1. Never ever compete with a guy who works 24/7. There will always be somebody who knows/works better than you. Work efficiently as much as required for the day. That's enough . Have work life balance.
2. Never be close friends with your colleagues unless you know them since your college days. Most of them are friends with you because they need you.
3. Never be loyal to the employer . You are just another employee to them.
4. Have every word/promise written in mail . Anybody can turn their back at you.
5. Never show your anger to anybody in office.
6. Never discuss your family matters.
7. Don't flirt with anybody. Approach sincerely.
8. Keep learning something. It helps you to quit confidently when you don't like something or somebody
9. Dress neatly.
10. Don't be too honest

Edit: Please don't tell me this is not right always , this doesn't happen. I have pointed out the lessons I learned. You can write your own answers if you have totally something else to share. Thanks

THE THREE CORPORATE LESSONS

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Lesson Number One:

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow,

and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered:

"Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

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Lesson Number Two:

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that

tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy." "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fortnight, there he was, proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

Moral of the story:

Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

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Lesson Number Three:

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold, the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it.

As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

The morals of this story are:

1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.

2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

3) When you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut

1. No comfort zones!You should be ready to work in areas where you are not at all comfortable or trained
2. Socialize!! A multi-talented person who doesn't socialize cannot withstand the blow from a perfectly socialized co-associate. You cannot learn things if you just be confined to your desk.
3. Emotion check !Keep your emotions in check! Because there will be many people who constantly irritate you in the work place .!!! Even if your blood pressure rises to 180, wear a smile and chuck the situation or the person responsible for that :P. Behave as if that person doesn't exist(better solution :P )
4. Be competent! Crave for work!! Never escape from it. Your manager will love to have you if you do that! Take challenging tasks and learn things
5. Recognizable ! What ever you do make sure your manager knows it :P Coz at the end of the day we want recognition and hikes :P :P and he is the person responsible for that :P
6. Update yourself daily and share it with every one around you. Participate in those long talks(What ever it might be) that people do during the recess(Socialize!!)
7. Avoid these! Never ever allow people know your weaknesses.! I feel sharing too personal things should also be avoided (if you don't want people to gossip about you as you do about others :P :P)
8. Don't be so available There will be people who steal your work. You will complete the work, but some one else will project it. You have to help people complete the tasks, but you shouldn't complete the whole assignment anytime.
9. Family time! A successful person is the one who balances both work and family. After all we earn or work hard for our family..for us to be happy. So there is no point in neglecting or giving less time to family. Learn to say NO to work if you have to choose between family or Work!!

1. In corporate world, beautiful girls are bitch. They know how to play well their cards. Beware of them!
I'm a girl, more of an ordinary kind and I'm not jealous of them because there'll always be people better than you anytime.
One of my first colleagues, a beautiful lady, made up her version of stories and spread it enough to spoil my image in the first few days of joining the company. Those who listened to her were the boys having crush on her. Everyone of them looked down on me disdainfully and made my professional life's start a hell in spite of being more technically sound and offered better position.
Apart from that I was from a poor family and didn't have money to buy good quality Western formals for that they called me "Aunty".
I left that company for better and I'm happier now.
I heard that she used many boys for her advantage too.

2. People have no ownership of their words either a colleague or senior management.

3. If you work hard and complete on or before time, they'll load you with more works.

4. They say boss is always right but it's your guts which is always right for you.

5. Pay check does matter.

6. Learn new skills every now and then to enhance your professional growth. This will be a great investment.

7. There are times when the job stresses you out and it happens with everyone. Just give your best. Sometimes things are not in your hands and it's better to leave them that way.

8. Professional friends are not friends for life, most of them. Don't waste money on them by partying and boozing with them.

9. Girls, you have to be tough and decisive and never give the damn to those who wants to take advantage of you. This corporate world is a white collared devil.

It's been close to 10 years that I am working in the corporate world. Few things that nobody taught me in my childhood or in my teens or in my academics and that I learned in the last 10 years are as follows:

