If you’ve read my blogs, you’ve probably realized I like to make corollaries.
Dorothy’s journey began with a terrible tornado that seemingly swept her off to a different land. In reality, the story was all a dream sequence. But within that dream, we can take away important lessons learned that sometimes we don’t fully see until the end of our own career journey. If only they would teach us these things in school!
Careers start out as a dream we pursue after years of education and
In Dorothy’s trip to the Land of Oz, she was directed to follow the yellow brick road to reach the Great Oz. He in turn would be able to assist Dorothy in returning to Kansas. So even in our fairy tale, we see that there will be others who may impact our ability to reach our ultimate goal.
Our educational years form the framework of knowledge, a bit like the path of the yellow brick road. What we aren’t aware of are those obstacles that may appear at various times in disguise but indeed be challenges to reaching our goal. (Things like the flying monkey’s that periodically seem to appear from nowhere.) But I’m straying from the path a bit too quickly so let’s continue.
Lesson One – “We are not in Kansas anymore Toto!”
The step from the world of academia to the world of Corporate America is a big one. It is one that will be very different than anything you’ve experienced before. Just like you may have experienced in high school, there will be leaders and followers. There will be heroes and bullies and there will be the “in group” and the “not so in group”. You will be asked to do things you may not understand or you may question. That doesn’t mean those things are wrong (or right). But you are now responsible for your own actions. No more falling back on Auntie Emm! It is up to you now. So make sure you understand, take responsibility for your own actions and ask questions. (Isn’t that part of what
Lesson Two – There will be friends along the way
Just like Dorothy meeting her friends the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion; you too will find friends along the way. And just like Dorothy’s friends, you may find that some of the individuals you meet lack a heart, a brain or worst of all, courage. But unlike Dorothy’s innocent friends who longed for those traits, the ones you meet may not recognize (or care) that they actually do not display those characteristics in everyday life. Often, people are inherently focused on their own futures and those of their loved ones. It is only natural. This is where the tough part comes in. The ability to identify true friends versus potential foes is not always easy. It is called politics in the corporate world. You may not want to “play” politics but you need to understand how they work and why because they are a very important part of any culture. The other important aspect is learning how politics evolve not only in individual corporate cultures but over a period of time. Don’t underestimate the role of obtuse things like
Lesson Three –“A heart, a brain and courage”
Some may view this part as a bit pessimistic. But we all know from the last 20 years of Corporate America, there have been numerous incidents of personnel not displaying the existence of “a heart”, “a brain” or even “courage”. Although in school they have classes that discuss organizational theory, unless you really study the aspects of psychology it is tough to comprehend that professionals in the business world could actually lack the ability to display these traits. But if you are in the working world long enough, you will find the periodic instance of individuals who will pursue a goal at all cost and that cost may appear to you as the absence of “heart” or feeling. In other cases, you may question “Did they really do what I think they did?” (lack of a brain). Yes, this indeed may happen. Sometimes it is truly unintentional because the person processes things in a different manner than someone else might. At other times they just simply didn’t think things through completely. Unfortunately, that person may sometimes be your supervisor and you will have to summon up the “courage” to question the issue. In reality, that should be ok as long as you question in the proper political manner. But again, the world isn’t perfect and you must be prepared for reactions that are not those that you may logically think are appropriate.
Lesson Four – There are good witches and there are bad witches
The trouble is….you can’t always easily tell them apart. When my high school did our production of the Wizard of Oz, the good witch and the bad witch were played by twin sisters. Although they were not identical twins, they were very difficult to physically tell apart. But for those of us who really knew them, our theatre director did a pretty good job of casting. It is not like one of the girls was “bad” and the other “good”; but there were some unique characteristics that made them perfect for their individual parts. So, remember, in the real world the good and the bad aren’t always “dressed for the part”. It can be very deceiving and you may believe someone is your ally when indeed they have another agenda. So who can you trust? This is one of those “learning with experience” traits that come with being around the culture and the organization. Maybe the best advice is don’t trust to soon. Listen, watch, learn and in time you will start noticing the individual signs that will tell you whether someone is a friend or foe. Keep in mind; this is also very true for when you reach the manager level. There are lots of lessons for a manger that fall outside the scope of this blog but one thought is “avoid playing the friend”. That can get you into lots of trouble. In addition to being possibly seen as playing favorites, there is always that theory about “when the cat’s away the mice will play”. (Yep! It does happen)
Lesson Five – Reaching Oz
When you finally believe you are nearing your overall goal, be prepared for that unexpected road block or “man behind the curtain”. It happens to all of us, regardless of how far up or far down the ladder you are. You’ve worked hard; you feel your work is or should be appreciated. You’ve climbed the ladder to a certain level and are optimistic about continuing on that path. Then, opps….that little tiny dog pulls back the curtain and you realize that what you thought may lie ahead of you in reaching your dream is not exactly what you expected. This could be anything from unexpected changes with your employer, boss or even a change in responsibilities. The key here is: “Do what Dorothy did”. When the little man from Kansas flew off in his balloon leaving Dorothy behind, she learned (from the good witch) that she always had the power within her to return home. Just like Dorothy, regardless of what obstacles fly in your path, you have the power within yourself to determine how to step over those obstacles and continue your journey. That may mean an unexpected job change or even life change. But you must believe in yourself, click those red shoes and ultimately reach your personal goal.
Final Lesson – Knowing way too much about “The Wizard of Oz”
Ok, I admit it…… I know a bit too much about the movie. It was always one of my favorites and that high school play I mentioned earlier; well I portrayed Dorothy in the musical. But I think there are lessons that can be much more than fairy tale talk. Think about all the challenges Dorothy faced and how she was able to overcome those challenges. She helped her “friends” realize that they did have a heart, a brain and courage and she was able to safely return to her family and home in Kansas. Ultimately, isn’t that what it is all about? There may be something at the end of that rainbow after all; it just may be a little different than you first envisioned. Work shouldn’t define your life. When all is said and done, who will remember if you made that 8 a.m. meeting or not? (And do you really care if they do?) :)))
By Lynn Fountain, CGMA, CRMA, MBA