Too many people seem to think that you can automatically teach other people about something if you’re an expert at it. Being an SME is great, but communicating that expertise so others can learn from you is a different skill. In fact, it’s a set of skills. Skills we should encourage our SMEs to learn to help our whole team grow.
I’ve had an opportunity lately to play around with some AI tools, including Microsoft Copilot for 365, and I have to admit, when I have a question about how to do something, I ask Copilot. I ask Copilot because:
It’s right there while I’m working.
I don’t have to bring in another tool or trainer.
I don’t have to take a class or watch a YouTube video to learn a new skill. (Imagine a Copliot prompt like – “How would I do a VLOOKUP with this data using ID as the unique identifier?”)
It really shouldn’t be newsworthy that someone thinks employees don’t care about shareholders, and for those of us in the legal space, it should also not come as a shock that your staff doesn’t care about “profits per partner.” It’s irrelevant. I spent years assuming that if profits and shareholder value were up, that would result in better pay and raises for everyone. That was naïve. We were likely talking about the difference between a 2% and a 3% raise. It’s not nothing but not worth all the long hours and life-wrecking commitments we are often asked to give to work.
When you’re young and not on the standard education/career path due to mental health, there’s no career history or learned skills to fall back on. I think many employers would view you as unemployable in our current environment. I’m not saying that should be how it is, but it is likely the way it is. My story illustrates the path out of that, but it also contains some privilege. I was able to go to therapy. My family gave me a place to live while I wasn’t working. I had access to learning tools. I had to work hard to create opportunities to learn new skills, but I also found myself in places where I could do that. I had help.