• Stay 'discreet' - Believe me, this is the first rule to survive in the corporate world. To explain the meaning of the word 'Discreet', this analogy will hold good - If you are wearing a discreet gray suit, it is unlikely that anyone at that business meeting will notice you (Source Vocabulary.com). No matter which profile you are in, always stay low-key. Use your words judiciously. If you do so, trust me, half of the battle is already won.
• If you are not good at flattery, let your work do the talking - It's pretty simple - Either you know how to flatter people or you don't. All my corporate life, I have been fighting this bitch - 'FLATTERY'. I can't learn it. It's my handicap. BUT, I learnt one thing with the course of time - if you are good at what you do, if your work is good, you will survive. It will make you virtually 'indispensable'. But if you are neither, it's time for some introspection.
• Never express your opinions for the first 6 months to 1 year - If you are new to an organization/ a fresher/ got back to work from sabbatical, NEVER share your opinions or thought process about any colleague in front of other colleagues. You will meet all kinds of people in an organization who are mean, who are rude, who are two-face, who are cunning, who are fact indigestors (I coined this term for this place). You never know who to trust. If you share an information with someone, it will spread like rapid fire. Hence, give at least 6 months to gauge tendencies and behaviors of people. Gradually, you will get to know who to trust and who not to.
• Never curse the management/ leadership - There is this saying - 'You never mess with the crocodile in the water'. You are on their turf. You cannot afford to challenge their authority. If the leadership is poor, stay calm and diplomatic. Figure out the dynamics around you - know who is connected to whom, how much power a particular person has, is there an alternative to it, can you move from one team to another, do your colleagues feel the same way as you do (never form any unions, it will back fire). If nothing works out, look out for new job.
• Never lose your temper - This is a very important rule in the corporate world. There will be circumstances when you will feel like 'Enough is enough. Now, I cannot take it anymore'. In such circumstances, you need to tread your path very carefully. Never ever lose your temper in front of anyone. Talk in terms of only facts and figures. Get your emotions out of your way. If you have a spat with your colleague or a subordinate or a person from a different team, jot down your points on a piece of paper and put these points politely in front of him/ her. Try to get one more person with you in that meeting (especially your boss). Now, here is the key - Stay polite and calm when you speak. It will irritate the other person even more. Then, it's a cake walk. Believe me, no matter how much right a person is, if he/she looses his/her temper, everything will go against him/ her. Therefore, stay polite and composed and everything will fall in your stride. People should say that that person shouted on you or lost temper on you, not the other way around.
• Select one target daily and appreciate him/ her - One of my ex-leader shared this theory with me which I still follow (we call it 'Object Oriented Programming' - I am not from IT background. It's just that this terminology makes sense here). He told me that people love appreciation. You appreciate them and they will open the doors of their hearts to you. What I do, every single day, I select one target (this word sounds strange but fits the situation). Then I go to him/ her and say one of the below things.
• 'You are looking great today. Have you been working out lately?
• This shirt you are wearing, it looks great on you. From where did you buy this? Must be an expensive one.
• Hey man, you are looking cool today. What's the secret behind your looks?
• Hi buddy, how is your family? By the way, I forgot to ask, can you recommend some good schools for my kids?
• Some day, I would like to be as much efficient and organized as you.
• (Add some humor) You are looking 10 years younger. (Be careful when you use this line especially when you are talking to a female colleague.)
• Always speak in the last in a meeting - Whenever you attend a meeting, hear out everybody. When everybody has shared his/ her views, you summarize them in your head, take a moment and then put your views forth in front of the audience. Never jump on the gun. Speak judiciously and do not over-speak.
• Use 'Thank you' more often and 'Sorry' less often - If someone does something for you which he/ she was supposed to do such as creating a report, sending an email to a client etc., say thanks to him/ her. That person will admire it and more importantly, will remember you as someone who values him/her. At the same time, don't say 'Sorry' very often. Only in cases where you are at fault, apologize. But don't say if someone else has committed a mistake. I have seen that people tend to say sorry if things are not working out for reasons not attributable to them. If something is not working out or a project deadline is getting pushed back (not because of you), share the reason for this delay with your client/ line of business and tell them that you will try your best to get this done. It will make you come as a strong and not shallow person in front of them.

This is what I could think of on the top of my mind. I will keep adding more to this list as my experience in corporate world is pretty varied (hope you got it). Please feel free to let me know if you think of anything which should go in here, I will add that as well.

See you guys.

1. Whatever knowledge or skill you have, use only 70-80% of them at work
2. Do your work and go home on time (Most Important)
3. Don’t be fooled by beautiful girl at workplace (By helping them in most of the work. She and you both get salary)
4. Do not talk about your salary or job changing idea to anyone
5. Stay away from buttering
6. Don’t share personal things with your colleagues or team lead
7. Make some good friends who can help you in future
8. Never ever get involved in politics
9. Take a leave on time it may be paid or unpaid but must take leave to free yourself
10. EVERYBODY WORKS ONLY for MONEY. It can be you,your colleagues,team lead,project lead,VP,CEO etc.

Remember nobody works for free in corporate world whenever money matters they will Hire you or Fire you..

• Don't say YES to everything assigned to you. Learn to say NO
• Don't react quick. Be a silent observer
• Don't be too honest
• Finish work on time. Not before not after. If you finish before, probablity of getting heavy work load is more
• Don't speak when you are angry
• Don't work overtime under the impression of good appraisal. Leave work on time
• Don't be under impression of getting good appraisal because you worked hard .Managers just play mind game during appraisal process. Most of the time it sucks
• Maintain a healthy, good relationship with colleagues. They are the one who will eventually help you to job switch

Edit: Adding few points as suggested by my fellow quoriens.

• As Siddharth Bothra suggested, Always keep an eye out for alternative sources of income
• As Tarun Kumar suggested, Always CC your work emails to your boss

• Speak less in front of seniors & clients - that helps you get credit.
• Don’t complain either about your colleague or senior with anyone- puts you in bad light.
• Don’t trust the people you work with - they can’t be your friends however good they may seem.
• Never lose an opportunity when a senior leader asks you for inputs- that's the time for you to create visibility.
• Communication skills along with fair level of intelligence is a deadly combination for becoming successful.
• Focus on building relationships not mere contacts - will help you all your life even after retirement. Life is not just about selfish business needs but much beyond that.
• Work towards your success without loathing other’s success - it’s a unhealthy practice which distorts your peace for life.
• Always do a QC before sending outputs to clients/seniors- small mistakes matter and stops you from becoming a perfectionist.
• Be ambitious and connect with like minded professionals
• Measure your success by work satisfaction and not just by an annual monetary raise.
• Stay away from politics - creates negativity .
• Learn from sharp people and be inspired.
• Never ever ignore calls from your family and friends while at work - you can’t ever be so busy that you can’t respond to the ones who should matter the most.
• Have a goal & ensure that you achieve it within a certain time frame.
• Involve yourself in activities that scare you like speaking to clients of difficult accent, presenting in front of a wide audience, answering technical questions etc.
• Don’t always believe your boss when he gives you a low rating during your appraisal . He is asked to pinpoint your weakness irrespective of whether you have it or not . Figure it out yourself if there is something you need to improve upon and gradually work your way up.
• When you fail in an interview for a job, it’s not always that you weren’t good but because the interviewer thought you were smart . Many companies make a conscious decision not to hire bright candidates as they are ambitious and hence are more likely to attrite in a dismal scenario within a company.
• As you move up the ladder, you may notice an overwhelming level of folks around you trying to flatter you - seems enchanting but beware ,it’s your power that they are respecting to get favors done and not the real you so use good judgement to notice who is genuine and who is not.
• As your designation & salary increase, your struggle to survive at that level will also increase. Hence think about how to generate passive source of income rather than dwelling on just the current source of income.
• When you join a company, work really hard in the first 6 -8 months & win the trust of your seniors . Once the confidence is developed, no one can ever doubt or complain about your performance & thats going to give you a good stay in that company.
• Working for big brands may seem fabulous from outside but when you get in there, you will discover, how wrong you were in believing that. So choose your company wisely after doing your groundwork rather than following suit. Happiness is much more important than mere show offs.
• When you get an opportunity to work in a IC role along with a senior, take it as a boon. Start working on it as if it's your baby. Own it thinking that it's now or never. Never say No to your senior and do all of his work in such a way that he relies on you completely for all the technical and non technical work. This will give you both work satisfaction and visibility . Managers love it when their DRs are able to take the load off their shoulders. They value such employees and fight for their growth. Aspire to be such kind of a professional.
• Last but not the least , enjoy your work not for money but because you love it.

