Hello and welcome to Working It.
I was in Amsterdam last week in a conference about artificial intelligence in the workplace, with disturbing AI art exhibition. Afterwards, sightseeing took twice as long as Google predicted due to my inability to read maps, both real and virtual. I repeatedly corrected course, repeated it (as the technicians say) and found a couple of hofjes in the end.
The parallel between navigating an unfamiliar city when you have no sense of direction and persisting, as a newbie, in the unknown and ever-changing terrain of generative AI is perhaps a little tenuous, but it caught my attention. Especially after crossing the same canal bridge for the fifth time, too physical 🙄.
Read on for advice for leaders during this time of polarization and outrage, and Dear Jonathan offers advice to a graduate getting discouraged in the broken recruitment market 💔.
PS: There are no new Working It podcasts today. We’ll be back next week.
How to be a calm leader in an angry world 😠
As the US elections approach, it’s a good time to refresh our ideas on how to address political differences in the workplace. I’ve been interested to see how opinion on this has changed in recent years. Labor observers may remember that during the pandemic there was little support for the few companies that banned political speech. The widespread view focused largely on “bringing your whole self to work.” And speaking of that.
Now, not so much. What I hear on conference platforms and see on LinkedIn is a focus on working toward a common purpose: the goals of the team and the organization as a whole, rather than talking about differences in social and political perspectives.
Good in theory. How can leaders practically manage the increasing heat at work 🍳? When a new book called The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World landed on my desk, it was a sign (like Co-star would tell me) to contact its author, Karthik Ramanna. He is a professor of business and public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. In the introduction, he identifies the reasons for the outrage: “For many people in the United States and in the Western world more generally, there is a real fear of an uncertain future that will be worse than the present, a deep resentment about the decisions of government governance. recent and distant pasts, and a lingering sense that traditional cultures are under siege.” A smart summary of why we are where we are.
Karthik pointed out to me that there is “some evidence to suggest that workers are segregating into Republican and Democratic ‘tribes,’ further exacerbating outrage and polarization both within companies and in the United States as a whole.” Leaders, he suggested, must, more than anything, be prepared for the next “outrage,” because it will keep coming. We won’t be returning to quiet life anytime soon 😶.
Karthik believes that the leadership model we need now “is not the lead from the front model advocated by many business schools.” [👀]where grandiloquent rhetoric is used to ‘rally the troops’.” Instead, leaders can “build cultures of active listening, so that when they are presented with a crisis of outrage they already have some confidence that allows them to lower the temperature and find authentic, bottom-up ways to move the organization forward.” Stop, listen, learn.
Finally: “Don’t expect to please everyone. The nature of our world today is such that no matter what you do, you will be seen as part of the problem, especially if you are in a position of power. Have a sense of perspective about it and don’t try to lead or live life as if it were a popularity contest.”
I like this honesty. Leaders don’t hear enough about it 🙉.
In a sentence: Stay calm, gain the trust of staff, and don’t expect to solve global problems from head office.
Do you want more? A report from a UK consultancy firm, Diversity by designcalled Waving Flags and Checkboxes: What Went Wrong with EDI and How Leaders Can Fix It offers suggestions on how to make structures and policies truly inclusive.
Dear Jonathan 📩
The problem: “I read that there are 140 applications for each job, and I am always among the 139 that are rejected. What can I do to change the odds? I have a good career and worked during the summer holidays. Am I being a victim of the AI that recruiters use?
Jonathan Black’s advice: The figure of “140 applications per job” came from a recent study. Employer Student Institute report, and it is an average, as the rate can exceed 200 in financial services and 74 (still a lot) for charities. These figures are at least 50 percent higher than last year.
Some context might help. Readers may remember that after the 2008 crisis 💥 there were very few vacancies for a while, and the same was true after the previous dot.com boom and bust. Graduates experience these disruptions and many take alternative routes. Some are left out of the job market by enrolling to study for a master’s or doctorate. MBAs are showing their countercyclical nature, as US schools report an average 12 percent 🚀 increase in applications after the post-pandemic lull.
Some postgraduate programs remain open to students for 18-24 months after leaving university, so if you can’t secure a place this year, you can apply again next year, perhaps with more relevant experience.
