
How To Stand Out At Work
Mar 10, 2026
TRANSCRIPT
Somebody wrote in recently and asked me, what actually matters when you start a new job? And I think they were referring to their first ever job, but I wanted to make this advice and this episode more universal. So I want to share what I think actually matters when you start any job.
I think this applies to literally everybody in the workplace right now, anybody that has a job right now, so probably everybody listening to this podcast. I think these are the tips and the pieces of advice that I think will help anybody to succeed and stand out at their job. So whether you're starting your first ever job or you're starting a new job or you're in a job right now,
There are things you can do to improve, get better, stand out to your boss, to your coworkers, to the people around you. Whether you're trying to get a promotion or a raise, like these are still things that you should be doing. And over time in our jobs, we kind of lose that like spark that we first had when we started the job, that like kind of mindset we had going into it being like, I'm gonna learn a lot, I'm gonna try really hard, I'm gonna show up every day, I'm gonna like prove myself to these people like...
Over time when you're in a job, you kind of get situated, you get comfortable, you get into a routine, and you lose a lot of that beginning essence that you had, that spark you had at the beginning. So I think this is a really good reminder of those things that you can be doing every single day to stand out, the things that matter at a job. And this will also be for anybody starting a job, for anybody starting a job for the first time, joining the workforce, an internship,
a new job, like it really is for anybody. And when I was thinking about this episode and putting together the pieces of advice I have for you and the tips I have, I thought to myself, what are the things that I would have wanted to hear when starting my first job? Like, what are the things that I wish someone sat me down and said, Josh, here are the things that you can do to stand out in your job? And I've put a list together of them.
Josh Felgoise (02:32.846)
There really is nobody that ever does that for you, right? Like you there's never somebody that's like Josh, here is what you can do to really stand out. Here is what you can do to make your mark at this company. Here is what you can do to really prove yourself to your boss. You most of the time have to figure that out as you go. And that's completely fine too. Like everybody has to figure things out as they go. Everybody has to figure out what works, what their boss likes their bosses style, the
way they need to move at work, what they should be doing to improve what they should be doing to get better. But we lose that over time. And I think this is just gonna be a really great reminder of the things that we could all be doing every single day to get better to look better. But again, there's like nobody that ever really like sits you down and is like, here is what to do. There is no rulebook. There's no guidebook. There's no playbook as to what you should do for work.
what are the things that matter when you start a new job or are in a job for that matter. There's nobody that tells you that and you do have to figure a lot of the things out on your own, but that doesn't mean that there aren't a few things that you can do to set yourself up for success. That doesn't mean that there aren't like people who have this advice who already know this. People just don't share it. Like there's nobody that's like putting this into a format like this. Maybe there is, but I wanted to do this because I think it's a really
important episode to have as a part of guyset and for people to come back to to revisit whenever they're experiencing a little at work when they're looking for some sort of spark or to get that spark back when they're trying to think of what they can do to improve to get better. This is a great episode to listen to right before you start a new job. It's also a great episode to listen to when you're eight months in or two years in like I think these things will kind of work at a universal level and that is what I've tried to do here today.
And you might be wondering, like Josh, what are your qualifications to give the advice on what actually matters when you start a job? You're a 25 year old guy who's had like three jobs, five if you're including internships, maybe six, I don't know, so far. Like why are you the person to give this advice? And that is kind of like the purpose of guyset. Like I don't have all of the advice. I don't have the...
Josh Felgoise (04:47.277)
worldview of a 90 year old CEO veteran who's been at the top of every single fortune 500 company ever like no, of course not. But I am going through all of this alongside you. Like the whole purpose of this is to share what I have learned so far and what I continue to learn. And I feel like I am really perceptive to what goes on around me in the workplace. And I spend a lot of my time like perceiving what goes on in meetings and what
people take well to or what people respond well to what works what doesn't I've gotten tons and tons of feedback over the past five years about my work styles I've worked for directly for CEOs and I've also worked for the person 12 people under the CEO that doesn't even speak to or know who the CEO like the CEO doesn't even know who they are or know who I am like I've been in small startup companies where I've reported directly to the CEO and I've been in
huge companies where the CEO wouldn't even know me if he hit me with his car. Like I've been in both positions where I've gotten a really great experience of different working styles and how to report to people and how they give feedback and how I'm supposed to give feedback and like all of these experiences have given me a perspective that I think is worth sharing. And I think it's important just to share things because
That is the only way people learn. That is the only way people start to develop their own experiences and take things with them. Now, after this episode, you can take whatever of these tips you think resonates with you most and bring them with you. And if that works, you can then tell a friend, like, hey, I learned this thing and I started doing it. I think you should do it too because it's really helped me in my job. Hey, I've started asking for this thing in my job, which I'll get to in a second.
