What is Digg?82 Comments
- daeyeth, on 10/12/2007, -11/+61How to be fake basically, right? I don't like how business is all politics. Bunch of *****. I like who I am and I don't care what they think of me.
- prot0col, on 10/12/2007, -5/+36I agree with you but sometimes you need to act the part.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -8/+21"Ask Men"--what a bunch of metrosexual yuppie *****.
- deadbaby, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14This article shoudl be called "How to sell out and act like a loyal plastic robot for the man"
- clumsyninja, on 10/12/2007, -4/+17"Do you know how your colleagues perceive you?"
MFers think I'm gay. - pdrap, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Is it fake to work at home in the nude, but falsely lead everyone on the conference call to believe you're wearing clothes?
- mianos, on 10/12/2007, -3/+11If you don't like lying and ***** and you are more interested in being youself you might want to read last a post on a similar theme from last week:
http://digg.com/links/CEOs_say_how_you_treat_a_waiter_can_predict_a_lot_about_character.
Hmm, .. that one is written by an industry leader not some two bit turkey no one has ever heard of.
Let's face it, this guy is still in the 80s with crap like this: "Look the part
Dress appropriately and speak well. Know the corporate policies and lingo. Be prepared for meetings and be sure your workspace looks organized." - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Gossiping is rude and office politics is unprofessional... Maybe everyone else is in need of behavioral correction.
- TheWalkingDude, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6"How am I not myself?" - I Heart Huckabees
***** Personal Propaganda. - Jugalator, on 10/12/2007, -2/+8"I like who I am and I don't care what they think of me."
Well, this is a dangerous stance to take, but if you happen to find a job where being very individual and uncaring isn't a problem, then it isn't of course, but there are so many jobs out there where customer relations are important, and then you simply have to care what others think of you. - mahmoodsdotjpg, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7utter *****. here's a guideline for work that your bosses will appreciate: keep it real but be respectful. people want to hear the truth.
also depends on the size of the company. in my experience, the smaller the company, the more irreverent behavior is tolerated. - boinx, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6can i sit down while im waiting to be chosen? its so tiring watching all this.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6You can't disprove that. At best, if you follow the kind of steps recommended by this website, your coworkers will think you are bisexual and trying to cover.
- Phantomwhale, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Yeah, I recall having this viewpoint on the whole work politics game. I just want to be me and not play that game.
Unfortunaltey, five years later, I realise that you can't choose not to play the politics game - by "not playing the politics game" you are in effect automatically losing the game.
The article is just tips on watching the thornier edges of a personality that may prevent you getting ahead at work. It only hints at minor corrections, the sort we make every day to fit into modern society, that might help preception of yourself at work.
Feel free to ignore it all and "be yourself" and "not play the politics game". Just be aware that the consequences might be professionally being left behind as more team-oriented corparate culture freindly (and undoubtedly poorer skilled) workers move ahead.
It sucks (a bit) but it's the rules. And we're not talking about being robots, we're just talking about being professional and mature at work. If that's not for you, then that's fine. Some people arn't as career minded as others. But as I grow older, I realise a few of these tips might get me those better roles that seem slightly out of my grasp right now (can't be a code-monkey forever !) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6I'm pretty sure nerds get this one a lot. But if it helps, I think your coworkers are gay.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6blech, society fanboys.
- afrazkhan, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5
... aaaand that's the main reason being self employed is so wonderful :)
If a customer is giving me crap, I tell them (politely) to go jump.
I am the accounts department, relationshions department, tech department, CEO et al. of company Me. "You have a problem with the way I'm dressed, okay I'll just pass it on to customer relations ... oh, they said you can go jump off a cliff, so sorry".
I'm there to work, not look pretty and play ridiculous games evolved from the playground. Funny how being professional is looked at as being unprofessional in the business world.
In case any of the suits here are wondering, yes I'm doing rather well in my work, so no my attitude hasn't effected how much I earn. Oh and I'm in I.T., which I'd say is the number one area where you want to be self employed (to get away from clueless management). - Izzie, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4title is not precise enough it is misleading.
the article is a how to act as a good employee in a corporate environment. - filovirus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Hey Clum, I wish I knew how to quit you
- Moocat, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Quote:
"1- They think you're lazy
Take initiative
Ask for more responsibilities and go above and beyond your call of duty at work. No matter how full your schedule is, you need to be seen working harder."
What the *****? "No matter how full your schedule is, you need to be seen working harder." If your boss thinks you're being lazy when you have a 7AM to 7PM schedule, it's time to find a new job. I realize there's a push to put in more hours but you're just screaming for burnout, depression and high health risks. Very few people can handle a 12 hour workday physically and even less can handle it mentally. If your boss/people who are important can't recognize your achievements, it's time to start dusting off your resume.
Out of 150 people in my work "area" I can name about 2 who can put forth 12 to 14 hour workdays effectively, and they're not the most socially acceptable people I know.
