Welcome back to another episode of corporate Cowboys the corporate Cowboys podcast I’m your host Alex as always and this is season seven episode 12. proof of life for this one is Thursday February 2nd 2023 and without further Ado we’re gonna jump right into another 30-minute console
Again these are free these are free why because I got 30 minutes to hand out right even though I charge by the hour even though I bill my time sometimes down to six minutes sometimes down to six minute increments because that’s just how I get down in my professional life
These are free for those individuals who got caught lacking are stuck inside of corporate who believe they’re stuck their mind hasn’t grasped hasn’t completely understood the Paradigm in which they find themselves in which is the corporate world order you see you [ __ ] up somehow along the way you
Either took the blue pill or you took the red pill and read it out right like like when you green out and you threw it up you don’t remember what the [ __ ] happened right you uh complied with some type of mandate because you felt like you had to
In order to keep your job in order to feed your kids in order to pay your car note or your house note and you feel like you’ve got no options you you are demoralized and you’re you might be depressed you might be going through uh seasonal what’s it called
Seasonal effective depression or some [ __ ] like that you might be just sad right it’s not it you’re just in a rut you might need that spark lit up under your ass don’t take this as motivation take this as instigation you need to wake the [ __ ] up and move because if you don’t move
You’ll get left behind you get caught lacking they gonna give you a chance to reach into to reach over to your holster pull your peace they’ll just say their peace and leave you but I digress I’m ranting now right the question for today comes out of r slash career guidance
And this question is asking for advice it’s asking can I refuse to work with a co-worker right off the bat let me tell you why you [ __ ] up with the question right because your co-worker should just be a colleague right and if you’re asking for permission in
Advance whether or not you can work or choose not to work with the co-worker you’re not taking into consideration the fact that you are your own person you are a professional damn near a corporate Cowboy if you know how to handle yourself if you know how to conduct yourself professionally if
You know how to move within and about corporate the corporate world is your oyster no lies no cap the corporate world is your oyster it is what you make of it it is what you allow to happen so if you have to ask yourself can I
Refuse to work with a co-worker can I stop working with the co-worker for any number of reasons maybe you just don’t like their face it’s called being entry level forever for a reason I mean you aren’t even entitled to a job right you fight for it you put your name
On the line you sign the dotted line you signed up for the corporate world order you signed up to partake participate voluntarily you signed to be part of the corporate War whether or not you realize that whether or not you wake up to that fact again
It might be something that I cannot help you with until that realization Dawns on you so let’s read the body of this question it’s asking or essentially it’s letting us know it’s telling us that I’ve been working for corporate for four years now okay they’ve been working the corporate
Four years now so they’ve got experience under their belt they’ve made a couple of Bones earned a couple of Stripes if that makes sense they’ve been around in the same organization mind you so they must know this joint at least their Department right at least their division at least their immediate hierarchy and
Their circle of influence they must know within four years as a corporate at four years is a lot of time 365 times four and one of those is 366. within four years you ought to know where you stand you ought to know your position not only in life because you
Have to figure that out you need to have that figured out before you even sign the line but you’ve signed the line and you’ve been in this you’ve been doing work for four years you ought to know exactly what your position is within the organization within the organizational hierarchy what your role
Is in creating or reproducing the corporate culture right that being said it says in the last year and a half I’ve been placed to work with a co-worker that is highly underperforming and raised multiple times my concerns with my superiors with little to no results it sounds like a problem man it sounds
Like they don’t take you seriously what are you a [ __ ] Junior are are you are you the one with the least amount of time on the organization is everybody else there is everybody has everyone else there been with the organization for more than four years or I mean you must have
Either no wait to throw around or no reputation no credibility for them not to heed your complaints for them not to consider your productivity and your Professional Health your professional development right because I feel like the word health is thrown around a lot in 2023 thrown around a lot period lately right
Health this health that healthy this healthy these nuts right if they’re not considerate of your professional developments within their own firm when you raise valid concerns about somebody else’s performance and how it’s impacting not just your own development but the organization’s objective that’s an issue it’s a cause for concern
Because they’re not leading they’re not even managing they’re just letting [ __ ] go by and you’re sweeping it under under the rug potentially could be covering it up maybe this underperforming employee is you know got maybe they got some juice maybe they’re connected maybe they’re somebody’s kid somebody’s nephew maybe
They maybe they’re in the organization because somebody higher up did a favor did somebody else a solid and hey uh go ahead and give my guy give my my girl here give give my person a little leniency a little preference if you will with a job at your firm I’ll pay you