1. Always be competitive.
2. Don’t say No to anything. Even if you don’t know how to do the task assigned to you, take it up. Understand what is to be done. Learn the skills and then do the task. Saying No will only degrade your name and may hamper your growth.
3. DO NOT HAVE A RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES. DO NOT.
4. Everything communicates. How you dress, how you stand, how you speak, etc. If you want to succeed in a corporate environment, you have to communicate that you are the kind of employee that represents the corporate success story.
5. Understand that politics is a fact of corporate life, and learn to deal with it.
6. They are not democracies, not charities, and not therapy centers. They exist to make money, and they hired you to help them make money. That's the deal.

"Networking" is not something you have to go to a "networking event" for.

It's not related to being exposed to new people or handing out business cards or knowing how to "work a room".

Networking is what happens between you and the people you work with. It's day in, day out. It's what you show to the intern in your group, how you treat the people who work for you, how you relate to your peers, what senior executives perceive.

Time goes by and everyone goes to work somewhere else, most frequently in your same industry or an industry that overlaps with yours. They grow. That intern becomes your key client, the people who used to work for you become someone you now work for. Those you considered senior report to you.

It's a small, small world, and your network - the web of "people you know", the social infrastructure that will matter the next time you need something (a tip, advice, an introduction, a hand, a recommendation, a reference, a new job) is assembling itself right now.

Perception matters more than effort or talent

Nobody cares about your dedication, work ethics etc as long as you ensure that you maintain visibility. The person who "works" long hours, talks without having anything to say, has a "loud" extroverted persona has higher chances of being promoted.

Everyone is expendable

I have seen many people, whom I thought were indispensable, asked to let go. One failed initiative, an altercation with the boss, a year of under-performance is enough to undermine years of your contributions.

So don't be complacent. If you are not evolving constantly to maintain your competitive edge, someone will catch up to you and make you redundant.

The Lion and the Mouse

In the oldest versions, a lion threatens a mouse that wakes him from sleep. The mouse begs forgiveness and makes the point that such unworthy prey would bring the lion no honour. The lion then agrees and sets the mouse free. Later, the lion is netted by hunters. Hearing it roaring, the mouse remembers its clemency and frees it by gnawing through the ropes.

I have cordial relationships with everyone I need to interact with, even the ones I talk to sporadically. And I have received assistance and help every time I needed. A company is a huge machine and you can't forever work as a silo. Be nice and polite to everyone, you never know who may save your ass one day.

Don't be a Stark

If you trust everyone, are completely honorable (read: naive), you will get screwed over by everyone else.

Or a Lannister

While burning the bridge might be an effective battle intimidation strategy, once you have burned all yours, you are stuck on your little island. People will just wait for you to "starve to death". Don't be the hypercompetitive jerk. If your colleague/competition is one, don't get cowed down either.

1. Never be the smartest person in the room.
2. Always listen to your inner voice. If it "feels wrong" it is.
3. Debt makes you and your company a slave to someone.
4. It is never wrong to do the right thing. It is never right to do the wrong thing. The ends DO NOT justify the means. The Ten Commandments are also great safety tips no matter who said them.
5. Don't hire employees or friends. Hire people who believe in the vision and want to partner because it makes them feel alive to be apart of something bigger than them or us.
6. Remember who you wanted to be when you were a kid. You didn't EVER want to be the dream killer, paper pusher or suit. You wanted to change the world. Why aren't you changing the world? Age is a mind set and the older you are mentally, the less dynamic change you will capture and create.
7. Love your people. If your end users are viewed as people who are "clicks" or just customers you will fail. If you care about them, you will make the product that will actually make their life better or easier. You both win. Most companies are upside down. Prioritize:
   A) principals
   B) people (love and respect your end users/vendors and employees/partners
   -- If you have those as your solid foundation and you protect those two things, the next two fall into place naturally.
   C) product. If you know the first two the product becomes obvious
   D) profit. It is a byproduct. Never forget that. Making profit your goal is the easiest way to become all that you despise.
8. Make your word you bond. Contracts are important but your word is more so. Let your yes mean yes and no mean no always. The spirit of the deal is just as important as the words of the deal. Never dishonor yourself.
9. Plan on being mocked or told it will never work. Sometimes they are right, but the best ideas do seem crazy at first to most or everyone would already be doing it.
10. Know not what you do or make. But why. That is the difference between a guy who makes computers and Steve jobs. He knew why. ART.
11. With God all things are possible.
12. There is no such thing as compartmentalizing ethics. You can not cheat on your wife or taxes but be honest and trustworthy at the office. Fix your character flaws. We all have them. Master them or they will master you.
13. Make your weakness your strength.

24th March, Holi 2016

As usual a normal Ranchite, grown up playing Holi every year. This year away from home, that too in Bangalore. No scene of Holi. Started the day thinking of not going to office. But thanks to IT, I went office. The whole day went by seeing the messages in whatsapp and surfing through FB. Totally depressed.

