128. Connections

When I went to grad school I had a great advisor. However, he once said something that I wasn’t able to understand at the time. He said that 90% of my success at work will be determined by my sociability, rather than the abilities I was learning in grad school. He went as far as making us read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. I was appalled. I’m paying this guy like $1000* a minute for him to tell me that it will all come down to social skills? 

He was absolutely, completely, entirely, and annoyingly right.  The tools and reasoning skills I learned in college have served me well, but they have paled in comparison to how my social skills have served me. Being able to make connections, humbling myself, expressing interest in others, those skills have allowed me to be a catalyst for change more often than the statistical and organizational tools I’ve learned. 

So, Dr. Malott, you were right. And I appreciate the push you gave me early on to hone those skills. It was worth every penny. I am sorry that in return you just get this shitty comic.

Having a new job makes it completely evident. I still have the tools and abilities that made me successful in my previous job, but I won’t reach my full potential until I understand the culture of the new place (which I am loving so far), create my network (met some great people already), and start becoming a trustworthy agent of change.

* this is called hyperbole.

Extra panel:

Sorry help desk guy.

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