Chapter 1: The Importance of Humility in Career Growth

You’ve gone through the application process, aced the interviews, and now find yourself three months into your new position. While you hold onto hope for improvement, you may feel the work is monotonous and beneath your capabilities, causing your motivation to wane.

I remember my own experience: after securing a summer internship on Wall Street during my junior year, I transitioned to a role as a bank teller at a local bank in my senior year. My hourly wage dropped from over $40 to $15, and a part of me felt I was too skilled for processing transactions and handling cash. However, I recognized the value of building connections through my teller position, understanding it was a crucial step in my banking career. Consequently, I dedicated myself to excelling in my role, and that effort paid dividends.

The relationships I forged while working as a teller were instrumental in propelling me into a prominent position after graduation.

My post-graduate role involved joining a cohort of ten recent graduates. Although we began in a more advanced position than tellers, we were still at the entry level of our segment. This meant we were often assigned numerous administrative and back-office tasks.

Almost immediately, some individuals in the group began to resist the assignments, feeling they were above such work. A few even voiced their frustrations to management.

Avoid becoming one of those individuals. Here’s why: If you cannot manage the small tasks effectively, you will not earn the trust required for the larger responsibilities.

This sentiment reflects the military's rationale for why cadets must master the basics, such as making their beds perfectly and maintaining impeccable uniforms.

It’s possible to feel undervalued when starting a new job, but remember that your reputation is at stake. Every assignment, no matter how trivial, is a chance to showcase your work ethic, meticulousness, and commitment to the team. Even if the tasks seem beneath your potential, how you approach them is what differentiates you from others.

One of our initial assignments involved making cold calls from a list of prospects. The list contained hundreds of business names in an Excel sheet, with the sole instruction being to “call and see if we can arrange a meeting.” The rejection rate was overwhelmingly high.

“We’re not interested.”

“Happy with our current bank.”

“We’ve had a negative experience with your bank in the past.”

The rejections were endless...

Given the high rate of refusals, most of my peers gave up after around 50 calls. But I persisted.

I recognized that I had applied, interviewed, and accepted this job; therefore, I was determined to give it my all. No matter my feelings of rejection or dissatisfaction, I made more calls than anyone else. My persistence paid off, resulting in several prospects agreeing to meet and eventually engage in financing with us.

If you can’t do the little things right, nobody will trust you with the big things.

As cliché as it may sound, success is not instantaneous, and it certainly doesn’t come to those who believe they are above the tasks assigned to them. The seemingly minor tasks are where you establish your credibility. They form the foundation for your career. So, leave your ego at the door, commit to delivering your best work, and watch as opportunities unfold before you.

Chapter 2: Learning from Experience

In this video, learn how shedding ego can transform your negotiation skills and enhance your professional relationships.

Marc Caulfield discusses the importance of collaboration and leaving ego behind, offering valuable insights for professional growth.