Finally thought to play holi with the only girl i got crush after coming to Bangalore. (She is committed). I didn't know that she was committed. After knowing i tried just to be friends. But since her PG is on my way to flat. I thought to start with her and end with my roommates. Down her PG. I messaged her in WhatsApp , I called her twice. But She didn't reply at all.

Near to her PG, there is a small Chai Point. Since she was not replying. I took Chai-Sutta and was waiting for her reply.(20 minutes passed away) Meanwhile, a stranger was standing beside me waiting for someone. Then a couple came after sometime. They were so excited, meeting after so many days. Full Hug and exchange of Holi Wishes.

Guy: Yaar office me itna busy tha, Rang lena hi bhul gya. (I was too busy in office that i forget to take colours.)

Couple Boy: Yaar sahi me Holi k din v office. Frustrate ho gye he. (On the day of Holi also there is office, I feel frustrated.)

Couple Girl: Agal Bagal koi Rang-Abir ki dukan v nai he. (There is no shop of Colour and Gulal nearby.)

Suddenly What happened to me I don't know. I went forward.

Me: Do you want colour. I have. U take it. (I bought it while coming back thinking to apply her.)

They: Looking at each other. And confused that who am i.

Me: Take it yaar No worries. Holi Hain.

Suddenly the girl came forward and took the packet opened it and applied to her lover and friend madly. They played like hell.

Finally while going back they thanked me and applied me also little bit. Seeing them playing and finally applying me also I became so much happy and excited. Saw my Phone (No reply in WhatsApp Though it was blue ticked. Neither Call). Suddenly realizing that i am giving her an undue importance, I left the place getting a call from my mother. Full On Happy.

​
​
​Ended up playing holi this year with complete strangers. A whole new Experience !! :D :D​

Moral : Corporate life sucks until you know how to handle it. Things Change. You will be away from home. College life is over. In office Seniors will screw you. You will get bored with the same monotonous routine. But what can you do. This is life. U have to face and conquer.

Lesson : There's so much more to life than finding someone who will want you, or being sad over someone who doesn't. You need to fill yourself with love. Not anyone else. Give happiness to others, Smile a lot. Do all things with love. Live for yourself and be happy on your own. It isn't any less beautiful, I promise.

How much ever effort you put in and toil for your company, remember that you're replaceable.

You can cry and crib about your problems at work or even about work pressure. Stop having stress and have a good work-life balance, take care of your health and always remember that you're replaceable.

Even our ex-president Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam advised us to love our job but not the company as you are replaceable (not sure if he really said these words).

The biggest single lesson I learned from 20 years at multinationals is to ask for the recognition you deserve.

Your manager’s top priorities are: accomplish team goals; keep the team productive; hire good talent; retain existing adequate or better talent; manage out bad talent.

Making sure you get promoted isn’t on that list. Making sure you get promoted if you’re at risk of leaving and it will retain you is.

Sometimes you have a great manager who helps you grow, and rewards you well. More typically those rewards and the attention go to employees who are at risk of leaving. If you’re not an attrition risk, you may not get what you deserve from a good manager, and you certainly won’t get what you deserve from any other kind.

Own your career. Educate yourself on what is fair compensation for your contributions and talent. Communicate your expectations to your manager early and often. Give them positive ammunition to fight for rewarding you. Leave when your job is no longer the best place for you.

Don’t expect the company to reward you just because you’re a great employee. Help them do the right thing: it’s more likely to get done.

What I have learnt are a series of teeny tiny lessons which together make up for the biggest lesson.

The following are those teeny tiny lessons.

1. Everybody cares. Just that it's not about you. Nobody cares about you. They may care about many different things. You are not one of those things. Care is a huge word to be throwing around in an office environment, in the corporate world.

Lesson Learnt: Don't expect people to care about you.

2. Those whom you think care about you - they only act like they do. In reality, they don't. They may care about you professionally. But again, as I said, care is a huge word to be throwing around for such behaviour. They just look out for you professionally at best.

Lesson Learnt: Don't trust people to have your best interest in mind.

3. Most emails are just B.S. In fact out of the 1000 emails in your inbox, you could do away without seeing at least 800 of them.

Lesson Learnt: Learn to manage emails and respond only for those that is directly relevant to you or something that you can contribute to.

4. You're just a number. You're just a raw material your company has invested in, that gives them the ROI they expect.

Once you start failing to give them the ROI they expect, they will gladly replace you for someone else who's more efficient, better, and cost efficient too. If somebody better comes along who gives a better ROI, the company won't bat an eye while firing you, replacing you with that person.

Lesson Learnt: Love your job, don't love your company.

5. You may think of most people around you as friends and such - but, the day you leave your company - within two days, you'll be forgotten. Once you're gone, nobody talks about you. Nobody remembers you. It's as if you didn't exist there.

This is unless you were someone who was indispensable for some reason (the sole person with the knowledge of an entire domain, a super-awesome manager, a top-level developer lead or something). Companies rarely let someone become indispensable and irreplaceable. They always have someone readied to take your place.

Lesson Learnt: Don't be attached to people and the place of work.

6. 99% of the people in the corporate jobs are deeply unhappy.

They are unhappy about their jobs. They are unhappy about their lives. They drown themselves in social media, movies, tv shows, and other such things to avoid facing the growing unhappiness within them. They do everything in their power to keeping running away from facing that unhappiness. They all know it deep down. But they are all tied - to plastic money, to debts, to loans, to addictions, to liabilities, to habits, and so on. Most of them are tied to certainty.

Lesson Learnt: Don't tie yourself to certainty. Growth happens outside of your comfort zone.

7. The remaining 1% of the people who are happy are almost always the ones who love what they do to the core - the ones who came to that field with a passion for what they do, and are often seen in senior or top/decorated positions with a better package. They know that if they wanted to leave, they could leave and they'd immediately have another job or a backup ready.