When (not if) you have these problems, you need to get it straight with the one person who matters, your boss. If he knows you work hard, come in on time, get your stuff done, and can act in a proffesional manner, the rumors poof.
From personal experience (I'll let you guess which rumor was circulating about me) just making sure your boss knows what you're up to can solve a lot of problems. The rumor I was "lazy" vanished into the night when I made sure he knew EVERYTHING I was working on, including extracuricular activities (volunteer work, etc.). I haven't heard a peep about it in 3 years since I started the habit of doing that and documenting everything I do. - canadianguy33, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3haha Joshua, what stereotype are you referring to? I've got some time between my next hockey game and my daily seal clubbing regiment so if you'd like to drop by for a discussion I can clean up my igloo. lol
Seriously, what's so stereo typical about my response? - telsayMagrue, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3They think you are tired: Get some rest!
They think you eat too much: eat less!
They think you raise armadillos: stop raising armadillos! - modian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4This "story" reeks of Fark-esque sponsored link placement.
I know it almost certainly isn't, but it sure feels that way. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Will I be shot for saying that's a stereotypically Canadian comment?
- Speck, on 10/12/2007, -6/+9"I like who I am and I don't care what they think of me."
I can't tell you how many applicants for web developer and designer positions I've rejected that have interviewed with me carrying that same attitude. It ain't about "kissing ass" or being a "tool"...it's about showing respect, demonstrating competence, and displaying an understanding of societal decorum that would make you an attractive prospect to work with.
The company that hires someone who doesn't care about such things is, in my experience, not a company worth working for.
It's great that you like yourself, but with that "I don't care" crap, all I can do is wish you good luck. My bet? You're either 1) under 23, 2) living off mommy and daddy, or 3) working at a job you can't stand, thinking it's their, not your, fault. - inkswamp, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Great article, especially if your goal in life is to become another ineffectual corporate drone who is perfectly happy doing as you're told and never questioning whether or not things could be done differently. I'm not surprised that the people I've worked with who most closely adhere to these types of guidelines are also the people who don't seem to be able to produce anything or actually do anything outside the corporate/business structure. If you're good at pushing around numbers and having endless meetings and not doing anything else that really matters outside in the real world, then this list is indispensible to you. Print it out. Hang it up at your desk, in an innocuous and perfectly bland way that won't offend or upset anyone.
> All the jugheads who've taken offense at the article need to grow up.
Why? Do the comments those "jugheads" are making hit a little too close to home?
Dunno about you, but the people I've worked with who are genuinely impressive, creative and intelligent and actually know how to do something beyond paperwork and meetings would have no use for these guidelines. The problem is that you can't simultaneously do great work and worry about how you're perceived. You're always going to be causing some trouble if you're going to get anything worthwhile done. That's just the way it works. From what I've seen, the only way to maintain a great image is to behave in ways that basically get nothing done. Fortunately, I work in an environment currently where that seems to be understood and there's not so much time spent worrying about it. I couldn't imagine dealing with anything else. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I could add, while it is true that you don't want to be a "clown", you don't want to be a "nerd" either.
Please.
Can you believe people say life changes after high school? If anything, it becomes worse. As in MORE high school-like. People think it changed because they finally found an in-crowd that would accept them, or they became more fake, or they're just lying about it being different because denial is part of their fake regimen. I mean, what do they think high school is? It's a goddamn dress rehearsal.
***** this fitting in *****. The only solution is to do the hiring yourself. - allisonaxe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3changing people's perception of you is easy! you just try to pursuade them, and this little disc with four slices appears.. you have to click on the two slices that make them like you when it has the biggest piece of the pie!
- RobotCitizen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Unfortunately, the workplace = high school. Same gossip, same petty maneuvering, same cliques. You can't change it, you can only try to not get burned by it. As was stated above, you gotta play the game at least a little, but you don't have to become a fake person. People see through that anyway.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4@Speck
That attitude couldn't have anything to do with years of intense socialization, could it? - H2SO4, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3'"Ask Men"--what a bunch of metrosexual yuppie *****' AGREED!
Enough with this BS....find a company you fit into instead of working for a bunch of fake Aholes.
Digg for bring this to our attention... - paulrus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2They moved me to the basement and then they took my Swingline stapler. One day I'm going to burn this place to the ground.
- MattS, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3For now, it is. But perhaps its time that Digg broadened its horizons beyond technology. Seems the people here have jumpped on this non-tech article...
- bonlebon, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2A word of advice: do your work, learn the trade. Don't think just for being a "good or well percieved guy" you won't fall victim of backstabing or gossip, never mind the dimwits, knowing your stuff will keep you working a n y w h e r e because you can d e l i v e r, that's what any business bottom line would care about.