Back I’ll make it up somehow I owe you one right hey it happens it’s not unheard of it says continuing this this has created problems on my projects my productivity and my mental health yo I [ __ ] called it I called it I don’t know why your mental health is an issue
I would say your Professional Health right your professional development because that’s also got to impact some way somehow you act personally with this co-worker and maybe that might spill over to your other colleagues your other associates [ __ ] even your supervisors if this co-worker is dragging down your projects your teams
I mean you’re gonna have a darker shade of professionalism if that makes sense it sounds a little esoteric now but maybe if you re-listen to this episode it’ll click for you having heard it a second time or a third time but you take on a darker shade of
Professionalism just to get [ __ ] done just to have to pick up the slack on this [ __ ] who’s dragging their feet right it does things to people as far as mental health goes I mean don’t get mad don’t get sad be glad this [ __ ] might be giving you an opportunity to grind
To grind enough to grind enough that it weakens their position and allows you to shine it’s not necessarily a bad thing it’s a bad thing that they’re not being productive okay but you turn that and scrutinize it analyze the situation be aware grow aware tactically strategically for the opportunity to be even better
Yo it takes being creative it takes creativity to be a corporate Cowboy this [ __ ] does not come easy for some it comes easier than others but it’s not I mean for some it might be natural for others just because of the way they were raised the way they were socialized conditioning
Other training it may not come to them as innately as it comes to others there might be different aspects of my life where this type of creativity this type of innovation doesn’t come as easily as it does to my associates to my colleagues but I know organizations enough I know organizational management enough
I’ve studied people I’ve studied groups of people and organizations I’ve studied politics organizational politics enough to know when there is opportunity and opportunity is abound opportunities [ __ ] everywhere this person who’s [ __ ] the bed gives you the opportunity to either change the sheets but but you do it in a way that
You don’t get any [ __ ] on your hands or it also opens the door to you striking in a match throwing it on that [ __ ] while he sleeps in the bed that they made he or she I don’t give a [ __ ] this is Corporate War
All is fair All is fair and Love and War as long as you come out better for it in business is better because of it continuing because I’m ranting I know I’m breaking this down piece by piece paragraph by paragraph but you need to realize that this is a change in mindset
That’s required in order to move and adapt on the Fly even you’ve got to be able to turn on a dime and go from being a professional to being a weapon and weaponizing what you know because knowledge is power knowledge can be weaponized and you need to arm yourself with with knowledge
Or something material you know something that’s got some weight behind it some Kickback if you will some recoil knowledge first though no Last Resorts no Last Resorts knowledge first all right continuing it says in the last few months they have been placed I’m assuming this is the underperforming employee
In the last few months they have been placed to work also with other people and recently I have been given another colleague to help me with much better results that’s good that’s good that’s a change of pace right it says now it appears though that more people have complained about the person
Underperforming and I have been informed they will remove the better colleague from my project and place the underperforming one instead dog what so they’re gonna take the colleague that’s been doing better they’re gonna take your team member that’s been doing better on your project and replace it with the [ __ ] up
With the one that’s not doing [ __ ] with the with the one that’s [ __ ] the bed that’s that’s [ __ ] up the bag that’s fumbling the ball they’re gonna I mean I don’t know how smart that is maybe uh there could be ulterior motives again we don’t know it could be a favor
That’s being done for somebody they’re just moving this person around until they find a position outside of the organization right maybe they’re just a place filler for the time being we don’t know what we do know is that it’s [ __ ] up our productivity and it’s impacting the way we do work
I get it I get it it’s a cause for concern don’t get frustrated it might seem fresh it might seem frustrating in the moment but do not let it overtake you do not let it overwhelm you emotionally or or irrationally right remain objective remain logical remain tactful
It says I already commented on the fact that I don’t accept this decision but I will have a proper conversation with my boss tomorrow okay good you’ve asserted your position you’ve asserted your stance on having to take on this underperforming uh co-worker this underperforming employee onto your project
You know with the potential that you’re gonna have to either pick up the slack or distribute it to others right the only other alternative before all of that is kicking this motherfucker’s ass you’re gonna be male or female again I give two [ __ ] but aside from kicking their ass into gear
Lighting a firecracker under that person’s ass You’re Gonna Go the formal route and I respect you for that I respect you for that you you’re maintaining a professional front right unless unless you’re a manager on the project unless you’re a project manager right then you could escalate for more
Complaints you could treat this [ __ ] like the piece of [ __ ] that he is a little bit more right don’t [ __ ] cross the line either right but you can expose them you can uh break their ankles or kneecap them as they say and just expose them for the piece of [ __ ] that they are