Lesson Learnt: Keep improving yourself, and always keep looking out for yourself. Keep updating yourself and always be ready to jump, if push comes to stove.

8. If you stand out in the work aspect of your job, you'll be lauded, envied, but definitely appreciated - may not be completely to what you deserve to be appreciated like, but definitely appreciated.

But, if you stand out from the crowd in any other way, the crowd will try to make you a part of the crowd, make you into following the herd, being a part of the herd. If you hold strong and if they fail, they will try the other way. They'll keep mocking you and making fun of you - if you're friendly. If you're not so friendly and jovial, they'll avoid and ignore you.

Lesson Learnt: Corporates run on herd mentality. If you don't blend in, you're not gonna survive. But, if you make it a point to stand your ground, all the while you do good work - if you get so good that they can't ignore you - then you can be as you want to be, harmless, but stand out.

9. If you're single and especially if you're relatively new to the company (1-2 years in the company), people in your team (especially the married ones, the old guys, the seasoned ones) will mostly expect you to work late hours, late nights, finish tasks well before the deadline. Especially, if they work late hours, they will definitely expect you to stay.

Lesson Learnt: If you're going to tell them that you can't stay late, or you can't work weekends - they're gonna make sure it reflects in your promotions, hikes, bonuses. Definitely. But, stand your ground. Otherwise, if you do as they wish for you to - staying late nights, working weekends, etc., they'll expect you to do the same, even after you are married.

10. If you complete your work before deadline, you will be given more work (especially true when you're single).

Lesson Learnt: When you're with the devil, learn to do the devil's work - if you're really desperate for holding on to that job.

11. Most people in the corporate are unhealthy and eat shit. Very few people actually build discipline around their lifestyle to eat clean and healthy.

Lesson Learnt: People will tell you that this is the age you must eat all you can, that you can't eat like this once you go into 30s or 40s. Those people are just full of shit. They'll try to make you eat as unhealthy as they do, because they don't want to feel guilty seeing someone young, sticking to a discipline and doing what they couldn't do. If you eat healthy and workout properly, you can eat anything at any age. Don't listen to people. Eat clean and healthy from your 20s, if you want to have a rock solid body which is under your control in your 40s, 50s, and beyond.

12. Most people in the corporate who usually go and workout at the gym think that they can eat all they want, whatever they want, as long as they workout - that everything will be fine. They don't realise that if they eat crap, their body will become crap soon.

Lesson Learnt: Don't think you can work your way around shitty eating. Eating shit and working out will not solve anything. Sure, you may keep a good body for a while. But all the crap you feed your body, a few years later, your body will start reflecting it. You are what you eat. If you eat shit, what are you then?

13. Most meetings are irrelevant and a waste of time, unless you're in a managerial, or product management position.

Lesson Learnt: Find a way to avoid meetings irrelevant to you. Even then, get the minutes of the meeting from someone who attended it, so that you're always up to date.

14. People will tell you they'll miss you, when you leave, mostly in a farewell they organise for you (if you're a senior person) or when you collect your belongings and leave (if you're relatively new). The truth is, they won't.

15. Most people in corporate are deeply in debt. As their salaries increase, so do their spendings. They follow the herd. They get a car. They take car financing for buying the car. They buy a home. They buy it with a housing loan. Then, they marry. They marry by taking loans - for marriage, jewellery, and other expenses.

Lesson Learnt: Don't buy the things you don't need, with the money you don't have (credit card), to impress people you don't like (most around you - relatives, colleagues, etc.)

16. Words like loyalty, commitment to company, dedication towards the company's work, etc., have no place in corporate.

Sure, there are some people who are outright loyal to their company, only as long as it suits them. You can see some people working in a company for 10 years, 15 years. But, why? From the outside, it looks like they're loyal, committed and dedicated to their company. If you dig deep, you'll come to know of the different reasons they've been there for such a long time. Maybe it's because their family is close by from the company. Or, maybe it's because they're really settled in the company, having developed expertise in their team's domain. Or, maybe it's because they want to stay settled in one place. Or, maybe it's because they are so well respected in the place they are in right now, that they're uncertain if they'll receive the same respect and treatment in a new place. It could be thousand other reasons. But there's always a reason some people look so dedicated and loyal. In reality, if you take away those reasons, there's no place for loyalty, dedication, commitment. It's all only present until it's comfortable for them, and if it suits them.

Lesson Learnt: Don't mistake people to be loyal or committed. Don't wish to be loyal or committed. Wherever you go, just strive to do the best work that you can possibly do, within the constraints of time, space, and life.

17. Most people in the corporate live to work. They don't work to live.

I best read it in this answer and comment - Faisal Khan's answer to What are the biggest lessons you have learned in the corporate world?

You can spend your entire career at the company, but once you go against them, you'll be chucked out and the entire system will be against you. Years of blood, sweat and tears would be forgotten in a heartbeat and you'd be ostracized. The system (i.e. the company) protects itself, no one else.

The greatest lessons I learnt were that there is more to life than work, there are umpteen ways of earning a living and one should explore that all the time, that the words like loyalty, emotional bonding, etc has no place and that one needs to be connected professionally only. We devote entire lifetimes to the workplace, ignoring the family and kids, and once you are out, everybody forgets you. End of the day, in the Indian situation, you are left with your sons and daughters whom you neglected and you expect them to take care of you for the rest of your life. I suppose while one must work sincerely and honestly, wisdom must dawn on him/her that there has to be an absolute work life balance all the time,that there is more to life than work and that relationships with close friends and family and the kids is supreme. Also, since many casual or even serious relationships wither away like the leaves of a plant, with new ones being in place, one has to have a sense of perspective about relationships.

Most people spend like 14-16 hours per day at work. At what cost? They rarely ever spend quality time with their family, kids and spouse, parents, etc. They spend more than half their waking moments at work, as much as 8 hours in sleep. Only 4 to 5 hours - do they have to spend on things they love, people they love, etc. But - most of them are tired after long day's work that they don't find the necessary energy to spend that time on their beloved ones. Instead, they spend that time watching TV, movies, just daydreaming, or worrying.

