The elevator that lifts you up can also bring you back down!

Here we are approaching year's end, and rather inevitably, during some quieter moments in and around the various feasts and festivities, one finds oneself taking stock of life and career and one's level of success, and how lucky/unlucky one feels about it all. Of course, the only real viewpoint is how lucky we all are, compared to so many, even if it's human nature to find something to gripe about - but sticking with the positive is always going to take us further in the end. 

As nauseating as all the currently-in-vogue "paying it forward" and "teachable moment" armchair (make that chaise longue!) psychology psychobabble on the TV is, there is a lesson in there - somewhere - you just have to dig it out from within the often self-serving "How great I am to be sharing my wealth-wisdom-winning ways with y'all" self-promotion. Generally speaking, the celebrities or "winners" who do it on the quiet are the ones whose motives I trust (the most), while anyone having a bright light shone on them in primetime for all they do for others, apparently out of the blue, well ....you know. 

But as much as it gets people all watery-eyed and weak at the knees to see some rich, famous celebrity helping others "below" them, those very same people often go into work with a stellar focus on only helping themselves and their own career, even at the expense of others and being willing to trample over those "below" them as they see fit or deem necessary. There's an apparent disconnect here, as if somehow it's okay for a celebrity to care for those beneath them or thank the paying public who got them there, because they have made it and are untouchable now, so of course they can afford to give something back!

I don't think that's the point, at all. Each of us is (or can be) our very own (minor) celebrity; one who has made it to a large extent, and who probably does owe some people for where one climbed to today (irrespective of current job title or remuneration level), and it's not because one is not all the way there yet that one should exhibit no gratitude. Yes, it can be a dog-eat-dog world in the typical office or workplace, but it's not because others behave like dogs that you have to do the same to survive. On the contrary, the exact opposite stance may even help you stand out more and rise above the incessant, meaningless barking. 

But it is deemed somewhat acceptable to scratch and scrap one's way up the ladder, to fight to get to the top, and then one is expected to suddenly undergo a personality transformation and begin to go all warm and cuddly with a new-found desire to "give back" to others? This is extremely unlikely to happen in the corporate world. Those who trample people on the way up, are those who are gonna be an even bigger pain in the ass, once there. Conversely, those who got there the right way  (based on actual merit)  and the kind way (some would argue that's just a pipe dream) are much more likely to remain that way, once they achieve their success. 

One does hear the argument that celebrity X or executive Y did not get to  where they are today by being Mr. or Mrs. Niceguy, so one must stay laser-focused and ruthless on the way up, in order to get there, and then of course it's easier to breathe and think of others once you have reached your own individual goals. This is all fine and dandy, but it will take you years to climb that ladder, and you will have passed through the working lives of many, many others by then; frankly, if you are known as a total b**ch (or worse!) after 5-10 years of ladder-climbing, there will be almost nothing you can do to change that perception around town, later. It sort of gets written in metaphorical stone on your real career headstone, and for some it later becomes the tagline on their career gravestone, as they tumble back down the big game of snakes and ladders that is business and life. Or even the business of life!

The cool quote from actor Kevin Spacey (yeah, that other Kevin! ;) caught my eye recently and it works well in relation to today's topic, both in terms of comparison and contrast to what is being discussed. Yes, it is an extremely endearing thought and gesture to send the elevator back down, of course! However, at the same time, unlike ourselves,  having reached his level of success and wealth, it is unlikely that he will ever need to use that elevator down again. But that is almost never the case for the typical individual in the business world, where "fame" and power can be much more transient in nature. 

Thus in our case, and with the way the economic crisis impacted the business world after 2008, it is not uncommon to find ourselves back inside that elevator once more, going down, and you can bet that the doors will open on every single floor between the top and the ground floor, with a mass of instantly recognisable faces crowding the doors to have a good, long look at you on your journey down. It is not likely to be a pain-free process, and the level (or lack) of vitriol mixed with pure pleasure on those faces will be a direct measure of how you rode the elevator up in the first place!

Depending on just how high you may have risen, it could well be one extremely lengthy metaphorical descent back down to where you began your journey - on the ground floor, looking for a job. The metaphorical journey down may be a lengthy one, but being called into human resources and walking out with a box full of your personal effects can be over in what feels like a few seconds, simultaneously hitting the ground floor with as heavy a thump as the metaphorical elevator hitting the ground beside you. Yes, that's you inside that elevator, walking out on the ground floor in a state of total shock!

I personally don't believe there is anything to be gained by scratching your way up, and you actually get more out of people by encouraging them to help you get the most out of your tasks, while in turn helping them do so in return. One climbs based on merit and talent, not due to being loudest, scratchiest, or the type who spends more time doing politics than doing their job; the latter type always gets theirs in the end anyway, when people realize that they don't actually have the skills necessary to do the bloody job. 

It costs little to be a little more giving and a lot less selfish by collaborating with colleagues rather than being in endless competition for attention and promotion with them, and it can pay huge dividends in terms of what people really think about you, and will be willing to say about you, when your name comes up in both everyday conversation and in terms of being a promotion candidate. While again, there are those who would say nice guys/gals finish last, I prefer to think of it in terms of nice guys being finished (i.e. out of a job) last. 

As much as I admire Kevin Spacey's quote, I might just add-in that on the way up, it's not a bad idea to hold the doors open a little longer on each floor to allow a few others to jump in with you, or simply to take a few minutes to chat with the people that you meet on the ride up - it can make a massive difference not only to the likelihood of having to take that elevator down again, but also to how people react to that coming back down to ground - and a little extra cushion can go a long way on a darker day!