Welcome back to another episode of the corporate Cowboys podcast my name is Alex as always there’s been a couple of days since our last upload so for proof of Life Today is Monday March 20 2023 and you are listening to season eight episode 11 of the corporate Cowboys
Podcast where we take 30 minutes actually you take 30 minutes of our time for free you can treat this as a consult of sorts I like to imagine it’s as if I’m in my office one day what I’m doing you know during my lunch is have
Somebody walk in and ask me a question off the cuff something that we can go back and forth on granted granted we don’t have this hypothetical client in front of us but but you can put yourself in the hypothetical client’s shoes for lack of a better option right if you
Don’t have a circle of Associates that you can bounce ideas off of that you can talk corporate shop then you’ve got us where we try to cultivate more corporate Cowboys we’re stand-up guys we just have Criminal Minds right where Associates necessarily incorporating Associates right that’s our namesake Associates incorporating Associates today’s
Question today’s question is coming from r slash career advice and they’re asking do you think it’s fair to say that your manager doesn’t care about you if he doesn’t talk to you very much that’s odd that’s odd again we don’t know who our hypothetical clients is we don’t
Know their age we don’t know their background we don’t know their gender age sex location we don’t know any of that right so we don’t know what industry they’re in whether or not they require Constant Contact um constant Communication in terms of feedback and instruction because
We might as well just have opened a question that says is it safe to say your manager is up your ass if they’re constantly talking to you right if they’re if they’re alleging their manager is micromanaging their every move right the body to this one says for example
Where I work I honestly feel like my manager is non-existent I feel like I’m never monitored I never receive feedback Etc okay okay and that’s kind of what I listed in the beginning where if they’re not if they’re not necessarily being watched being monitored being given feedback are they a good manager does
The manager care about them and their last paragraph here is just a question it’s asking do you think it’s fair to assume that my manager doesn’t care about me lol question mark LOL okay okay personally I mean I would always say it depends given that the body to this question is
So short it’s so small we don’t have all of the facts we don’t have all of the details to get a complete picture and be able to inform our opinion right because first I want to ask why they even care why they care whether or not their manager likes them is their manager
Someone they should be seeking approval from Beyond just satisfactorily satisfactorily yes satisfactorily completing with their job duties and collecting that check right is is there manager somebody who maybe they’ve identified as as a person of opportunity let’s call it if they if they are moving like a corporate Cowboy have they identified
Their manager as a Potential Prospect as a string to pull shall we say as a lever to actuate shall we call it right why else would they even care that their manager is non-existent quote unquote it’s obvious they report to somebody they know they have a manager
Even if they don’t see them often now this could present some opportunities as far as appearances and presentation to the manager themselves given what kind of professional our hypothetical client wants the manager to see in them right do they want to attract the manager’s attention I mean obviously there is a
Positive and negative way of doing so you either do a good job a great job an extraordinary job you go above and beyond the extra mile in order to get a shout out by the manager or you could do it absolutely abysmal job and get called out by the manager [Laughter]
So there you have you have you have your options you have your options in terms of how to pursue this attention and then what to do with it again this is higher level thinking very few clients actually approach us with with these types of questions that lend themselves to to strategic
Planning and strategic action now that’s not to say that clients we’ve had in the past aren’t shooting for the Stars some just don’t know what they’re aiming at but they all want to improve ultimately they all have that base aspiration of becoming better which is
Why they even reach out to us in the first place if you find yourself in a situation like that in a position where you believe you can do better you aspire to be promoted you aspire to make more money be better compensated to negotiate your worth and better navigate the corporate ladder
It doesn’t always mean you’re going up sometimes you’re going diagonally sometimes you’re moving laterally sometimes you’re extracting you’re exfiltrating yourself from the organization to move like an independent contractor essentially elevating yourself to the level of the organization where you can negotiate at an arm’s length you yourself as a professional
With the organization and their their legal department their executives which could have you commanding more money could have you commanding a better title could have you commanding more responsibility could have you commanding the respect you deserve as a professional now you find yourself in a position like
That by all means that’s what we’re here for that’s what we do you can DM us contact us directly it’s at corporates Cowboys with a z we’re on Instagram we’re on patreon also it’s the corporate Cowboys podcast find us on Rumble find us on YouTube you want to donate to us keep this
Podcast non-profit by all means do that you know the money that we receive goes to business expenses and legal fees right we’re buying stationary and legal pads and you know paperweights [Laughter] you could write to us also P.O box 3372 Rancho Cordova California 95741 right so you want to ask
Our hypothetical client is asking if it’s fair to say if it’s fair to assume again we’re making an assumption here because we don’t know what what tasks what obligations what objectives our hypothetical client even has they could be bottom of the barrel entry level they could be a red shirt at
Uh Target right just walking the floor just the basic Target team member right just using them as an example and they’re expecting the CEO to to pay attention to them to give them the time of day right it’s it’s a lot more reasonable that they would expect their immediate manager their direct
Supervisor to pay attention to what they’re doing as an employee give them feedback on how to improve or whatnot that makes some sense but when you’re in in this position of a subordinate of a support associate we’ll call it right a support position you have a manager to report to
Your manager doesn’t report to you right so you shouldn’t so much expect that your manager communicates with you on on this level of of friendliness as much as you should expect orders because [ __ ] that’s what you signed up for when you sign on the line when when you signed up to work for