Lesson Learnt: Work for living. Don't live for working. Especially in the corporate.

18. Most people in corporate settle.

They don't keep in touch with their old friends. Their old friends move on. They move on. They try to make friends with those around them - in the corporate, their colleagues. They settle for the kind of friendship they can develop - which is in most cases not real. They don't go out during weekends. If they do, they go to fill their soul with temporary fillings - like movies, pubs, drugs, etc. They settle for a soulless life.

Lesson Learnt: Don't settle.

19. They sacrifice most of their time at work and expect to bring up a fully functional family.

Most of the time, when you spend like 14-16 hours at work, you end up becoming a stranger to your spouse and your kids. Your spouse and kids become a kind of a mechanical commitment rather than being life and soul-oriented relationships. People usually become unhappy and disgruntled in their marriage. They try to make up for the hollow feeling they feel with a lot of possessions, intermittent vacations, buying a lot of things, spending a lot of money on their spouse and kids. They don't realise that their kids and spouse don't need a lot of money, but, rather, they need some time of theirs.

Sometimes, when the family grows up to be fully functional, it's either the work of their spouse or the work of other factors involved in the family's upbringing (maybe the presence of grandparents, or presence of another father figure in an uncle or a neighbour, etc.)

Lesson Learnt: Always spend time with your family, one way or the other. Coz, even when your company ditches you, it's your family you're gonna fall back onto.

20. Most people don't have a separation of personal from the professional.

Most people take professional woes to home. They bring personal woes to office. They don't have a separation of concern in their life. Their corporate life experience has such a major role that the kind of tension and stress that is created around them is also carried to their home.

Lesson Learnt: Keep the professional away from the personal. Don't get personal with professional.

21. To not indulge in workplace romance.

Workplace romances are common. When it's a hit, you've got an amazing thing - both working at the same place, relationship strong, everything good, everyone happy (once you get married). You also get to spend more time together.

When it's a miss, when it fails, it's a sour sour thing to face. Especially going through the pain of seeing the other person every single day, that's not for the faint-hearted. When the workplace romance fails, it has a pretty huge negative impact on your psyche - at the workplace.

Lesson Learnt:

Keep your relationship and everything related to relationship outside of your office, even if it is with someone from inside the office.

Keep your relationship as secretive as possible from your colleagues and office people. Don't make it obvious. This helps in alleviating the after-effects of a break-up if it happens.

Keep your personal away from the professional.

~~Set Your Own Standards~~

My first week of corporate work, I was assigned 18 company policies to read.

My second week of work, I was given 40 hours to complete a draft of ONE document.

My third week of work, I was in a meeting about a project I might join one day.

My forth week of work, I considered jumping out the 3rd story window (but they're all sealed... funny how that works).

My fifth week of work, I started reading The Blue Book of Grammar. You know, for fun.

My sixth week of work, I was given nothing to do.

My sixth and a half week of work, I walked down the hall, introduced myself to 5 new people and asked what they did. One of those people had a need that was in my skill set.

My twentieth week of work I called a meeting with that person, my boss, and a few co-workers to show them what I'd made that I thought would address their need. My boss didn't show up.

My twenty-forth week of work, I had a new job, a new boss, and was making almost double what I started.

The lesson there could be "meet everyone" or "do work you weren't asked to" or "don't jump out high windows," but frankly all of those things fall under the header.

People will ask little of you - set your own standards.

People will expect you stay in line and do what you're told - set your own standards.

People will assume you are average, but "average" in corporate America means "dead" - set your own standards.

(EDIT: since people have asked, here's my website if you want to read more

Todd Brison )

• Never fall in love with the peers. Specially be NO for a relationship. It will screw you, ground you, demolish your energy and suck the demotivation from you.
• Love the work if you are forced to work for money. I know the exact feeling, we’ve never promised ourselves to work in cubicles or on excel. But at the end of the day, Love the work and excel it, because this is the only thing that shall help you grow.
• Never compromise on health. NEVER.
• There’ll be times you are going to feel isolated and no friends at all. It’s alright, most of your friends who are unemployed or are chilling on their dad’s business. But, focus on your career.
• Specially when you are in your 20’s you are going to run out of time and miss yourself. That’s alright too, good things hardly come to those who deserves it.
• You are going to loose your friends, your close friends, a disconnect in family. Learn to manage your time specially try to spend more with the family. We all know that it is only the family that is going to last.
• Don’t force yourself with weekend drinking, don’t do such waste stuff to yourself. It is not so necessary to drink every Saturday.
• In the end, think about your country bro :D Do some social work. It is high time we all need to worry about it and do something about it.

Recording stuff: As soon as something it is recorded it will be held as fact for the duration of the project. Don't commit something to paper you are unwilling to stand behind or you do not believe is factually correct.

Fixing end points: Stipulating a time-scale for anything invariably ensures the project will have costly over runs. As soon as you have accepted something is going to take a specific time psychologically you have already begun working towards that and anything adverse that occurs will ensure additional time is needed.

Explore the concept of the sprint: purposefully giving yourself less time than you know everything will take. Typically I develop an accurate estimate and subtract 20-25% of the time I know it will take to complete. I realise that sounds counter intuitive and flys in the face of conventional wisdom but give it a try and you may surprise yourself. Do it for everything and watch as efficiency savings roll in.

Don't waste time: Use a timer for everything. Some things may seem in consequential but that 30 minute meeting that takes 37 minutes bi-weekly is costing you over 12 hours of productive time a year.Extrapolate that figure out for every individual present and the meeting and you have some a significant economic loss. Multiply that for every meeting that runs even a minute over. You schedule is sacred, protect it or you'll pay for it in your own time.

