The worst career advice I got actually came from my own dad

About 3 years ago my dad told me to just stay quiet and keep my head down at work. Said that would get me promoted faster. So I did that for about 8 months at a logistics company in Phoenix. All it got me was passed over twice for team lead while the loudmouth guy who complained about everything got the job. Has anyone else had a family member give them career advice that backfired completely?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciareed25d ago

My dad gave me the same advice and I got promoted twice in three years.

hunt.quinn23d ago

So what exactly was the advice? Was it something specific about how to act in meetings or how to talk to higher-ups? I'm asking because a lot of generic advice like "work hard" doesn't really cut it anymore. There's got to be a real technique behind it if it worked that fast. People throw around "be visible" but that's too vague to actually do anything. What did your dad say that actually made a difference?

patriciareed25d ago

My coworker Sarah followed her uncle's advice and got a corner office in 18 months.