I think my boss is responding really well to it. Like I think you should try it. Like that is how all of us get better. That's how any of us get better is if we just share what's working and what's not working. It's if we talk about the experiences we've had so far, especially at work, because as I said earlier, there is nobody to be like, here is what's working and here's not. If we don't share what we've learned over our experiences,
Josh Felgoise (07:09.97)
None of the information gets dispersed, like nobody gets, like, I don't know if that's making any sense, but like, if we don't share what we're doing well and what's working and what people are responding to well, then like, the next guy won't have this information and they'll be in the same position that you were. And that's a hard position to be in, like, that's the whole reason I started GuySet is because I didn't think there was a resource guide for
information that guys are actually wondering about and asking about and this episode isn't just for guys of course like this is for anybody that wants to know what to do or how to start and how to show up at work how to be more successful how to succeed but like this specifically like guy said in general I started because I didn't think there was a place for the actual questions that guys were asking
And it's just built on answering the questions the guys are asking. So this is one of them. And this is one of the thousands of questions. And I think it's a really important episode as a part of the guyset kind of multiverse or kind of index of episodes. So of course, like you can take what I'm saying as you will, because I'm not the CEO of the world. But at the same time, I have something to say. And I think that it's valuable.
I don't have all the expertise and I don't have all the knowledge because I'm just 25 years old, but I think that's kind of the cool part of this is you're hearing from somebody at this level at the level talking to you. I'm not talking at you from up here saying here is what you need to do. I'm sharing what I've learned. I'm saying here's what I think you can do and here's the things that I've done that have been successful. Here's what I've learned to be successful. Here's what's helped me and I think it'll help you.
This works for somebody in a job in P.E. and I think this works for somebody, I don't even know what P.E. is to be honest with private equity, and this is also for somebody that works in construction. This is for somebody who works in marketing and this is also for somebody who works in, I don't even know what, but like this is really for everybody and I think you can apply all of the things I'm about to say to any job. I think these things will help you to stand out and help you to succeed wherever you are.
Josh Felgoise (09:29.668)
So let's get into it. My first tip starts right when you walk in the door every single day. And I said this recently on an episode of Dear Guy Set, which is the series I do every third week of the month where I answer questions that you guys write in, where this question came directly from. And this is to start out every single day super present. So that means not walking into the office with your AirPods in. That means you're
able and available to talk to anybody that comes your way. You're saying hi to people, you're being a friendly face. You're not in your podcast or in your music and just zoned out in your own world. That I think makes you seem so closed off to everybody else. It makes you seem unavailable. It makes you seem uninterested. And I think one of the best things you can do is to start every single day. Even though I know it's 9am, you're not thrilled to be there. You don't be there, you're probably
pretty fucking miserable to be there. Like, and maybe you're not maybe maybe you're have a great attitude and I hope you do but like there are some days where you're going to be like, oh, like fuck I have to go to work because it's a job like at the end of the day, this is a job you have to do your job you want to make money you want to succeed you want to be successful like you have to make money you have to go to your work and you have to go to your job. So I think one of the best things you can do to start every single day is to look and be present. That means taking your AirPods out whenever you're walking in and every time you're walking into a common space that means
the kitchen area that means any like lounge areas, any like areas that people are going to be whether it's like a town hall meeting where there's a bunch of people like you are looking present, you're kind of trying to converse with people around you, you're saying hi, how are you? How was your weekend? Good morning. You're having those kind of office conversations that sometimes feel like they're pulling teeth. But those are the types of conversations that really leave a lasting impression on people because they're like, Josh is somebody that is always saying hi.
He's always present. He's always willing to start a conversation like that makes you valuable in an office setting. And if you work most of the time online or remote like that means when you're on that zoom meeting, you're not looking at your phone and you're not slacking and you're actually paying attention. Maybe you're nodding like you're not like like you're not like in crazy nodding, but like you're paying attention and you look like you're paying attention. And I think this is something that you can do.