- yahoofrom, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It is pretty a sad truth that Person A judge Person B not by what B actually are, but by how much B have similarity to someone named C who A hates or how much B have similarity to someone named D who A loves.
But it is pretty nice if you can take advantages of that sad truth. - 71M80, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This = the first step to becoming a paroniod person.
- abhim8, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be."
Kurt Vonnegut - canadianguy33, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Nothing really new in this article and although the premise is accurate it's over simplified.
I agree pretty much agree with jemnery though I think what he's pointed out is also a bare bones explanation of the truth. The truth being that those that 'play the game' well, will adapt their 'game' when dealing with individuals. It's not a matter of being 'fake' rather it's more of an effort to be sincere and attentive to the people you're dealing with. You're not selling yourself out trying to being genuinely interested in the people around you or the way they percieve you. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"If a customer is giving me crap, I tell them (politely) to go jump."
Being your own boss rocks! Most people lack the courage to give it a shot on their own. Screw them!
If they haven't even got the guts to try something different that could be a life changing experience for them, but instead carry on making someone else rich then they deserve having to play 'the game'.
Working for yourself means you still have to play a game, but YOU write the rules! - KoZo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The world is a big stage, we are all actors in it
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wrong on both counts, in my case at least:
"utter *****. here's a guideline for work that your bosses will appreciate: keep it real but be respectful. people want to hear the truth."
- Nope, doesn't work that way in my company. The managing director is from a sales/marketing background and he typically wants impossible things done yesterday. Keeping it real makes him blow up and chew everyone out. What works here is agreeing (sort of) to meet him halfway, even though us engineers know it can't be done. Most often, after a couple of weeks the guy forgets what he asked for and we come up with some stuff which works, and promise to deliver some more stuff in a couple of weeks.
"also depends on the size of the company. in my experience, the smaller the company, the more irreverent behavior is tolerated."
- Not here. The boss here is an egomaniac. People must kowtow to him and agree with everything said, else face excommunication. People must report to work sharp at 8.00am, else an 'official' memo is sent if you're 5 minutes late (heck this is not a factory production line, we're in software for godsakes). In my experience with larger companies, it all depends on your supervisor. I've had all sorts of them... geeks, marketing guys, 'straight managers', etc. - sTiVo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I read this article addresses how to change people's reputation of you, not change you. It's basically saying that if you want to be taken seriously at work, you need to be professional at work, and leave the womanizing, nose piercings, crude jokes, etc., for after work.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2When interviewing employers, you need to ensure that a) they track actual job performance and b) base promotion decisions on those statistics. Too many corporations either outright tell their employees that personality is more important than ability or keep detailed statistics and ONLY use them when they reflect poorly on people with non-conformist personalities (if those people have the best numbers in the building, the numbers don't exist). Find out before you start and save yourself a lot of headaches.
- rwheeler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"They think you raise armadillos: stop raising armadillos!"
That's the most random thing I ever heard. Thumbs up.
And for the record, this article is not about being fake OR being yourself. It's talking about being your BEST self. What's your date going to think of you when you show up with your shirt wrinkled and on backwards? - inspector32, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1What a bunch of crap.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Interesting. Every comment I made in this thread was downmodded overnight, as if by one person. I wish I'd taken note of all the other ratings. Someone may just be down/upmodding along party lines. But, if that is what happened, why is the most recent comment from someone who supports my point of view? It looks more like revenge modding.
It would be nice if we had some tools for investigating the source and time of mods. - SpectreBlofeld, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3This is not ***** or 'faking it.' Unless you're a personal business owner and can shape a company based on your own image, the fact is that you're being paid to represent a company's policies and be a productive worker. Also, if you RTFA, it isn't really about pretending at all - it's more of a guide on how to actually change your work behavior and attitude. I recently made a career change in which I had to cut off shoulder-length hair and a scraggly beard and trade in my jeans for suits and ties, and part of the changes that were required included my attitude and demeanor at work. You may not enjoy smiling all the time or learning how to play golf just to impress your boss, but I bet you wouldn't like to stack crates all day in a hot warehouse or mop floors, even if it means you get to 'be yourself.'
I, for one, appreciated the article and thought it was well-written. - LucidParody, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1wtf? let me sumerize the article:
Do people think you're X? Then be not X. - Jugalator, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Hmm, I agree with some things in the article, but it goes on with cutting down on laughs and not being a "clown", and while of course going overboard with it isn't right, there's still a balance to be found there. Laughing and having humor is often a great way to aid building your connections to your co-workers on a social level, which in turn and together with other positive impressions of you can help in getting you well integrated in the company and even gaining new opportunities in the future.
- brandonking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Wow. This was really helpful. I mean, I never thought that if people perceived me as lazy I should do more work. Of if I joke too much, I should try acting serious. If you need this "How to" it's obvious you don't know that when you're thirsty you should drink some type of liquid, and are therefore dead.
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