As many may be guessing that stuff is my collection of trophies from growing up. I have trophies, medals, and awards for everything. I have a soccer trophies, baseball trophies, pinewood derby trophies, a medal from a poetry contest, and tons of certificates and ribbons. It’s really quite an impressive collection, until you look closely and realize that most of them say “competitor,” and none of them say “1st place.” When I came to this realization I just started to laugh because it finally hit me. I really did get a trophy for everything I did, and I never even won anything! (OK, my high school swim team won the national championship, but I assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with it. I was an “alternate” so I could go on the trip).

I’ve been thinking a lot about this and I have to wonder, what do these trophies mean for my career? 

At this point in my career, I’d have to say, not a good thing because the real world has already smacked me in the face for having an expectation of a big shining trophy (metaphorically).

After my first 10 months of working I had my first formal review in which I learned what my raise would be. My boss started out praising my performance and telling me I had done a good job, and then he got around to telling me what my raise would be. I was on the edge of my seat, “My first raise!” I thought, ” I wonder what my promotion will be, Sr. Analyst!?, either way I’m taking Mary out tonight to celebrate!”

That’s about the time when my daydream came to a screeching halt as my thoughts were interrupted with ”2.7.”

“2.7 Percent?” I asked, knowing that I must have heard wrong.

“Yes”

At that point I must have given him the look of death.

“You’re not happy” he said, as I was biting a hole through my lip and trying to keep my composure.

“Well, I don’t know what you were expecting” he said in a calm, business like voice, but “I gave you the max HR would allow.”

That comment stopped me dead in my tracks, “what was I expecting?” I couldn’t answer it. I really had no idea what to expect, all I knew was that I was that I deserved praise, an awesome reward, and hopefully a pizza party afterward. At least I got the praise.

I look at that situation now and I realize that I was subconsciously expecting some sort of championship trophy (in this case more than a 2.7% raise, and hopefully a promotion) when I didn’t get it, I reacted poorly and threw my own little version of a tantrum in which I went on to pretty much tell him that if I wasn’t going to be paid what I was worth, I would find a place that would pay me what I was worth.

Lucky for me I had a really cool boss and when I called later that evening to apologize for being an idiot he laughed, and understood that I was flying blind and had nothing to base any expectations on. In hindsight yes, my reaction was EXTREMELY stupid, and I really don’t know why I was expecting more, especially when I had already survived a layoff that year.

This experience has caused me to pump the brakes a bit on my expectation for praise and rewards, I still work to the best of my ability, and I still want a trophy, I just don’t expect one anymore.

What do you think being part of the “Trophy Generation” will mean for your career?

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I think about how he sees every moment as an opportunity to continue his Machiavellian rise to power, as he tells me “You are the Treasurer of this company.”  

This makes me smile until I remember that he conveniently left out “until the rest of the department returns from lunch.”

He understands me.  He knows that I volunteer to take on projects, get in early, and stay late so that I can “climb the corporate ladder,” and he feels my disappointment when I fail to get adequate recognition in my review.

He wants me to be more Machiavellian and point out the wasting of company time I view on a daily basis, “That will make you look better,” he says.  He then proceeds to shake his head as if to call me a hypocrite for writing this post at work.

He serves as both a source of joy in my day and as a constant reminder of my increase in “value” to my company after almost a year of work.  After all, the increase in my paycheck tomorrow, reflecting my first raise, is the price my wife paid for him to accompany me at work.

I turn to negative thinking and he he immediately counters my thoughts by shaking his head “no.” I look into his beady eyes, and I think about the joy he would receive from getting any raise, regardless of size, and I instantly feel ungrateful.

He tells me: “Wait until the new corporate website launches, that will be our day! Then we will get the recognition we deserve!”

I nod back in agreement.  I can wait two months until launch, to see what I have worked towards come to life.  Surely that will be my day!

He nods approvingly.

But if that recognition is not sufficient, I’ll leave, with my Dwight Schrute bobble head doll in hand.

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