If you're new to EM, that's the best advice I can give you. Nothing else will ensure that your career is developing in a fast and successful manner as that. At EM, it's not about meritocracy, it hasn't been for a long while. It's all about office politics. Please, correct me if I'm wrong.
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I have met a few sponsored colleagues.
Most know very well that they are on easy street and are very careful not to stick their necks out.
One sponsored id--t actually thought he was moving up the ranks because he was better than the rest of us. That mo--n was quite dangerous and I know for a fact that lots of phone calls were required to intimidate his Supervisors to keep quiet about his disasters.
They finally put that dangerous arrogant mo--n as a manager in safety at the corporate level where he could not do much damage. Stupidly and arrogance at such high intensities that they magnify each other like a nuclear reactor that cannot be cooled down.
Who here will type his name and “out” him?
Getting a sponsor is far more important than competence at EM.
Sponsorship can get you the easy assignments that are guaranteed to be successful.
Sponsorship can get you pulled off a sinking project before blame sticks to you.
Sponsorship can get that phone call to your Supervisor just before the ranking meeting in which your Supervisor is commanded to say only good things and forbidden to tell the truth.
EM prides itself on systematic approach to everything. Behind every system at EM, there is an unwritten set of rules for sponsors and the sponsored. All commands in the unwritten set of rules are by phone.
I have seen two Supervisors that decided to put their direct reports in the order of their performance rather than the order of sponsorship. Both those Supervisors ranked in ranking for not following the unwritten set of rules.
Unfortunate byproduct of the Sponsorship system is that id--ts can attain a level at which they are dangerous.
For any Sponsors that might be reading this, please update the unwritten sponsorship procedures to include an easy off-ramp to enable tanking of sponsored persons when it becomes obvious they are truly an id--t.
Don’t forget the demo card for free passes and promotions
Office politics are for the boomers who still can’t bring themselves to let go of the 1980s.
The rest of us treat work like work: show up, do the job, bank the check, go home. There’s really not much to it.
Knee pads… Yes sir… Yes ma’am…Your ability to say yes to everything is mandatory (even when your integrity, morals, and ethics are in question). This is the only guarantee to a successful career at ExxonMobil. Don’t dare to have Courage and Conviction either and question the norms because your a$$ will be gra$$ immediately. Remember, “We Are ExxonMobil”!
Op is spot on! It’s also about having a good set of knee pads