Who are you impressing?: It shouldn't impress anyone if you need to work extra hours to cover the work you should be able to achieve each day, it merely highlights your inefficiencies. It may give you an ego boost and gain you acknowledgement in the, 'John's always working late, hes such a hard worker', but you'll know you're wasting your time. Get the work you need to get done in a day and recover. Nobody got anywhere from burning themselves out.

'Swallow the frog': do the thing you are least looking forward to first and the whole day will seem brighter and easier. Get the things out the way that make the biggest difference not the things that take longest. Email takes time but can be done at any time and slows down momentum, do the things that enable progress.

Infact, lock email in a box and do the following:

1. Only check emails once per day. Some of you may question how this is possible or believe it would force me to miss important messages through the day. In truth, it made me far more productive. It allowed me to focus on the task at hand more clearly and if anything did come up I started receiving phone calls which allowed me to tackle the problem quicker, easier and without the need for additional emails.
2. Stop sending as many emails. It sounds simple because it is, but I was able to drastically reduce my emails received on a daily basis by as much as 40%. No more emails to emails that didn’t require a reply. No more emails to people I could phone and get an answer from in ten seconds. The freedom gained is truly invigorating.

If something that requires attention comes up someone will call; you wouldn’t email the fire brigade to inform them your house is on fire.

Throwaway plans: Plans are perfectly correct until they begin and then they merely loosely indicative. Don't think of a plan as a concrete route from A-B as you will always be disappointed. Think of it as an anecdotal story, which if everything goes right, and it wont, you may have an easy ride. Plans don't account for 'road works' or any kind of adverse conditions. Depending on a plan going to plan is the thing that will get you into the most trouble. Foresee issues, pre-plan in expectation and if everything goes smoothly you'll appreciate having had the contingency in place.

Trust people: don't be precious and protective of things. Let people showcase their expertise and benefit collectively. Welcome people into the team with open arms, don't be suspicious of their intentions. Ultimately you and the team are the beneficiary. You will meet lone superstars so find ways to connect whereby the partnership is mutually beneficial.

Congratulate and inspire: Praise people when they do well. Nothing motivates people more than the acknowledgement of the effort they have put in to achieve success. Better yet praise people in front of the whole team which simultaneously encourages the person who had done the great work and lets the team witness what happens then they contribute to the teams success.

Coach: Coach people instead of telling them off. Empathise and understand and suggest ways that could be improve. Use considered phrases which don't damage confidence. 'I see what you’ve done there, have you considered doing...'. Show people the road and they will follow.

Be liked: To be liked you need to sincerely care about the other guy. You need to forego your own ego and understand what the other person wants and actively give it to them. Ultimately people want another persons attention and to feel important. Give it to them and learn about them, in turn learning about yourself. All great, long lasting relationships are built on an understanding of the other person. Stop being selfish and realise there is two sides to every story.

Who are you?: Character is who you are when nobody is looking. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Humility: Treat people how you want to be treated. Whether you acknowledge the cleaner tidying up your mess in the hotel or the CEO of your company, humility and sincere interest are ubiquitous in revealing you humanity.

Be trusted, earn respect: Do what you are going to do when you say you are going to do it. In fact do it before. Trust is the currency that enables transactions to occur in higher frequency. Without trust and respect, in life and in business, you are nothing.

1. Hard work isn't enough. Yes, it's important but you also have to be proactive in promoting yourself, the work you've done and how you've helped the company. And you have to do this in a way so that you don't come across as arrogant and an asshole.
2. Common sense is severely lacking in the corporate world.
3. Always ask yourself "so what?" and anticipate questions. If your boss asks you for the number of leads received last quarter you can tell them "100,000", but so what? Why does that matter? Is that good or bad? Answer those questions and anticipate & answer your boss' questions before he or she asks them.
4. The company will put itself first, so you need to look out for yourself first too. Great companies will look out for their employees and help them grow, but if it comes down to saving the company by laying off employees that's what will happen. Keep an eye on other jobs, know your worth on the job market, build up your network while you're in a good place.
5. (Adding one more!) If you work in data analysis, “the business" generally wants you to use data to support the answers they want to hear, rather than use data to provide unbiased answers to the questions they've asked. So always pay close attention to numbers, charts and tables. Ask yourself what could be missing.

1. People love to take credit for other's work
If you have done a wonderful work, never inform it to just one person, always show it in front of the team and if you are sending an email then keep the team in cc. I have seen people at senior position taking credit for awesome work done by entry level engineers.

2. Never spoon feed freshers and new joinees.
The more you spoon feed them the more dependent they become. Instead, teach them how to search in net and solve the problem. If they ask any question, redirect them to google and stackoverflow.
Thanks to Webyog for this trick, when I joined Webyog in 2009, there was a rule that if you have any question which can be answered by google and stackoverflow then you can't ask it to other employees.
I have seen companies spoon feeding freshers and new joinees, hence making them dependent on others and then later trying to figure out why they can't solve problems themselves.

3. Don't get impressed with the years of experience and 'keyword' knowledge.
I have seen people having 10+ years experience with just keyword knowledge, showing off their years of experience in every other meeting, talking big but when it comes to work delivery they fail miserably.
Focus on what they deliver through work and not by what they speak.
*No offence to experienced people, I have worked with many respectable, experienced and brilliant people as well.

4. What you see in the powerpoint slides may not be true!!!
I have seen people smartly writing work progress as 90%+ in powerpoint slides for something which is not even 0.01%
Always focus on the actual work.

