Don’t Be Too Proud to Do Your Job.

I listen to a wide range of podcasts, some on politics, some about mysteries of the past, and some that I’ll call, for want of a better term, “lifestyle” podcasts, dealing with everything from home décor to finances to happiness. Last week I heard the same idea coming from two very different parts of this spectrum, that the way to get ahead in your career when you’re just starting out is to be willing to get things done, even if those things are tasks you might consider below you. The classic example is that of getting coffee for people. 

So one podcast, “The Remnant,” hosted by Jonah Goldberg, a National Review columnist among other jobs, has a panel of serious policy wonks at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, discussing career options in front of a crowd of eager interns (who end up asking some very good questions at the end of the discussion). The other, “Happier in Hollywood,” features two TV writers living in Los Angeles. (One of them is Gretchen Rubin’s sister.) They also discuss how to get started in a career in their field. (But I’m having a hard time finding the correct episode for “Happier.”) And they all agree: no one’s going to be impressed with you if you turn up your nose at the scutwork you’re asked to do. They won’t say, “Wow, that young person really values himself! I should value him, too!” No, they’ll say, “Huh. He/she doesn’t get the work done. So I guess I won’t be adding to his portfolio.”

These instances reminded me of an anecdote that Mireille Giuliano, the French woman who doesn’t get fat, told about herself. (I’m writing about this from memory, but I think it’s pretty accurate.) She had been hired as some sort of publicist for the Champagne industry, an entry-level job that didn’t seem to carry much in the way of expectations with it. But she decided to plunge in and show her superiors that she took the job seriously, setting goals for getting mentions in the press and on TV. She was so impressive that she gradually worked her way up the ladder at the firm, and when Veuve Cliquot, the high-level Champagne brand (although it’s now sold at Costco), decided to open a start-up in the US, they approached Giuliano for the position of CEO. She served in that capacity for a number of years. (I just checked out her book on succeeding in business, Women, Work & the Art of Savoir Faire: Business Sense & Sensibility; look for a review of that in days to come.) She didn’t just sit at her desk at the first job and wait for someone to tell her what to do; she plunged in herself. (And she probably was quite willing to bring in a trayful of Champagne glasses to a meeting if asked.)

All this got me to thinking about my own life and how I sometimes shrug off responsibilities that I don’t think are necessary. So, a couple of weeks ago I was asked to provide a lunch for a parenting seminar at our church. The instructions I was given were very clear: provide mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks for the parents and kids, as well as a lunch for everyone. I worked hard on the lunch and I think it went okay, although the attendance turned out to be a little higher than I had been told and we ran short of some items. Everyone got fed, but I should have bought more cold cuts and cheese. The snacks, though, were another matter. I hate snacks! (Have I possibly said this before?) I see no reason why people need to have something to eat while they’re watching a video or listening to a teacher. And the woman in charge of childcare told me that I didn’t need to worry about snacks for the kids, as there were plenty of crackers down in the nursery area. So I just decided to have tea and coffee available for the parents and skipped having anything for them to nibble on, which was perfectly reasonable in my mind. But it wasn’t what I’d been asked to do. I think the person who had asked me to provide the food was a little disappointed. I did what I wanted to do, not what I’d been asked to do. No biggie, right? Except that I probably won’t be asked to do something like that by her again, and providing food for events is a job I truly love.

So I’ll try to keep all this sterling advice in mind as I meet with a friend and her daughter next week to plan out the food for said daughter’s wedding. I’m so thrilled that I get to do this! But I need to remember: I’m not in charge. My job is to fulfill the requests of the bride and her mother, to make the reception fit their vision, not mine.

Whether you’re 21 or 61, do you ever bridle at being asked to do something you think is below you, or something you don’t want to do?

The link to the Giuliano book is an Amazon affiliate link; if you click on the link and purchase the book or any other item, I will receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.