Are you convinced? | Work Series

“I am the best. Believe me, please.”

Read time: under a min.

“I am most suited for this role. You have to believe me.”

That’s the impression we all try making during interviews. We try convincing the interviewer that we match or exceed expectations on each line of the job description.

You have convinced the other side and have now landed the role.

The convincing continues for a few months or years. It may look something as follows:

• Experience – I will apply my knowledge to enable the best outcome for the business.
• Skills – I will use my expertise in creating the finest solutions to business problems.
• Partnership – I will collaborate effectively and drive for collective success.
• Feedback – I will seek input from others to fine-tune my actions for better outcomes.
• Commitment – I will give my best to the business and do everything within my means to win for the company.
• Ownership – Even if the problems don’t belong to me, I will take charge and get the job done.

Over time, the overpowering and relentless “I will do my best for this job” attitude starts to fade, and a sense of entitlement seeps in.

Now, the attributes discussed above are still the same, with a slight change in its response. The adjusted details for the job now appear as follows:

• Experience – I am not gaining any more experience doing the same thing over and over again.
• Skills – The company hasn’t done much for my training but expects me to solve new worlds’ problems. I can only do what I know.
• Partnership – I will hold my share of the bargain and expect the same from my partners. I feel I do more than my partners.
• Feedback – I don’t appreciate being criticized by everyone. Don’t they know they have flaws of their own that I don’t point out?
• Commitment – I do what I can, and the company can’t have unreasonable expectations from me. After all, I have a life too.
• Ownership – I will only do my part and expect others to own the problem. We need to set boundaries and clear job description.

We begin so well, but along the way, things change. It’s not the job, but our attitude.

A beginners’ mindset is all that we need. Even if you are convinced that you are doing all you can, there is still some more room for improvement.

If anyone needs any more convincing, it’s not others but ourselves.

Thank you for reading.

Until next week.

Razak
CommonInterest