Corporate you knew what level you were coming in with you knew what level you were coming in on that’s entry level right or at least some subordinate position where you would be reporting to someone else foreign I’m saying all of this to now come full circle and address the hypothetical client as
The professional they are striving to appear like right it’s not always about fake it until you make it sometimes you have to be it in order to make it it’s not just about dressing for the dressing for the job you want the [ __ ] out of here with that it’s about
Moving in the direction you want to be in moving in the direction towards what you are striving to become you got to move professionally and to do that you are the one who has to ask for feedback it’s not many organizations that have drawn out really fleshed out sponsored subsidized
Professional development programs very few far in between really care about developing their employees professionally in order to promote them sure they might give you that lip service that we promote from within so there is a pathway to I don’t know training to become promoted and become a manager or whatever
More often than not and I’ve seen it I’ve seen it personally in through clients it’s based on seniority it could be based on preferential treatment on favoritism on nepotism even right if it’s a quote unquote family business where [ __ ] just start recruiting from their own families and giving them
Positions of of power positions of seniority without actually having earned them it happens it’s not uncommon so setting yourself up going out of your way to request this feedback should be a priority to you if that’s what you’re worried about but if you want the manager to stop by your cubicle
Just an example or the manager to stop what they’re doing if they see you in the break room and come suck your dick that’s a little harsh right if you want the manager to come over and Pat you on the head right don’t expect that don’t expect that that comes that could
Come because it’s not even guaranteed that may be warranted by an exceptional job that you’re performing an exceptional job you’re doing but that’s not going to be just because you’re in need of a friend or you’re in need of some type of counseling so there’s got us for
Now a disclaimer disclaimer right after that is that none of what we say none of what we convey across the airwaves or any of the content we put out with the corporate Cowboys ought to be construed none of it ought to be construed as legal advice right we do not condone any wrongdoing
Nor any wrongful activity we are not promoting any of it and our hypothetical client here hasn’t asked us for any of that either so we won’t even speak on it really if anything this podcast is meant to have you the hypothetical clients think that your manager isn’t so much your
Friend as they are your manager as they are your boss you willfully signed the dotted line to work under them or you agreed at least that you would work in your position that you would know you would play your part and Know Your Role as a support associate as a
In a support role right so your manager could leave tomorrow and you might have a new manager the next day what you expect them to stop by and be like hey Alex just pop it in letting you know that I’m new and you’ll be seeing me from time to time how was your
Weekend and then [ __ ] next week the same thing is that what you want you just want some type of affection don’t expect that from a manager don’t expect it again it may be warranted but that’s only at the manager’s discretion you take care of business first and any
Affection you receive will be because business is taking care of you that has been a common theme throughout the life of this podcast one of many common themes you take care of business business will take care of you Point Blank let me read a couple of these uh questions for you here where
I would imagine I would imagine because this is Reddit some of the answers are going to be a little bit more informed by emotion but again if you are striving if you were an aspiring consummate professional emotions might be the second to last thing on your mind just just above death [Laughter]
You want to move professionally and to do that you have to be calm cool collected calculating not emotional you must know how to use emotion right you must know how to express yourself with some passion but not act from emotion if anything you must learn how to elicit
Emotion because it’s it’s one of the many non-verbal languages that actually let you know what’s going through someone’s mind or what a group of individuals or or thinking or conspiring cooking up to to act on again that’s all higher level social psychology action items that uh clients pay for right but because this
Is a a free consultation We’re not gonna go down every single Avenue especially in a fact pattern this short where we don’t have the ability to to interview the hypothetical clients and ask them these questions the first comment here says it in response to do you think it’s fair
To assume that my manager doesn’t care about me lol the first comment responds with not necessarily the best boss I ever had was a grumpy sod but he’d go for for bat for you when [ __ ] hit the fan okay that’s just poorly written but I don’t know using sod they might be a
British so whatever I can’t comment here says as many of the others have said I suspect that the boss has nothing to say to you because you’re doing a good job you see there’s always that assumption if you’re not in that [ __ ] hot seat that means you’re doing all right right
But that only means you’re doing all right if the boss isn’t talking to you congratulating you it doesn’t mean it it also means you’re not impressing him or them or her [ __ ] cares right it means you’re not impressing your boss now that doesn’t mean that you want to take on additional responsibilities and
Pick up other [ __ ] Slack without compensation but there are ways if we had additional details there are ways to move within your organization to be noticed there are things that could be done to be noticed buyer manager and potentially if if it’s your intention get in their good graces
So this comment continues I suspect the boss has nothing to say to you because you are doing a good job I am a boss and my good employees I leave alone to do their jobs because I have no complaints I have enough problem children and stress to deal with you reminded me I
Need to tell them they are doing a good job tomorrow you see that’s a good boss that’s a good boss right if they’re doing a good enough job tell them that now it could be that your manager is also new fresh again these are questions that we would ask how will the manager
Is do they know the background of the manager cultural even because In some cultures yeah if they don’t talk to you they’re satisfied with with their relationship with you if they’re constantly in your ear in other cultures that might mean you’re doing a good job why because you can juggle