Josh Felgoise (11:50.616)
every single day. So if you've been in your job for a long time now, like maybe you're you've gotten into that routine, and you've gotten into that mode where like you just go into the office and you sit down on your computer and you work and then you go out and get your lunch, and you go back to your computer and then you go home like maybe the one kind of thing you can start doing is say hi to somebody when you walk in or start a conversation with somebody new. I think this is a really important thing when you start a new job like this is a this is a really something I really want to hit home about starting a new job.
When you walk in looking present, looking like you're ready to have a conversation that you're excited to talk to people, I think that's just a good thing. I think it's a good habit to get into. It's a good practice to start. And once you start doing it, it kind of just becomes part of your routine and you don't, you don't have to kind of force it every single day. But I noticed myself when I walked in without AirPods versus with AirPods, one, I was kind of more ready for like,
Every when I had my AirPods in, like I just felt like I was like closed off to the world. And then when somebody said something, I was just like, what, what, sorry, what? Like, and I just like felt like I had like a jolt of like, what is this? Why am I supposed to? What, what, what do you need? Like, what do need from me? And when I didn't, I was able to be like, yeah, like, what's up? How's it going? And like have a real kind of cohesive conversation versus being like, let me get my bearings. Let me get myself together. So that is the first thing I want to tell you. And I think, I really think that matters when you start a new job.
And like by AirPods, I also mean like you're not on your phone walking in. You're not scrolling. You're not texting. Like maybe you even put your phone in your pocket walking in. How crazy is that? Maybe you put your phone in your pocket like you just have it away. It's not even in your hand. Like I also think that is a sign of confidence. I heard this one time. I forget who it was from, but when you're out at a bar or you're out in a public setting, when you're in a room networking, like if you don't have your phone in your hand,
It's a sign of confidence because you don't need it as this crutch. You're not scrolling on it. You're not looking at it because there's nobody around you. You're kind of looking for conversation. You look like you're available. And I think that is true. I've started doing it whenever I'm in a an open room with people that I haven't talked to or I'm networking with or like any of those settings. You know what I mean? Like having my phone away or having your phone away is
Josh Felgoise (14:15.744)
a sign of confidence. And I think that's something you can start doing every single day. The next tip I have for you is simply ask what you can do. Ask what you can do for your boss, for the people around you, for the people on your team, and for the company. People don't do this. Like they just don't do this. And it's funny to me because it's such a simple thing that you can do. What can I do for you?
how can I help you? Like it's just those simple phrases that a lot of the time you get caught up in your monotonous routine, you do the same work again and again, and you don't want to go above and beyond. Like you don't want to do the next thing. So the one or two people that do like they're the standout people. They're the people that they're like, when there's a promotion or when there's a raise to be given or to be had, like that is the first person that they consider because they're the person that is like, and I actually, let me just click.
Let me roll that back because I can't consider the raise in the promotion situation because I've actually never done that. Let me roll that back. I think one of the best things you can do is to say what can you do or how can I help because it shows that you're interested. You want the company to succeed. You want your team to succeed. You want your boss to succeed. And a lot of the time your role is helping your boss, making your boss look good and
that will hopefully repay you or that will hopefully come back to like pay you in spades sometime soon. Again, I can't say like, you're gonna be the person who gets the raise the promotion. That's why that's where like I'm I don't have the expertise there. And I'm happy I was just like, roll that back because I'm just like speaking out of my ass there for a second. But for the most part, I really do believe that saying, what can I do? Or how can I help? What can I do that would be beneficial?
How can I help this or how can I help you to make this easier? What can I do to take this off of you or how can I make this any easier for you? Those simple phrases, I think make you really stand out. I think they really make you look good. I think those are the types of things that really matter when you start a job or when you're in a job. These are the types of things that you can start doing again today. If you've been in a job for a long time, maybe later this week, you just say to your boss, like, what can I do or how can I help? Is there anything I can do?
Josh Felgoise (16:41.558)
And by putting it on you as like the helper by saying like, can I help you instead of how do you need help or what do you need from me by saying, how can I help? What can I do for you? You kind of put yourself as like the hero edit. Like you are the person who's going to be doing the helping. So I think the phrasing there is really important by the way. So like take note of that. How can I help you versus what do you need or what, what do I don't know? Like, you know what I mean?
