A potential boss at a job interview once asked me whether I tended to get intimidated when speaking with people high up in an organization; the position would require me to interact with people from across the business at different levels, most of them pretty senior. I said the first thing that came to my mind: “Not especially. I don’t really recognize authority in a lot of people.” I realized that that was maybe not the optimal response to give to someone who would, if all went well, soon wield authority over me, so I tried to soften it: “I mean, I do recognize authority, but only if I respect people. And they have to demonstrate that they are worthy of that respect – it doesn’t just come by virtue of a job title.” The addendum softened it less than I had hoped.
It didn’t matter, though. I got the job. My boss was not a typical boss, and I was not a typical employee. He was atypical because he was an interim director, tasked with putting together a good team, including his own permanent replacement. He was a consultant, not an employee, and thus not as invested in the traditional, buttoned-up, pinstriped power games that often pop up in corporate settings. I was atypical because I didn’t actually want that job; it was a rebound after leaving a not-great company, and ended up being just a [very] temporary stop on the road to self-employment. I didn’t get intimidated very much during my tiny little tenure, but that was more because I had a foot out the door than because I actually meant what I had said in the interview.
I thought I meant it at the time. It sounds like something I would say. I’m woke to all the corporate BS, I’m red-pilled against arbitrary reporting lines, and I’m above the merciless office-politics fray. That’s why I quit my 9-5; I’m a independent woman – I live my life – ain’t nobody gonna tell me how to behave.
Except working for yourself is hard. You have to set your own priorities and approve your own time off. You have to decide what you’re going to work on each week and what can be put off till next week. You don’t have anyone breathing down your neck, but you also have to set your own deadlines. And – probably the hardest part – there isn’t anyone to impress.
I can spout all the indignant lines I want to about not recognizing authority in others, but sometimes, it’s nice to not be in charge. “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” That matters, sure, but not always. Sometimes, a better question is, “Okay, I need help. What should I do?”
— MeganPrestonMeyer
It didn’t matter, though. I got the job. My boss was not a typical boss, and I was not a typical employee. He was atypical because he was an interim director, tasked with putting together a good team, including his own permanent replacement. He was a consultant, not an employee, and thus not as invested in the traditional, buttoned-up, pinstriped power games that often pop up in corporate settings. I was atypical because I didn’t actually want that job; it was a rebound after leaving a not-great company, and ended up being just a [very] temporary stop on the road to self-employment. I didn’t get intimidated very much during my tiny little tenure, but that was more because I had a foot out the door than because I actually meant what I had said in the interview.
I thought I meant it at the time. It sounds like something I would say. I’m woke to all the corporate BS, I’m red-pilled against arbitrary reporting lines, and I’m above the merciless office-politics fray. That’s why I quit my 9-5; I’m a independent woman – I live my life – ain’t nobody gonna tell me how to behave.
Except working for yourself is hard. You have to set your own priorities and approve your own time off. You have to decide what you’re going to work on each week and what can be put off till next week. You don’t have anyone breathing down your neck, but you also have to set your own deadlines. And – probably the hardest part – there isn’t anyone to impress.
I can spout all the indignant lines I want to about not recognizing authority in others, but sometimes, it’s nice to not be in charge. “Who made you a ruler and a judge?” That matters, sure, but not always. Sometimes, a better question is, “Okay, I need help. What should I do?”
— MeganPrestonMeyer
Wow! I love the straightforwardness in your interview and in this short essay! You certainly write with authority!
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