Part of the boom in applications is (recruiters tell us) due to applicants using AI 🤖 to write CVs, cover letters and even help with online assessments. Recruiters want to learn about your personality, so while AI can give you suggestions on general structure, it can have the effect of polishing the interesting edges of your documents and making your application look like everyone else’s. That’s a sure way to get rejected.
How to get that first job? First of all, remember that it is only your first job and you may only stay one or two years. Then focus on activities that allow you to demonstrate responsibility, achievement, and teamwork. Progressive employers look for these attributes, as well as curiosity about the organization. Read about the sector and follow the news. Even if you’re not working, look for ways to learn “transferable” skills: volunteer at a charity or get involved in a society or hobby.
Be creative in your job search and make sure you have thoroughly researched the industry and organization before submitting a personalized application. Collect information from people who already work there; try LinkedIn. You will be in control of the process: you will do your own research, contact people, or volunteer at related organizations. This is more positive than sending 100 applications and waiting for someone (or something 🤖) to make a decision about you.
If you have enriched your CV with demonstrable skills and written an attractive and personalized application, chances are that you will not be among the 130 rejected, but among the 10 interviewed.
Jonathan Black is director of the careers service at the University of Oxford. Send your professional dilemmas to dear.jonathan@ft.com. Next week: Isabel addresses an issue in the Office Therapy workplace.
Five notable stories from the world of work
-
From intern to CEO: is it worth it to be a permanent employee of the company? Emma Jacobs looks at the pros and cons of being a corporate person who makes it to the top. There are many advantages in terms of institutional knowledge, but can these leaders stifle innovation?
-
Can the Brexit hardman fit into business groupthink? Former MP Steve Baker has teamed up with an LSE professor to set up a consultancy that helps companies foster fruitful internal disagreements, reports Pilita Clark.
-
What if the NHS is a classic management problem? Camilla Cavendish argues that this huge and complex organization will require the best corporate restructuring experts to address its dysfunction and lack of productivity.
-
Age matters when it comes to boards: Anjli Raval addresses one of the persistent problems in business—leaders’ refusal to consider board members who are “young” (i.e., 40 years old)—and highlights innovative work to change that.
-
The problem with the term “global majority”: Columnist Stephen Bush takes issue with the newly fashionable term to describe people of many different ethnic and religious backgrounds and nationalities.
One more thing. . .
Comedian Miranda Hart spent a decade nearly housebound due to fatigue and complications from previously undiagnosed Lyme disease. Your new memories, I haven’t been completely honest with you.He tells what happened and how little by little he rebuilt his life. I listened to the audiobook, read by Miranda herself. She shares resources and routines that she found helpful in her recovery, and there’s a wonderfully optimistic ending 😍.
A few words from the Working It community
Much correspondence from last week’s newsletter on LinkedIn offering coaching for all its employees as a new staff benefit. I’ve heard of other companies offering this benefit, including Linklaters, the law firm. Here’s Alison McBurney, your global head of business teams, learning:
“Coaching and mentoring are available to everyone at Linklaters (lawyers, commercial teams and secretarial services professionals). The firm has an experienced coaching faculty comprised of internal and external coaches and mentors, who offer practical support in areas such as: client relationship development, business development, strategic thinking, sustainable work practices, elevating/building your profile, professional alignment and really anything. intermediate, where an individual seeks to develop or overcome a challenge.”
My only question is: why don’t all companies do this?
A different perspective of Christina Pattersonjournalist and author. She offers an excellent response to my throwaway comment by asking why so many people are retraining as coaches:
“I decided to train as an executive coach four years ago, at the age of 56. Like so many journalists, I had been through a brutal layoff and found less and less profit in my industry. Years of asking questions and listening carefully to the answers made coaching seem like a natural step. Now I combine coaching with writing and broadcasting and I love it. I’ve worked with leaders and founders and their teams, but also with young people starting out, and I’m always amazed at the changes people can make in their work and lives after just a few sessions. It is wonderful to feel useful.”
As always, thanks to everyone who gets in touch. I am (almost) always in isabel.berwick@ft.com either send me a private message on LinkedIn.
And finally. . . .🙋🏽♂️
Hope to see some of you over coffee at the FT’s shiny new HR Forum 🌟 on 20 November. Register with this form and listen to experts, including Luisa Ballard and Rebecca Robins on how to manage five generations in the workplace. (I’m fighting with two generations at home, but I’m all ears👂🏼).