How can I make this easier? How can I help or how can I assist versus like, what do you need done? Or what, what is something that like you need to do? Do see the difference in that? Like I feel like it's carries a different weight and it really makes you look like the hero. It makes you look like the real helper in this situation. So those phrases are simple things that again, you don't always want to do that because then it's like, okay, now I have to help them. Like I actually have to do the work, but like,
That is one of the best things you can do to advocate for yourself and be successful in the job. The next tip I have for you is that there are no dumb questions, especially early on. And you might think about this one and say like, there are dumb questions. There are absolutely things that you can say that someone will be like, what, like, how do you not know that? Or like, how? How did you get this job and not know that? Or how? How do you not know that already? Like, what what do you mean?
I don't believe that. I don't believe in that. And even if there is a person or there is somebody that does think that about you, it looks so much worse to not know what the fuck you're doing in two weeks when they're talking about it, like at a much higher level or it's much more advanced down the road and you still have no fucking idea what they're talking about. Like it looks so much worse for you to have not asked the question earlier on.
It is so much better to say like, hey, what was that? I'm sorry, I'm a little bit confused about what that is. Hey, like just really quickly, can you explain that a little bit further? I'm not sure I'm following or I'm not sure I understand what that is. Would you mind explaining a little further or could you please clarify what that is? Saying that right as it comes up or even in like the meeting later when you're like, fuck, I really should have asked that because I have no idea what the fuck they're talking about. Saying that then sooner rather than later.
Josh Felgoise (19:04.537)
makes you look so much better than in two weeks when everybody's talking about it at this higher scale or this higher level or that it's it's progressed this like thing that's gotten way out of your control and you're like, I have no idea what's going on and I so should have asked two weeks ago because I have no fucking clue what I'm doing and I'm going to die. Like, it is just so much better to ask earlier.
There is no, there are no bad questions, especially early on. I really do believe that. I think it looks good to ask questions. I think it looks good to be curious and to get clarification because most of the time and most likely there is somebody else in that room that also has no idea what's going on and they're not gonna ask. So most of time you're actually helping somebody else. And I know you're not doing it for that, you're doing it for yourself, but like most of the time there is somebody else in there that also is like, what are we doing or what is going on? And you are probably,
Clarifying it for more than just yourself probably at least two other people in the room if you're in a big room So ask questions early on and ask them early like ask them early in the process The way that I did it I think is a great way instead of just being like I don't know what you're talking about or I'm not sure what you're talking about I don't know what you mean by that like those are kind of like harsher ways to be like hey could you just clarify what you mean by that a little bit or like
Hey, I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying. again, you put it on yourself. So sometimes I think it's best to do that and to make you seem like the one that needs the needs the question because it makes them feel like they did the let me roll that back to sometimes it looks good to just be like, hey, I'm not sure I'm following what you're saying instead of being like, hey, you're not being clear or hey, I don't know what you're talking about being like
I'm not sure that I'm understanding yet. Can you explain a little bit further? Great things to say early on. I wish somebody told me that early. I found myself in a meeting of what I'm the thing I'm talking about where I'm like, it's so much better to ask early than I have no idea later. It's just so much better and it feels so much better to ask early and I know it might be embarrassing or you might feel embarrassed. There's no reason to feel embarrassed. Like you got yourself there. You're in that room for a reason. Ask the questions.
Josh Felgoise (21:14.555)
Clarify like ask what the hell people are talking about a lot of times people don't know it don't even know what they are talking about and they are speaking out of their ass too, so like Just ask I think that's such an important thing and there is no dumb. There are no dumb questions And this is also something that I have seen Time and time again like within my past few jobs Where somebody doesn't ask and then they come asking you being like hey, I don't know what that is and you're like, well, why didn't you ask?
like when we first started talking about this. And of course you don't say that to them, but you're thinking in your head, they should have just asked because it was like, that was when the whole thing was starting, so why didn't it? And people don't do that. So by doing that, you kind of set yourself ahead from everybody else. You kind of early on, and again, don't abuse this power of question asking and don't always be like, hey, what, what? But use it when you know and...
