I remember growing up, being told to study, work hard, get good grades, and you’ll go far in life, eventually landing a great job. As true as this is, let me also share the part that’s missing from this statement: once you get that coveted job and promote in business, you’ll learn it’s not about what you know, how hard you work and, often times it appears that it's not about how ethical you are. You’ll find it’s more about who you know, who likes you, along with what allies you build along the way. Sad, but it's the harsh reality about Corporate America. Well, my first real job after completing my undergrad and graduate studies, lead me to a career in communications. I loved what I did, I was great at it, I worked for an awesome company, and my pay sustained. The sucky part is that, when you’re intelligent, nice, “blessed with inner beauty and brains”, regardless of how great of a worker, person--or how much you accomplish, someone will not like you. As difficult as this may sound, it’s no different than what you experience at school today. You go to school, study, get good grades, you’re a team player, but because you've messed up the curve on a test, got more attention than another girl, or appear to be smarter, some may not like you. Why is this? Well for one, the world can be judgmental and cruel. Exhorbitant confidence makes the less confident uncomfortable. So what do you do? You continue to do as you’ve been taught to do: work hard, get the good grades, remain ethical in all that you do, treat others with love and respect and, NEVER allow anyone to minimize your worth. Most importantly, maintain your integrity and ALWAYS be a doll.
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