Getting It

We recently considered the challenge of FALSE PREMISES – flawed principles and practices that take us off the road to our truest Destiny and, not infrequently, off the road altogether.

One of the most disarming false premises is:

“I’m not responsible for what I don’t know.”

Taken to its illogical conclusion, one would have to assume that the primary goal in life is to know as little as possible so as to be responsible for as little as possible! 

The plaintive cry of the Great Unwashed – when called to account and found short – is: “Nobody ever told me that!” … as though, like in grade school, if it were really important, someone would have spoon-fed us or pounded it indelibly into our heads.  Unfortunately, life doesn’t really work that way. 

The truth is that we are not only responsible for “knowing” a lot more than we’re taught, but we have to put what we know – and can figure out – to good use.  Over the years I encountered a significant number of employees who were quite “unknowing” about the work world in which they found themselves, but who – when pressed to the wall – expressed unbounded enthusiasm for taking training courses, which they did ad nauseam.  Their cubicles were, consequently, plastered with training certificates alleging multiple competencies.  Unfortunately, most had few accomplishments of any account to claim for their official time “on the clock”.  Some connection with results seems an ethereal goal for such folks.  It’s a sobering realization that:

“You do NOT get paid for what you know or what you do.

You get paid for what you've DONE!”

Peter Thompson

And, notwithstanding much overdue attention to work-life issues, the work world is not simply an extension of home or family or high school or college or graduate school or anything one will see on television sit-coms or YOU TUBE.  A C-minus will not get you passed on to the next job grade but will likely be a cause for corrective action with eventual dismissal if it continues.  For any kind of advancement, we are expected not just to meet expectations – which are generally “A-grade” in nature – but to exceed them – to add value – to show initiative – to have some “skin in the game” – to show some level of “ownership” – to demonstrate effective self-supervision. 

Several “Inconvenient Truths” are important to consider on cross-examination here:

1)    We’re not nearly as “good” as the self-esteem police would like us to think we are;

2)    We’re not nearly as “good” as we could be;

3)    We’re not nearly as “good” as our mothers tell everyone we are;

4)    It’s probably a stretch to match all the claims on our Resumes; and

5)    We’re not nearly as “good” as we’re going to need to be to advance our career or profession and to earn (note “earn”) our keep at an advanced salary level

Life and living and learning are works-in-progress for the duration.  Doing more, smarter and better is the name of the game.  The stakes get higher.  If we’ve been on the planet for 24 hours beyond the day before yesterday, we should know better and should have increased capacities to do better.  At age 15, we can get by working minimum wage for “pocket money” while we’re living under someone else’s roof with someone else feeding us and paying the bills.  But we’re expected to pull increasing amounts of our own weight with time and with all the opportunities available.  PLUS we’re expected give something back!   

And we can’t simply dial back our “needs” to cover the difference.   We can – and should – dial back our “wants” along the way, but our needs keep expanding over time.  We need: Increasing independence; more “space”’; expanded “creditability"; increased savings for retirement; expanded endorsements; debt reduction; cost of living increases; expanded technical acumen; more reliable transportation; etc.

“Getting It” is an ongoing exploration.  While it doesn’t make life any easier, “Getting It” makes life a lot more manageable.  

Healthy skepticism about how really “special” and “well positioned” we are, accompanied by robust learning and editing skills to assure that we don’t miss anything important or that we don’t royally screw up, is the best insurance against failure.  And due diligence (see “Legitimization”) is a powerful antidote to anxiety, stress and a host of inadequacies, which, together, can eventually be overcome.  Quartermaster