or when you don't know for that matter. And there are no dumb questions. I'm gonna stop before I keep rambling on and take back everything I just said. The next tip I have for you is called go early. This is a tip that I learned from Megan Grano who is a speech coach, she is an actor. She actually came on GuySat. She spoke to my company, came and talked to everybody about how to...
be more confident how to speak better in meetings. She kind of did like a media training for my entire company and I connected with her after and I was like, hey, I have this podcast. I'd love to have you on. And we've stayed in touch ever since she was Sheryl Sandberg, speechwriter who was the former CEO of Facebook for 14 years. And she has a ton of knowledge and something that she told me is go early. And what this means is
If you're nervous or you're anxious to speak up in meetings, I think the question I asked her was what do you do if you're nervous to talk in meetings or you don't know what to say in meetings and you want your voice to be heard but you feel anxious that it's not a worthy thing that you're saying or you're worried that other people aren't gonna think what you say matters. She said go early. And that means if you get into the conversation early and you say what you want to say in the meeting,
Josh Felgoise (23:30.349)
early on versus waiting for too long and staying in your head about if what you say is smart enough or is good enough to be contributed to the meeting, you are much more likely to continue speaking up. If you go early in the meeting, if you say like, hey, I agree with that or hey, like I'm not so sure about that. I think that we should do it this way or hey, like this and you add in your opinion or you contribute early on in the meeting, you're more likely to continue speaking up in the meeting.
you're more likely to actually talk in the meeting versus waiting and waiting and waiting. The longer you wait, the less likely you are to actually speak up and share your opinion. And you're in the room for a reason. Like I just said, you are in that meeting for a reason. You're not just there to sit there and look pretty. Like you're not just there to sit there and like bob your head on a zoom camera.
You are there to contribute, to speak up, to add what you believe, to share your opinion, share what you think about this thing. It's more valuable than you think most of the time. And a lot of the time, like you might even actually steer the conversation in a different direction. You might actually contribute to something. You might actually matter to the company. You probably do. So go early.
Don't wait because the longer you wait, the less likely you are to actually contribute to the conversation. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to not say anything at all. And then wait and think on the next meeting, why didn't I say anything? And then the next time you don't say anything. So start this early. And I want to add into if you're starting a new job, like go earlier, like start early on in your meetings by speaking up. Again, this isn't something that you should abuse and you're not always speaking up and you're not always over talking people like.
You have to navigate all of these things for yourself. These are all things that you will learn on the job. Everything that I'm sharing, I think is universally applicable. But within each job, there are nuances there are like minutiae there are there are like things that differ from job to job. You're not always going to be speaking up if you're in a meeting with higher ups. And you're not always going to be asking questions like you might wait till after to ask questions.
Josh Felgoise (25:40.975)
So each of these things kind of comes with a caveat, but for the most part, I think they're good tips and good advice that I want to share with you. So I'm just adding that in as like a, always speak up in a meeting, but of course this is like a, this is something that you have to do with caution. This is something you have to learn. This is something you have to understand on your own. And that's the only way that any of us learn any of this stuff, right? Like the only way that you get better at this is
by doing it yourself. The only way you actually learn how to do it is by doing it yourself. So you're not going to be great at this on the first day. You might one day wish that you had asked a question. That doesn't mean you still can't. You might one day be like, fuck, I really wish I spoke up in that meeting. That doesn't mean you can't tomorrow. These are all things that you have to learn that you get to learn. These are all experiences that we all have to experience on our own.
The next tip I have for you is called coffee chat mentality. What coffee chats are at work is a thing that you can do to get to meet more people. You can at any time ask somebody to get a coffee. It's just the funny corporate way of saying get a coffee or meet somebody or talk to them. They would call it a coffee chat. Like you can email somebody or slack somebody or send them a message and say like, Hey, I'd love
to do a 30 minute coffee chat with you and learn more about what you're doing at this company or learn more about what you're working on. I think that is one of the best and most underutilized things that people can and don't do at every single job. You should and can meet everybody who interests you. This is the best way to learn about the company, about what you should be doing, about how you can improve, about
the company culture about what has historically worked about what people do about what they like about who people are about different job functions about different things you might be interested in especially if you're new in your career. This is the best way to learn about every single career. This is the best way to learn about like what other people do and you might actually find something that you like more like this is something that I've done at every single job I've had so far.
