My mother is funny, but she may not receive as many laughs as a late-night comedy host. However, my mom and Conan O’Brien share something in common: work ethic.
The other night, I watched Conan O’Brien’s final show. As I sat with an Izzy’s Soda in one hand and my other hand typing a message on Facebook, I laughed at Conan’s sketches. The best part of the night, however, came in the last five minutes of the show.
In case you missed his speech, Conan tried to connect with his “young” audience, giving them advice on the future. Here is a passage from his speech (transcript taken from the Chicago Sun Times):
“And all I ask is one thing…and this is…I’m asking this particularly of young people thatwatch…please do not be cynical.
I hate cynicism. For the record, it’s my least favorite quality.
It doesn’t lead anywhere.
Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get.
But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen. I’m telling you. Amazing things will happen.”
Now, how does this relate to my mom? Often while sitting at the dinner table as a pre-pubscent teen, my mom explained that successful individuals take responsibility for their actions, both the good and the bad. Nothing good, in her mind, comes from putting the blame on other people.
As a college student figuring out his major and career path, Conan’s advice plus my mother’s wisdom are starting to reflect in the work I do both in and out of the classroom. In my opinion, strong leadership comes from those who know when to step in to take charge as well as those who can provide constructive criticism in a respectful, non-condescending manner.
I’ve had many courses that involve group projects, requiring my teammates and I to work in collaboration. At first, I was a work-o-holic that tried to tackle all aspects of projects, essentially undermining the other group members. As time passed in my college career, however, I learned that success in teamwork comes from strong communication and knowing when to step in when someone does something wrong. Last semester, I worked on a class project with 14 other students as a Web master, acting as an overall manager for deadlines and copy-editing. There were times where I saw potential errors in my peers work. However, instead of bombarding them with a ”change this” here and a “really…this doesn’t work”, I figured out how to relay improvements they could make on their work.
I think that GenYers should take Conan’s message to heart. Although young professionals live in a competitive cutthroat market of professionalism, I don’t believe underlying rigor is an excuse for disrespect in the team setting. When something goes wrong on your project or at work, don’t play the “she’s at fault” or “how can he not understand how to do this” game. Being passive aggressive does not help anyone, including yourself. Call me an old fashioned person who still thinks like a kindergartner, but I focus my efforts around giving individuals in the classroom and out in the workforce (well, the places that I have worked thus far) around one component: good old respect.
I never thought I would take away so much from a late night talkshow. And don’t worry dad… your blogpost is next.
