Let's read...

Unspoken rules are certain ways of doing things that are beyond your job description, that you need to know if you want to get ahead and get promoted. And they're what high performers do that they may not even realize. When I entered the workforce for the first time, it felt as if I had brought a baseball bat to a hockey game. I was swinging and swinging and swinging, trying hard but realizing that I was playing a very different game from everybody else. I was being useful but not impactful. I was putting my head down, doing my hard work, expecting to receive more important responsibilities, not realizing that my coworkers, for example, were certainly doing the hard work, but they were building relationships and putting themselves out there. They were being seen, heard, remembered, and ultimately, rewarded. And it was this observation that led to me realizing that there are insiders and there are outsiders.

Let's follow Gorick...

Unspoken rules are certain ways of doing things / that are beyond your job description, / that you need to know / if you want to get ahead / and get promoted . // And they're what high performers do / that they may not even realize. // When I entered the workforce for the first time, / it felt as if I had brought a baseball bat to a hockey game. // I was swinging and swinging and swinging, / trying hard / but realizing that I was playing a very different game / from everybody else. // I was being useful / but not impactful. / I was putting my head down, / doing my hard work, / expecting to receive more important responsibilities, / not realizing that my coworkers, for example, / were certainly doing the hard work, / but they were building relationships / and putting themselves out there. // They were being seen, / heard, / remembered, / and ultimately, / rewarded. // And it was this observation / that led to me realizing / that there are insiders / and there are outsiders. //

Let's read...

Insiders are those who have siblings, mentors, parents who've come before them who can hand down some of these unspoken rules informally over the dinner table. Meanwhile, there are outsiders who don't know a soul in this new environment and who end up having to navigate these hidden expectations often through trial and error. When I was first starting out, I saw a pattern. I saw some people getting promoted, ending up taking on more important responsibilities. Meanwhile, there were others from under-resourced or underrepresented backgrounds who were struggling and ultimately quitting long before they even had a chance to prove themselves. The workplace is not a level playing field. If you feel like an outsider and you're feeling uncertain about what the expectations are going into a new job, unspoken rules can start bubbling to the surface.

Let's follow Gorick...

Insiders are those who have siblings, /. mentors, /. parents /. who've come before them /. who can hand down some of these unspoken rules informally /. over the dinner table. //. Meanwhile, /. there are outsiders /. who don't know a soul in this new environment /.and who end up having to navigate these hidden expectations /. often through trial and error. //. When I was first starting out, /. I saw a pattern. //. I saw some people getting promoted, /. ending up taking on more important responsibilities. //. Meanwhile, /. there were others /. from under-resourced or underepresented backgrounds /. who were struggling /. and ultimately quitting /. long before they even had a chance to prove themselves. //. The workplace is not a level playing field. //. If you feel like an outsider /. and you're feeling uncertain about what the expectations are /. going into a new job, /. unspoken rules can start bubbling to the surface. //.