Josh Felgoise (27:58.239)
I reach out to a ton of people and just ask them if they're willing to have a 15 to 30 minute conversation and ask them questions. Asking questions is the best way to learn. You are in a place with assumedly pretty smart people around you, like people who know so much more than you do, especially in our young age, especially like in our early careers.
Take advantage of that. Like nobody takes advantage of having such smart people around you and being like, hey, I'd love to pick your brain for 30 minutes. Like I'd love to learn about what you're working on or recent projects you've worked on or a favorite project you've worked on. I'd love to learn about what it's been like at this company, especially if you're new to take advantage of that. Ask people questions, ask to spend some time with them, to get a coffee, to go on a walk, to get lunch together. Like
People are more willing than you think to share, to talk. They like talking about themselves and sharing what they've worked on, what they've been good at. People love imparting their wisdom onto you. Like, kind of what I'm talking about as like a what I don't do here is other people, especially like older people I think at work, love being able to be like, this is what I've learned and this will help you. Like, they love like diffusing information because to them it feels like...
a sense of value. It feels like a sense of purpose to share what they've learned with you. And I think it's just the best way to learn. So take advantage of that. Ask people to get coffee, ask people to talk, ask questions. One of the best questions to get somebody talking if you're nervous about that, if you're like, Josh, I think this is a great idea, but I have no idea what to ask somebody is to say, what is a recent project you worked on that you really loved? And as a follow up to that question,
What's the dream project that you would love to work on or what do you really want to do or like what's something that you would love to get done here? What's something that you would love to work on? Another good one to ask is what would be good for me to know as somebody starting out here or what is something that you would have liked to know in my position or like put yourself in my shoes? What do you wish you knew when you were in my position? I feel like that's such a good question and it would get people talking and they'd be like, whoa, that's a good question.
Josh Felgoise (30:19.62)
And then it would probably like actually come up with a good answer. They probably wouldn't just be like, so ask them Those are two great questions to start with what or three like what is a recent project you worked on that you really loved What's the dream project is the thing you'd love to do or accomplish here? And if you were in my shoes what do you wish you knew when you were first starting or if you were in my position doesn't even have to be for just starting like this is for anybody if you were in my position like what do you wish you knew or
What do you think I should know? What would help me here? What advice do you have for me? And then I think one of the best things to do at the end of that conversation is to ask, there somebody else you think I should talk to? And that just continues this flow of conversation for you. You don't have to be like, let me find the next person. Like they give you someone else to talk to. They'll probably be like, I think you'd actually really like this person. Like you'd probably be really interested in what they have to say. And then they'll introduce you or they'll give you their contact or their name. And they'll say like, you should message this person. I think you'll really like what they had to say.
So at the end, just be like, is there somebody else you think I should talk to? Those are, that's like a really great formula for this 15 to 30 minute conversation. Like bring those three questions with you and the fourth ending question and let the rest of the conversation flow. Like you don't need to have a script going into this, but it is easier to come with a couple things you're going to say. So you don't just get there and be like, Hey, how's it going? Like, cool. What's in your coffee? Like have a couple things you want to say and
You can also personalize it like if their job is something you're interested in being like, hey, like I'd actually love to sit in on a meeting with you if you wouldn't mind. Like I'd love to learn more about what you actually do. I think I'd be really interested in that. Like I think I could see myself doing that in the future. And especially when you're first starting out a job and you're green and new to the company and like just really enthusiastic and excited like
this is a great time to take advantage of that excitement and do these coffee chats and have that coffee chat mentality. And unfortunately, like all of us over time in a job lose that mindset. Like I can speak for myself in every job I've had, I lose that mindset over time. think everybody does because you settle into your routine as I was saying in the beginning and you kind of just like do the thing you're gonna do and you don't wanna add another 15 to 30 minute meeting of just like talking to somebody else. Like.
Josh Felgoise (32:36.289)
You want to get on with your day. Like you want to just do your thing and move on. And it's until somebody reaches out and you're like, wow, I should be doing that more often. Or like, wow, like that was really nice. Like that was really refreshing. Then that's when you realize like, I haven't done that in a while. I've like really gotten stuck in this routine or I've like kind of lost that edge or that sense of like wonder or that like spark that I first had when I started this job.
