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lowest on the totem pole.
My career is something I've always taken pride in. I'm relatively young for being in the business I'm in, but the group I'm currently a part of - I'm the "lowest one on the totem pole" so to say. I have the youngest title, definitely make the least amount of money - but I make everything happen. Everyone looks at me in a meeting before saying "yes" or "no" to something.
I'm at my wits end dealing with the firedrills of the folks who work above me who do relatively nothing, and get paid handsomely for it. I need to find a way to take a step back, realize that it's okay to be where I am right now and take the positive approach that I've always had before.
Does anyone have any advice on how to suck it up, slap a smile on and deal with it? Just need to find someone positive reinforcement!!!
Re: lowest on the totem pole.
WOW! I feel like I'm in a similar boat as you. I am too trying to deal with sucking it up and putting that smile on.
I look forward to the responses.
I'm sort of in a similar situations, except I'm in my late 20's. I came from a smaller company where I was very high up and respected. I took my current job to get specific experience and didn't realize how much of a step down it would be. Because my title is lower people treat me like I'm an intern. I feel like I've paid my dues already and am now being micro managed like a child. My boss has made it clear she wants a gofer who will do busy work without thinking too much. I understand every office does need someone to do the busy work, I just don't want it to be me, and I don't feel like I can show my skills this way. I'm begging for more complicated work so I can show what I can really do, but that has been slow coming. I don't see a future at this company since I don't see them respecting me anytime soon. But it sounds like you are respected and will get promoted eventually. I would stick it out and try not to think about it too much, nothing else you can really do.
TeamC - I think you have a good point. I would add that when people get really good at their job it can look like they aren't doing much because it doesn't take as much effort. Its one of the natural rewards for working at a company long enough, the job always gets easier.
I disagree with you here. The job does not get easier, in fact, it gets much more visible and the stakes are much higher! I have never met or seen a CEO who says "my job is a piece of cake" and if something goes wrong with the organization, THEY are the ones who will pay for it for the long haul. If their company fails, their reputation is tainted, not yours. I've seen way too many of my supervisors get reamed for work that their subordinates did, shield the workhorses from abusive upper management, etc. While they have less "grunt" work, they are still very much working. You just don't always see documents or spreadsheets at the end of their work day.
OP, I really agree with Team C here. I'd like to add that the team looks to you because you are "in the weeds" so to speak, and have a better understanding of what is going on at a granular level. You are clearly important to the overall structure, but you aren't going to be the big boss over night. I completely agree with Team C, seek out a mentor either within your organization or within your industry. Look for opportunities to further your career and stand out from the rest.
Mini-vent here: One of the biggest issues with our generation in the work place is our sense of entitlement. Our parents gave us everything we wanted, we didn't "fail" at school because we weren't graded on a pass/fail and no one wanted to hurt our self-esteem...which has turned us into a bunch of babies who want everything right away. It takes years of work and doing crappy tasks to get to the top of the totem pole. In your situation, I don't see any signs of abuse or inappropriate treatment. Everyone above you on the totem pole is there for a reason - they worked hard to get there.
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All awesome advice. Thank you for taking the time. I think that's what I really needed to hear, to be honest. You're all right - the people that are in these positions HAVE done the grunt work before, at least most of them.
I'm definitely not afraid of working hard, standing out & volunteering to lead various different initiatives. I just want to make sure that I'm doing it correctly. I've seen a large amount of people that do those things, and then people don't ever see them as "leaders" - just always the people that will do the number crunching and prep work. I know it's a delicate balance between confidence and "cocky", so to speak. I want to make sure I go into these situations with the right amount of confidence and perspective. I do have a few mentors within this space - but I don't think they take it as seriously as I wish they would. I feel like corporate politics kind of keeps them from sharing what I need to hear.
But - like I said - all great advice.. thank you!
I have been in that boat before and now I am switching careers. My advice is to simply keep trying and do your best; you will either be rewarded/recognized or gain enough experience to move up in your current or another workplace.
You have a great attitude. One caution-I'd steer clear of "volunteering" to lead and just do it. As a manager of staff, there is nothing more helpful and more quick to bring positive attention to yourself than to take their own initiative to figure out what I need and just start getting it done, or streamlining a process without me asking. Oh lawd, to have more of those...
The word you're looking for in that bolded sentence is DELEGATION. It's one of the absolute hardest skills to learn, because it requires two things: 1-a trust in others to do the work to the level you expect and 2-a willingness to give work that defines you to others so that you can redefine yourself. No one is comfortable with either of these ideas because it takes you out of your comfort zone. Additionally, you need to know WHAT to delegate, and that's not always easy, especially at first. While a great delegator doesn't equal a great leader, IMO it's one of the most important skills to properly managing projects and teams.
Mentors never take mentoring seriously; it's one of the huge failings of professional development because mentees are desperate for it (and no matter what level you're at and who you're mentoring, you're always on both sides of the coin as a mentee). Try finding a mentor in a professional organization to learn about the industry if there's no one around you. If your company is large enough, try talking to HR about starting a mentoring circle, where several mentees of equal "rank" talk about a topic to a mentor as a group, or establishing a formal mentoring program. Good luck!
I agree about the mentoring. Ask to be mentored - it shows initiative. If there's a hole, fill it.
Lots of great advice!
One thing I struggled with as the head of my old department was this one girl who wanted my job and did not put the time I did at the bottom of the totem pole (the sense of entitlement the above poster refers to). It was a really difficult situation where she was stepping on my toes all over the place and I assume - thought I did nothing all day. I gave her grunt work, she complained. She wanted all of my projects - she was very good at her job, but not willing to be where we, as a team needed her to be.
I also agree that higher ups have to take the heat for the mistakes of their employees. Management is not just scheduling people - it is really difficult (totally agree with the delagation sentiment) and there's more to it than meets the eye.
You don't want to have a sense of entitlement. Do the grunt work but let your managers know that you want/can handle more responsibility and are interested in a leadership role.