who motivated me to write this article.
References:
[https://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2012/11/07/corporate-survival-skills-practical-tips-to-help-you-keep-your-job-in-tight-times/?sh=6890f6095e3a]