And you do really lose that quickly. So take advantage of it in the beginning and use it while you really have it. And if you're hearing this now and you've been in a job for a while and you feel like you've lost it, this is the kind of your sign to start doing that again. Take advantage of it now. Like be like, I haven't done that in a while and it might be nice to meet somebody new because that might kind of like re spark what first interested me or what really initially brought me to this company or why I wanted to be here and kind of like reinvigorate your
passion for this or your love for this or whatever you you're doing and and kind of like restart that, re spark that. So I think this is a good thing to do at any time in any job. The next tip I have for you is to leave after your boss. This is short and sweet. Like there's not much more to this, especially early on in your job or in your career. Don't leave before your boss. Like when they get up, when they leave the office, that is the signal that you can then leave.
If they're staying again, the caveat here is like if they're staying till super, super, super late, like, I don't know. This is like a, this is a nuanced one. This is a, this is not a one size fits all tip because every job has different expectations. Every job has different hours, but for most of the time, leaving after your boss is a good thing and staying on and being available when they are asking and when they're wanting you to be is a good thing. So
Leave after your boss for the most part. Of course, every job has very different things. You know, the next tip I have for you is to ask for feedback regularly. I think one of the most important things you can do at a job is to I've said that a lot. So there's a lot of important things you could do. But I think this is a really good thing you can do is to check in on how you're doing frequently more than your quarterly or half of the year or yearly review.
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you can at any time ask your boss for feedback and be like, hey, like, how am I doing? Like, I'd love to hear some feedback so I can improve or so I can get better. Like, I'm I'm really excited to hear what you think of how I've been so far. And I'd love to improve in any ways that you think I can. And that gives them the opportunity to share with you. Like, they may not always want to just give feedback because they might think it's too often or too much. But like, by asking them by saying, like, hey, I'd love
to hear some feedback on how I'm doing or how it's going, you give them the opportunity to share whatever they want. They can also be like, you're doing great. Like things are going really well. Thank you so much for what you're doing. Like I'm really liking this so far. I'm really liking what you're doing here. And it might leave you with this amazing feeling of going and going into the weekend or going into the week. Like this might be a really good thing by asking how you're doing. You might be like, fuck yeah, like I'm killing it. Like that's, that's the great side of it. And the other side of it, they give you an opportunity to do better and to learn at
the things you're messing up or improve on and gives you a real opportunity here. So by asking regularly, you set yourself up even greater for success. I think this is actually one of the biggest things that matters when you start a new job and not doing it incessantly. Obviously you're not asking for feedback every single week, but once in a while you're sprinkling in and just saying like, hey, how am I doing or how's it going? Or is there any feedback you have for me? Is there anything I can do to improve?
all good things to be saying to your boss or your superior. And I think this is overlooked a lot of the time because you don't really want feedback. Like welcoming feedback is kind of like a, like I don't want to ask for how I'm doing. Like I'm sure I'm doing fine. Like I'm sure I'm okay. Like, and you don't want to invite that because it can be scary. Like that is intimidating to be like, how am I doing? And then you're literally inviting criticism into yourself. You're basically saying like,
Here's an opportunity for you to tell me how shit of a job I'm doing. Like sometimes that will happen and that you will get feedback that is not great sometimes. Like you will get feedback that will feel disheartening, that will make you feel like shit sometimes. And that is the next thing I want to say about this is do not take feedback too personally. It is meant for you to improve and get better at your job, not be a stab at your ego and your person.
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Do not take feedback too personally. It might feel like it is a shot at you, like it is a like literal gunshot to your stomach and they are like, they have it out for you because they've given you this feedback and it feels very personal a lot of the time because it's hard to separate you from your work because it's hard. It is just hard sometimes to be like, well, that's me. Like you think I'm not good. You think that what I'm doing is not good. So you think I am not good. You think I am not
Yeah, like you think I'm not good and you have to learn to separate those two things. You have to learn to separate the art from the artist. Like you really do have to separate the work from the person and learn to not take feedback too personally. And this is one of the things that like I, you're not going to learn this by me telling it to you, but maybe next time you receive feedback, you'll have me in the back of your, of your head being like, do not take this too personally because I have been
somebody that takes feedback too personally many times like I have taken feedback very personally and sometimes sometimes it is and sometimes it is not and it is important to realize when it is and when it isn't and Like again, I've been the type of person that has really taken it to heart and I've really let it get me very down and let it seep into
me and my personal life and like the rest of my night and the rest of the week and I've really really been at fault of that and it took going through that to be like wait this is not about me this is about the work this might even be about them but this is ultimately about the work and the company and moving this thing forward this is not about me and it might really feel like it is but it is not and I needed to go through that to learn that
And most likely you will too. Like most likely you will get feedback and take it to heart and take it personally. And you will have to experience that yourself to come out of it on the other side like I did and realize that it is not about you. That it is not as personal as it seems. And realize that the person giving it to you most likely has your best interest in mind and wants you to succeed and not fail.