Having to interact and service this boss as well as your job duties now that depends on the type of boundaries you have as a person and as a professional just like it depends on the boundaries your boss keeps they may be one of those who isn’t so in touch with uh
Their complement side and just handing out compliments like candy [ __ ] to them sugar might be bad for your diet so they give or hand out compliments very rarely but when they hand them out it’s because they’re impressed again we don’t know but these are questions that we would ask the hypothetical clients I’m
In in these episodes over the course of this podcast I’m laying out a blueprint for you in 30 minutes time because every case is unique and we approach every client case to case given what the client is asking given what the clients objectives are and given the resources
The client has to utilize again these are all questions we would be asking we don’t just have one template that fits every client’s needs it’s not possible we might have a template to ask them you know certain biographical data about their background so we have an idea we
Have a starting point but that’s nothing if you don’t have the hypothetical client if you don’t have this client in front of you to be asking questions in real time and follow-up questions to become better informed I mean it’s just 30 minutes of of me apparently ranting about what I would do
As a corporate cowboy which is totally fine if you hear it because I suppose that’s how subconscious learning works right you hear it enough you could potentially become it you are liable to move like a corporate Cowboy from here on out this uh this third and final uh third
And final comment not the final one but it’s gonna be the final one for this episode because we’re burgeoning on 30 minutes this comment says as a manager myself I can say it’s very easy to neglect your high performing employees stress can get to me just like anyone
Else and it’s a relief to know they can handle their work without me but that’s not the right thing to do I have to be very conscious about taking the time to check in with them letting them know they are on the right path giving them exposure for the good things they’re
Doing and making sure they have access to all the tools they need now me Alex I also have managerial experience I’ve been a manager a number of times the reason I don’t speak so much about my experiences and managers because I’m speaking as a professional first and foremost
I’m addressing the client almost as if from the perspective of the client again because we don’t have the hypothetical clients in front of us to be talking to to be interviewing and so when I bring up the fact that organizations are rare or rare are the organizations rare is the organization that cares
Deeply about its subordinates professional development right because in the organizations I’ve been in I have actually instituted development programs where I can check in with my employees let them know what they’re doing right let them know what they could work on not so much doing wrong because if they were doing something
Absolutely wrong or positively wrong the business would be suffering they would objectively would objectively be suffering so you never want to put your employees down outright you want to let them know how they can improve how they could develop professionally that’s the whole point of these programs
So if your manager isn’t doing even that checking in with you one could argue one could argue and or assume that they don’t care about your professional development they might care about you as a person right they might care about you as a person which is why they may not be
Invading your space micromanaging you but as far as professional development goes it’s apparent or so it appears like they’re more than happy just keeping you in the position you’re in now and not and not promoting you any further you’re doing a good job they’ve got no complaints or else
They would be writing you up or letting you know they’re they have complaints about your work but if you’re not hearing any of that if you’re not hearing anything then the burden Falls to you and it’s not really a burden when you think about it you have the advantage
You’re moving from a perceived position of inferiority as a subordinate when in actuality in reality you have nothing to lose you have everything to gain how little you’ve talked to your manager lets you know how little your manager knows about you and that ladies and gentlemen is a blank slate
Do with that what you will as a corporate cowboy I’m pretty much gonna end it here but one last time I want to uh invite you to share this podcast with your Close Associates with your friends with your family might be a somewhat inflammatory flagrant uh closing but
You were born into this [ __ ] you’re in the middle of a corporate War the sooner you realize it the sooner you can get to work talk about red pill this blue pills that dog you’ve been taking the blue pill if you’re listening to this you have a
Job and if you have a job you have a [ __ ] job and that’s to become better to be better to develop yourself when others don’t care or may not care about your development this is a corporate war and everything goes your life is on the balance of somebody
Not caring about whether or not you survive tomorrow because there’s 20 other alexes lined up out the door quote unquote I got a line out the door of people who want your job when it real in reality that’s not true it’s not true you already have the job you’re already working
If that were the case they would have brought somebody in and have you train them there’s mathematics around that they could pay you another dollar as a trainer to train somebody else while they hire them for less money and then when you train them they boot you out the door and continue
To save on this new hire but they are not doing that they’re not doing that why because this notion of moving like a corporate cowboy very few people do it the ones who actually do it sometimes don’t need our help sometimes they do so if this wakes you up again but what I
Just spit like two minutes ago straight facts I’ve seen it happen I’ve been a part of it and the fact that few people think like this or it’s just I guess it’s classified as higher level thinking really it’s just a matter of asking the right questions in order to
Inform a strategy on how to get ahead how to get ahead because everybody is entry level forever everybody really is entry level nobody’s [ __ ] safe hahaha sure the world is lined with paper contracts but it’s who you are as a professional that matters not even a person really when we’re talking legalities
It’s how you move professionally business War wake up you’re in The Matrix learn to move within it become a corporate cowboy have a nice one I’ll catch you next time
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