Misconceptions about the corporate world that are not true!

Social media, pop culture, movies and TV shows have a way of portraying the corporate world in a certain way. There is a tendency to either glamorize the culture or depict how distasteful it is. We often hear about burn outs or exhaustion, fancy board room meetings with suit clad professionals. While a lot of this might be true, it needs a deeper dive to understand the realities of the corporate world and burst myths about the overload of information available.

Some common misconceptions about the corporate world that are not necessarily true:

Don’t challenge how things are done

With the technology world morphing at an unprecedented pace, fresh minds come up with ways and ideas that are more than welcome by visionary leaders and management. Speak up culture is being promoted much more strongly as compared to a decade back. If there is an idea or suggestion that could help a client's needs or a gap in business, the ideal way would be to build a business case and summarize the problem statement, along with the proposed solution and benefits. This would be an ideal approach to challenge an existing process or system. Rather than fearing about challenging an ongoing process.

Longs hours = Promotions

You might have heard about 9-5 jobs and daily in-office routines, although, the last decade saw a new wave of workforce and work style. Hybrid and remote work mode is the new normal that prioritizes both the employer and the employee and hits the sweet spot. Contrary to the former belief that staying full hours in office or staying logged in to the computer is the definition of an ideal employee, current trends lean more towards meeting the goal and smart work.

Do not say No to the Boss

Expectation setting is one of the most important aspects of professional life. It is ok to say ‘No’, it is okay to say ‘I do not know yet, but I am willing to learn’. Saying yes to everything only leads to employee burn out, work overload and in turn the quality of work being compromised. It is possible that on a Monday your boss might not know that over the weekend you were not well. It is okay to communicate honestly that you have not been well over the weekend and cannot take up a new task right away, rather than say ‘yes’ and struggle to deliver the task in time and as per required standard.

Top management is not approachable

Unlike popular belief, sometimes it is the top management who is the most approachable, will listen to you patiently and try to address the concern. Reason why a lot of corporates now have open door policy, same seating arrangements as other employees instead of the legacy manager’s cabin rooms. Town halls are common now and encourage employees to speak openly.

Only networking takes you places

Honestly, there is no short cut to good work. No amount of networking, coffee breaks with seniors can surpass the value of good and efficient work. There is a common myth - Be nice to the boss, don’t say no to a coffee break with managers. Of course, be nice to the boss, but if you have a critical delivery, say so instead of trying to do both and in the process end up not enjoying your coffee as and not delivering the task on time.

In summary, each corporate professional will have a story to tell, some will emphasize more on the good experiences and some more of the negative ones. Hear them, read them, but best to judge for oneself based on personal experience. Stay away from myths and start your corporate journey with a clear headspace.