1. Always greet people with a welcoming smile. They will like you.
2. Thanks people if they have done some favor to you. It will make them to favor you more in future
3. Show others the work you have done. Infact show them 10 times the work what you have actually done. Sell yourself. Don’t let go your hard work unnoticed.
4. Ask. If you want a higher salary, ask your manager. No one will get a dream that you want a hike. If you don’t ask, it makes the manager think that you are complacent with your salary.
5. Don’t ever share your secrets to any of your colleague. They will use it as a weapon against you for their benefit.
6. Don’t ever fall in love with any of your colleagues. No matter how beautiful, smart, caring she might be. You will lose freedom in office too. Your balance of personal and professional life will get disturbed.
7. Never bitch about anyone. Even walls have ears. While in office, even desk, laptops, dustbins, phone, floor have ears. So be cautious.
8. Thinking about a colleague that he/she is my best friend and we shall be friends forever is a myth. When they change office, they change their friends too.
9. Last but not the least, HR is the most criticized person in any organization. She/He will always be considered as a stupid person.

Thanks for A2A :-)

• Learn to say no - Don't say yes for everything, accept extra work only when you are free. Say no whenever required. You'll end up doing everyone's work if you keep saying yes. There are so many people waiting to push their work to you
• Trust no one - Don't trust anyone blindly. Corporate world has too many selfish people who care only about their own growth.
• Hard work is good but smart work is best - Yes I agree hard work matters a lot but people who are smart enjoys more benefits than hard workers.
• Speak up or make your work speak for yourself - There are 2 ways to earn good name in corporate: 1.You have to speak a lot, convince others and struggle a lot to prove your worth (or) 2. Work your ass off, do quality work, be silent and let your work speak
• You are easily replaceable - Your company will find an alternate for you easily
• Knowledge sharing - Learn and let others learn. Knowledge increases when it is shared with others.

Corporate world is full of politics, selfishness, appraisal, hike, bonus, parties, treats and learnings for life and work.

Work hard, party harder:)

Chanakya to the rescue.

• A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.

This is the reason people who follow the ‘yes boss’ route are smart. Instead of being honest and axing on your own foot, try being diplomatic. Only because true opinions are painful and people don’t want to hear them. Being too honest and direct makes you come across as a rude person who doesn’t value feelings. On the contrary, being diplomatic doesn’t hurt anybody and you can easily get things done.

• Once you start a working on something, don't be afraid of failure and don't abandon it. People who work sincerely are the happiest.

The sleep that you get after a hard day’s work is the most peaceful sleep. Hard work might or might not pay, but the satisfaction of working hard is the best feeling to experience. Proving your worth by sincere hard work makes you a valued employee who is important to the organisation.

• The biggest guru-mantra is: never share your secrets with anybody. It will destroy you.

This applies if you have a BFF at your workplace. Remember, it’s a workplace and not your college where you have selfless friendship with your colleagues. Watch out for how much you reveal about your personal life at work. Imagine what would happen if your secrets get passed on and you get stabbed in the back by your work BFF? Exactly. So avoid it and do what you need to to maintain a healthy balance between work and personal life by keeping your secrets to yourself.

• There is some self-interest behind every friendship. There is no friendship without self-interests. This is a bitter truth.

This lesson not only applies to work life, but to life in general. We try to be friends with someone because we ‘want’ to share our interests with them, we ‘want’ to be in their group, we ‘want’ to make them like us. There is always a motive behind friendship because we are needy. Choose your company wisely.

• There are three gems upon this earth; food, water, and pleasing words - fools (mudhas) consider pieces of rocks as gems.

Apart from roti, kapda aur makaan, ‘pleasing words’ are also a basic necessity. At first, if you can’t solve a problem by a stern instruction, try being soft. Chances are your work might get done easily. If not, you will have to twist someone around that little finger.

• As soon as the fear approaches near, attack and destroy it.

Do you get scared and nervous while giving a presentation in front of a tough audience? Or do you fumble while pitching your ideas to your boss and your team? Well, if that’s the case then this point is for you. Fear is your fierce enemy. It’s standing in between of you and the goal you’ve been dreaming of. If you muster up some courage, give it your best and go the ‘que sera sera’ route, then you will overcome fear and show it the exit door.

• Till the time you don't decide to run, you are not in the competition.

A no-brainer here. If the competition is tough, then you’ve got to be tougher. You’ve got to be one step ahead of your competition. That’s how it is when it comes to winning the corporate race and climbing the corporate ladder.

• Even if a snake is not poisonous, it should pretend to be venomous.

Otherwise society will take undue advantage of you. Being intimidating helps because people won’t run over you. If you come across as an over-friendly, people pleaser, then you’re sending out a wrong message.

• If you want to cast a spell on an intelligent person, then tell him the truth.

They are going to find out the truth anyway, so you better not fool around in front of a bright person. For instance, if you’re at an interview and a highly qualified person is asking you questions, avoid bluffing. Chances are that you might get caught and make a fool of yourself.

• Learn from the mistakes of others… you can't live long enough to make them all yourselves.

The most important of them all – learn from the mistakes of others. It’s a great opportunity to learn from someone else’s failure. You have to see to it that it’s someone else is making a mistake and not you. Learning from someone else's mistakes will help you climb up a step of the progress ladder to reach the top.

Source : Trending stories on Indian Lifestyle, Culture, Relationships, Food, Travel, Entertainment, News & New Technology News

• The corporate mantra - Karm karo fal ki chinta mat karo(during appraisal discussions). Do your duty, don't worry about the results.
• There's always one person who will hate you for doing the right thing. So, if nobody hates you, you are doing something wrong.
• When you do a good job, you've got to let them know. In fact, you must let them know.
• Listen before you say 'YES' or 'NO'.
• Think twice before you speak. Think thrice before you write.
• Work-life balance is important. I realised this after moving to a gruelling job.
• Your boss might be an amazing person. But when it comes to your appraisal, they're all the same. After all, it is business!
• The more you work, the more you will be burdened with it.
• Nobody cares about your career progression. All that matters is how you contribute to the company.
• Nobody cares if you reach office early. But everyone will set their eyes on you if you get up to leave at 6.00 !
• You may not be able to access Facebook, but you can access Quora. Your IT nerds still don't know about it. Touchwood.