At the same time I mean you still want to deliver on the project don’t make your group look bad for the sake of exposing this [ __ ] no no if anything you want to keep it all internal have it handled in-house if you will taking care of uh by senior leadership
With compliments to your service right it says I already commented on the fact I do not accept this decision but I will have a proper conversation with my boss tomorrow okay I feel I’ve been put in a position where I’m unable to work and almost forced to resign
Damn it’s serious like that forced to resign again or how important are you you’re four years into this game with the same organization we don’t know the the the age the sex of this of the of this original poster of the op right we don’t know the age the sex the industry
That they’re in their past experience their education these are all questions that I would take on on in on intake right when if I’m conducting a first interview an initial interview these are questions that I want to get out on the table so that I can apply some context some contextual facts
As far as whether or not they even have leverage to leave right whether or not they’ve got some kind of bargaining chip in order to either Force this person out or have the organization reconsider replacing and and and moving around these employees because they’re [ __ ] up productivity it could be in their eyes
That the productivity of this other project where the better performing colleague is going it could just be more important more of a priority and they’re relegating a second priority to yours right that’s not to say that you’re not important again if you’re a project if if you’re
Not a project manager I’m sorry to say but you’re just another employee right you’re just another employee and uh it could be cause for getting closer to that last resort yo if this [ __ ] is threatening your professional career because they’re not pulling their weight yo you watching you
I would say pick up the slack but not pick up that vest pick up that that weight around their neck enough to hang them with it right and a little and a little Stranglehold of sorts and tell him not to come back you could force them out to reside how is it that
An underperforming employee is causing you to consider to resign how are you exposing them for the piece of [ __ ] that they are for the drag on company resources on departmental resources on group resources just the drag that they are not making them feel bad I mean there are some
Psychopaths out there I get it understandably it happens but if you can’t make them aware of the deficit that they create on productivity to the point where they feel bad and want to leave on their own accord you know some uh extra professional measures might be in order but you’re
Doing right first by going to Senior Management I don’t know about almost forced to resign I mean you need to really evaluate your position again you’re four years into this really evaluate your position in life professionally in the organization and within the industry given your past experience and your education
Whether or not that’s marketable outside of the firm outside of the organization you’re currently at the last paragraph it says what could be the consequences if I refuse to work with the underperformer is there any way that I could explain clearly my point of view to my boss without putting myself in Jeopardy
Based on that last paragraph because it’s two questions right the first question is asking for what are the consequences if I refuse to work with the co-worker right if I refuse to work with this other employee then the second one is how to clearly explain their point of view
Professionally I take it obviously because you don’t want to walk into the office and be like yo uh yo Dave this [ __ ] is is [ __ ] the bed at this [ __ ] up the project doesn’t pull their weight it’s really making us look bad out there on the field right I
Get it I get it but first we want to know what the consequences are and to get to the consequences you have to think like your supervisor you have to think like a competent leader of the organization itself right if you refuse to work with this co-worker well how much work
Can you get done without this co-worker is it possible or is this the type of project where where the participation factor is something so critical something so involved something so integrated that it can’t be done with this code like without this co-worker like they they have to be there they have to be
Present ask yourself that right because if you can’t deliver the project everybody suffers right and that might be the cause that that might be that might result in others picking up the slack and potentially having to cover for this underperforming employee which shouldn’t be happening right I
Mean again I don’t know what your situation is but if you can’t expose this co-worker somehow because maybe they they’re just tied in like that maybe they sucked enough dick again male or female give two [ __ ] maybe they sucked enough dick maybe they got the juice right maybe
They’re like a legacy of somebody else somebody else’s kid who sucked dick right maybe maybe they were placed maybe they were appointed to that position right it wasn’t that they applied you’ve got to be cognizant of all that as a corporate Cowboy there are more questions
That I have for you to ask right yeah sure I’ve got preliminary initial interview questions that I could ask you about your situation within the company but then there are questions it’s a second layer there’s layers to this questions that you need to be asking of yourself of the organization and of this
Employee whether or not any of it any of this information is even actionable or you could just polish up the resume and it might be time to leave four years one year and a half of these four years having to deal with an income because they sound incompetent if you’re underperforming
