Send the Elevator Back Down

The journey to success is never a solo one. Recognize it and help someone else climb up.

I’ve talked about connectors in previous posts on this newsletter, and it got me thinking about another tangent altogether about career progression and mentoring and landing a job in this industry, which feels more and more difficult every year for entry level kids coming out of college. We can go into Peter Turchin’s theory of elite overproduction and the utter disrespect and neglect that the trades get in our public education system, but that’s a longer-term discussion so let’s zoom in where we are today.

There’s a lot of phrases to remind people to never forget where they came from, but one of my personal favorites (probably because I’m a northeast liberal whose spent the better half of his life having to ride one for work) is “send the elevator back down.” It implies that you’re doing well (higher floors tend to be more prestigious - Ed.’s note: Do not ask what floor this newsletter’s author currently sits on) and that you have the luxury to help out those on the lower metaphorical floors of their careers.

Your turn (DALL-E 3)

You Didn’t Get There By Yourself

I think one of the biggest myths in American capitalism is that of the self-made wealthy person. This country is too dependent on social structure and connection to have anyone be on an island when it comes to their life’s accomplishments. I think anyone who thinks they made it by themselves with no one helping them along the way is deluding themselves and also selling short the connectedness of this country - at a time when we desperately need to zoom out and recognize it.

We tend to see billionaires get extremely insecure about their obscene wealth, falling back on the trope of “Well I earned this by myself, so leave me alone.” When you dig deeper, there is always more to the story. Even the rags to riches, Horatio Alger, “pull yourself by your bootstraps” has flecks of help embedded in it.

We may complain about the condition of our roads, or air travel delays, or people taking advantage of government assistance. And while there are legitimate problems with these systems in America, they have also enabled companies like Amazon to deliver your ecomm purchase in less than a day. They have allowed some billionaires a safety net at a time when they truly needed it in order to go on and do great things and build incredible companies. To deny the benefits of these things is to further lock them out for future individuals who may need them to get a leg up in an inherently unfair system (which is the purpose of these programs to begin with.)

Politicians have tried to make this point before, but like other nuanced aspects of our complex society, it doesn’t fit in a simple sound bite. Suffice to say, nations reliant on capitalism are a lot more interconnected than we tend to realize.

Welcome to Work, How Can I Help You?

Assuming you’re bought into, well, society we can dig deeper into the dynamics at the office that have helped get you where you are (or will help get you where you want to be.)

There are few academics that I rely on with minimal skepticism. Adam Grant is one of them.

Thinking back over my development as a person, I can remember the names of everyone who has helped me on my journey from school to college to the private sector. This is not because I have the memory of a bottlenose dolphin (I don’t), but because they were so influential in where I am today that I can’t help but give them some credit for my (relative) success.

And it’s a lot of people. But there are certain ones in that group that have gone the extra mile - these are people who were mentors to me, either officially or unofficially. They were a step above good managers - they cared about my development both personally and professionally. They believed in me and my abilities at times when I didn’t necessarily share the same faith.

It’s these kinds of relationships that catalyzed my growth at key moments in my education and career and allowed me to grow in ways I couldn’t see or appreciate at the time. Without them I know I wouldn’t be where I am today.

Recognizing This Doesn’t Discredit Hard Work

I think the most prominent red herring in the “self-made person” argument is that by acknowledging the help and guidance you’ve received along the way you are undermining your own hard work and effort. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

You could have the best mentors in the world, but if you’re not putting in the work for yourself you won’t get very far (there are some exceptions here, but we can talk about nepotism another post.) Luck plays a role in all our successes, but it’s those who are prepared for said luck - through hard work and perseverance - that take most advantage of it and benefit most from it.

On the flip side of the coin is the sadder reality: there are people out there absolutely grinding, but without a good connection or break to help them expand their growth, their success will be stunted. One of the cruel realities of our society is that hard work is not always rewarded the same because we’re not on an equal playing field when it comes to opportunities to succeed.

Which is even more reason to recognize when you’ve benefitted from it so you can help ensure you’re not inadvertently preventing others from similar opportunities.

The formula for success is hard work and some luck. (DALL-E 3)

So What Now?

If you’re just starting out or are relatively junior in your career, it’s important to search out a mentor. If your company has a mentor program, join it. If it doesn’t, start asking more senior people how to get a mentor - they may be willing themselves or know someone who could serve that role. And don’t be shy about switching it up if you’re not clicking with your assigned mentor after a few coffees. Not every mentor-mentee relationship is meant to be.

If you’re in middle management, realize that you hold a unique position through this lens. You’re in a position to show gratitude for those who have helped you achieve this shareholder value-driving position while also being able to help others join your ranks. You’re still in need of mentorship, but you should also be mentoring someone else. Begin being the kind of person that helped you when you needed it.

And finally for leadership: take time out of your busy schedule to mentor a more junior employee (maybe one of those middle managers?) The system we have benefited from only works if it is perpetuated at the highest levels. We can argue if it’s the right system given it has a few inequity mines buried throughout, but I think we can all agree that gatekeeping once you “make it” is not helping anyone. Send that elevator back down.

Grab Bag Sections

WTF Kendrick and Drake: A few weeks ago this newsletter dove into the Kendrick and Drake beef and labeled J. Cole’s apology to Kendrick after releasing a diss track as “super wack.” Consider this section a retraction.

It’s clear someone took Cole aside and explained to him that this was no ordinary rap battle. This was not a lyrical exercise, or a case of iron sharpening iron in the music industry. Drake and Kendrick absolutely detest each other, and Cole did not want to catch any more strays than was necessary.

While this newsletter believes Kendrick is the winner by judge’s decision in this fight, anything could happen with the amount of six minute songs being dropped back and forth by these two. Drake is treating this like a Russian disinformation campaign and Kendrick is rapping with a fury not seen since maybe Section.80. The rap is good, even if the reasons behind it can get unsavory.

Millennials haven’t seen a good rap beef in a while (even if it doesn’t match Biggie’s definition.) We grew up with Pac and Big and no one wants to see that happen again. Jay-Z and Nas had a good run at each other for the throne in New York - things got very heated between the two back in 2001. G-Unit and Murder Inc spawned impressive mixtapes a few years later. But something about this one feels extremely personal. They’re not fighting for a hometown or sales numbers or anything material - it is utterly filled with hatred.

Album of the Week: Maybe it's because we both went to college in the city around the same time, but Childish Gambino’s Camp holds a special place in my heart despite what Pitchfork says.

It's an album that is uniquely early 2010s - Funk Flex single debuts, bars that would not pass today, and a period-in-time cultural references (Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, Mumford & Sons, Casey Anthony, the Bodies Exhibit.) “LES” is an incredible record on wasted youth, “All of the Shine” is deep cut city, and “That Power” is why I watched 400 Blows while bored one night. If you want to go back in time (to 2011, specifically) then give Camp a spin.

Quote of the Week: “I'm a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” - Unknown

See you next week!