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Most of the time they want you to improve and they're giving this to you because they believe in you and they think that you can improve and they think you can be better. They are trying to help you. Although a lot of the time it really does not feel like that. I think they are and it may feel like the complete opposite. It really it may like it. You may be like you may next time this happens. Think about this episode and be like no.
No, no, that felt very personal. They are they have said some really rude things and they have really like stabbed at my character and it is important to separate the two and not take it too deeply or too personally. It is up to you not to do that, by the way, like it is up to you not to let work and feedback seep into your personal life and the rest of your night and your week. That is
up to you to figure out and to handle and like it is something that you have to learn on your own. That is not something that you can hear on a podcast or an audiobook or a speech or even a mentor can tell you and you will like understand it yourself. It is something that you have to experience and go through yourself. Overall like this kind of I want to end this episode by saying like really try your best to have a very good attitude at work. I think that also makes you stand out.
is if you have like a can do like how can I help what can I do to help you good attitude walking into the door at your desk at lunch in the office in meetings in settings with people where you're on zoom or in person like if you have a good attitude that makes everybody think more highly of you and I think with all of these tips you're in a really good place to succeed
Like with all of these things in your toolbox and at your side that you can kind of grab whenever you want or whenever you think you should. These are all going to help you do better at your job. These are all going to matter when you start a new job, when you're in a job. These are things that will really help you to go above and beyond to look really good to the people around you to
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look good in the eyes of your boss and your superiors. Using these tips in the tools and keeping them in your toolbox will set you up for success. These are all a really great starting place and these are the things that I would have wanted to know earlier on. These are the things that I wish someone sat me down and said, hey Josh, here's what I think you should start with. Here are the things that I think you should know that actually matter when starting a job.
If you start these habits early in your job and early in your career, and you're not too late wherever you are in your job right now, like, or in your career right now, you are not too late to start these now. If you start these habits early, they'll become easier to maintain and they'll become a part of your routine and your day and your life. Like these are things that I think you can start implementing today that if you start doing day after day, week after week,
month after month, they just become a part of who you are and a part of what you do. You'll start your day thinking about the things you want to do and succeed at. Throughout the day, you'll be thinking about the things you want to ask and get clarity on. You'll be more present and ask more questions. You'll ask your boss for feedback. You'll speak up more often in meetings and it will help you to succeed wherever you are in whatever you're doing and you will learn a lot.
And you will succeed. That is the episode. Thank you so much for listening to Guy's Set, a guy's guide to what should be talked about. I'm Josh. I'm 25 years old and I'm here every single week, every single Tuesday to talk about what should be talked about for guys. If you liked this episode, I really hope you did. Please like subscribing this podcast. Five stars. I'll leave it at one, two, three, five stars. Not four, not three, not two, not one. It's five stars. Thank you so much for that. I really, really appreciate that.
If you have any questions, any way to talk about that should be talked about for guys, head over to guyset.com. G U Y S E T dot com. There's an ask me anything button right there. You can ask me anything we talked about and it should be talked about and I will answer it.
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in blog posts and I will do a full episode on it. You can find daily blog posts on guyset.com about everything that guys are asking. I'm answering the questions that guys are asking. So you can find blog posts on dating, what to wear, on confidence, on career, on mindset. Really everything over there is an extension of what I do on here. It's kind of like the guyset multiverse, the universe expanded. So it's just a website that is answering all the questions is another way to find.
these types of questions and advice and different perspectives. And I'm really excited about building over there. So go check that out. You can watch this full episode on YouTube at guys that you can follow me on Instagram and take a guy set podcast. Thank you so much. Listen, guys, that a guy's guide to what should be talked about it. I will see you guys next Tuesday. See you guys.