And I mean substantially you sound incompetent folks sound incompetent who are underperforming and you might be incompetent in the manner with how you’re addressing it with how you’ve with how you’ve addressed it for one and a half years you’ve been taken up and carrying the slack pulling this dead weight
No it’s no wonder they put them back on your team because you can pull the dead weight [Laughter] they must have like who whatever other team this owner performing piece of [ __ ] was on they might have complained louder right they might have put their foot down first and asserted their professionalism before yours
In getting them the [ __ ] off of their team and back and back on your project but not All Is Lost not All Is Lost you do this enough kicking this underperforming piece of [ __ ] back and forth you do it enough Something’s Gotta Give it’s unfortunate it’s unfortunate that
It becomes a game right it becomes somewhat of a game where they’re just moving around this underperforming employee to the point where yo we gotta let them go right but it could be any number of things that they can’t let them go for maybe they haven’t uh maybe they haven’t coached them sufficiently
In order to be able to terminate their agreement right they could be uh [ __ ] a bi person of colored LGBT [ __ ] you know any number of [ __ ] things where uh litigation is anticipated they’re almost looking forward to the [ __ ] lawsuit if they do terminate them again we don’t know we don’t know the
Situation because our original poster didn’t include that information but these are all circumstances these are all questions to ask in evaluating whether or not they got a case whether or not they have potential Solutions and options available to them it’s funny and it’s funny like they left
They left their project and now are coming back why why is that you think you complained the first time right and they move them and you got yourself a better performing colleague but now the better performing colleague is being swapped out and going to the team where the underperformer was and
The underperformer is returning to yours why I’m asking you why and these are questions you ought to ask also is it because of qualifications maybe the uh the better performing individual had a certain expertise or experiential qualification that was really required on the other team and this move
For the [ __ ] performing employee back to your project is just temporary we don’t know we don’t know maybe you won’t see them for too long until the Earth maybe only until the other project is completed again again we don’t know right these are all facts that are necessary
To make certain of before I could give you something professional before I could consult you completely but the point of this entire podcast is for you to broaden your [ __ ] Horizons for you to expand your idea of professionalism as a corporate cowboy so you’re able to run and Gun in real time
Right now if you have an issue that you can’t think through yourself by yourself I mean and you require one-on-one consultation [ __ ] that’s what we’re here for we’re corporate Cowboys for a reason and that is to create other corporate Cowboys that’s how Association works you incorporate other associates Associates
Incorporating Associates you know the motto you want to find us we’re on IG that’s at corporate Cowboys with a z you can shoot us a DM right on patreon you can subscribe there’s question and answer sessions for some of the tiers available video conferencing you want to set something up exclusive
You can do that also [ __ ] write to us some snail mail never hurt anybody P.O box 3372 Rancho Cordova California 95741 that’s all forwarded to us forwarded to me and my colleagues and we could help you plan something out rates are more than reasonable [Laughter] I mean we’re talking about your future
We’re talking about your professional development and you’re allowing somebody else to hamper it you’re you’re allowing this it’s because you’re allowing it to happen but the first step is remaining formal remaining professional being reasonable and you’re doing the right thing by taking it to uh to
Management if you refuse to work like I said you have to ask yourself whether or not the project is deliverable without this employee you can scratch their name off the credits right if they’re not doing [ __ ] why would you give them [ __ ] why would you allow them to put their name on your
[ __ ] how long we’ve been going on 30 minutes exactly 30 minutes exactly imagine that I don’t even want to read the comments on this I know I’m right I it’s like reading reading the comments on this might bias you the listener a corporate cowboy in the making to consider something less than your
Professional development don’t don’t settle for less don’t settle for less you need to analyze the situation you’re in and you need to be dead sure 100 certain before you squeeze the trigger on anything right ask yourself whether or not the situation warrants you putting your foot down letting
Management know that they either gotta boot this [ __ ] off because we can work without them or realize that maybe this person is a key figure they could be a key figure to the company right if if here’s another if they are favored right who do they know and why are they there
Boom you got another n you got another hook you got another thread to pull on to cut through that’s all you baby you gotta think like a corporate cowboy that entails you know how to move professionally how to socialize how to network this piece of [ __ ] could be uh
Somebody of importance to somebody else that’s for you to find out free in order for you to know your worth you you need to know your worth in relation to everybody else see that’s some corporate Cowboy [ __ ] for another episode at that because 30 minutes is enough
Time is money I’m not gonna say mine is expensive because this podcast is out of not charity but generosity benevolence even I want the folks that we associate with to think like us to think like corporate Cowboys hmm I’ll catch y’all next time take care foreign
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