Hi Realists! 👋

Welcome to Cup of Ambition, Volume 4!

Get the scoop on:

‼️‼️ Shady Workplace Behaviors, Blame Shuffling, and Failure as Power.

🕶️ Deepfake Candidates + Interviews.

❤️‍🔥 Stop the Cycle of Running from Bad Job to Bad Job.

🌞 Summer Vibes.

9-to-5 Dilemma

“What is it with people at work refusing to take accountability when they make a mistake? I work on a team and when someone drops the ball, the immediate reaction is to push blame on others. Last week a coworker blamed me for not delivering a report on time even though I had sent the data to them three days before the due date.

Can’t people admit they’re wrong without fearing for their jobs? How is anyone supposed to learn and get better if they can’t make a mistake?”

- Always Blamed.

_____________________________________________________

Dear Always Blamed,

There seems to be one phrase that is kryptonite to corporate workers… “I was wrong.”

It’s not our fault, really, it’s the nature of the political, messy, biased workplaces we exist in. Traditional management styles dictated that the best way to solve a problem was to find the root cause, assign punishment, and hope the person learned their lesson the first time. If they messed up again they were a liability that was swiftly removed from the company.

In today’s world, blame is the currency of power. Many workplace cultures reward those who identify blame by promoting those who are the best at blaming others, even though the blamer is part of the problem.

There's a growing body of research that challenges this outdated approach. Amy Edmondson, a Harvard Business School professor, has done extensive work on the concept of psychological safety in the workplace. According to Edmondson, psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In an environment where psychological safety is prioritized, employees feel safe to take risks and admit mistakes, which can lead to greater learning and innovation.

Levels of psychological safety at work generally fall into a few categories, ranging from completely toxic to high performing.

It sounds like the culture at your company is at the unacceptable level, where backstabbing and self-protection are rewarded.

When people are afraid to own their mistakes, they miss out on valuable opportunities for growth. Mistakes are inevitable, but they are also essential for learning. In fact, owning up to mistakes can be a secret weapon at work. Here’s how:

1. Builds Trust: When you admit to a mistake, you demonstrate integrity and honesty. This can build trust with your colleagues, as they see you as someone who is accountable and reliable.

2. Encourages Learning: Mistakes can be powerful learning opportunities. When you own up to a mistake, you can analyze what went wrong, learn from it, and make improvements. This can lead to personal and professional growth.

3. Fosters a Positive Work Environment: When people take responsibility for their actions, it creates a culture of accountability and openness. This can lead to a more positive and collaborative work environment, where people feel comfortable sharing ideas and taking risks.

4. Enhances Problem-Solving: Admitting to mistakes can also enhance problem-solving. When people are open about what went wrong, it allows the team to come together to find solutions and prevent similar issues in the future.

There’s skill building needed to fail well and it starts with owning mistakes and failures.

While we know these things to be true, it’s hard to shift a culture. Consider having an open dialogue with someone you trust at work about the dynamic. If you’re scratching your head thinking “I don’t trust anyone here!”, then it may be time to re-evaluate your work environment. When you’re in a place where no one can trust anyone, your trajectory for success is stifled. It’s a rat race for promotions and advancement, and generally those who appear faultless, flawless, and without blame are in the lead.

Don’t let the mistrust and dishonesty on the root cause of problems bring you down. You work with honesty and integrity, and at the end of the day, that’s what matters.

The crazy world of deep fakes in hiring.

Recently I watched a video of an AI-generated version of Reid Hoffman interviewing the real Reid Hoffman and it blew my mind. Training a deepfake or ai-twin is becoming more concerning, particularly in hiring. Imagine deepfake candidates, created by foreign actors solely for the purpose of infiltrating a company and stealing protected information. 🤯 Or imagine interviewing for a job at a company, only to find out you interviewed with a deepfake that has no affiliation with the company and you just shared all of your personal information.

Deepfake technology, which leverages machine learning algorithms to create realistic videos or images by swapping faces or altering existing content, poses significant risks in the hiring landscape. The increasing accessibility and affordability of creating deepfake content have opened doors for scammers to deceive both job seekers and employers, leading to potential security breaches and damaged reputations.

The Risks of Deepfake in Hiring

The implications of deepfake technology extend far beyond mere visual manipulation. Within the HR realm, concerns are growing about the potential misuse of this technology for malicious purposes. Here are some critical areas at risk:

Deceptive Candidate Interactions

Deepfake technology can fabricate realistic video content, allowing individuals to create fictitious interviews. This deception can mislead hiring managers, resulting in the recruitment of unqualified candidates based on false representations of their skills and qualifications.

Collection of Personal Information

Fraudulent job postings created with deepfake technology can be used to collect sensitive personal information from candidates. Scammers may exploit this data for identity theft, financial fraud, or other malicious activities.

Tarnishing Organizational Image

Deepfakes can damage an organization's reputation by spreading misleading information about job opportunities or company culture. This can create distrust among potential applicants and harm the company's public image.

Falsification of Employee Behavior

Scammers might use deepfake technology to fabricate scenarios of ideal employee behavior to secure a position within an organization. This compromises the integrity of the hiring process and poses security risks as the individual’s true intent may be to access the company's systems and data.

Financial Exploitation

In some instances, deepfake technology has been used to clone voices and manipulate individuals into transferring large sums of money fraudulently. For example, in 2020, scammers used deepfake voice technology to impersonate a company director and convince a branch manager to transfer $35 million.

Protecting Yourself from Deepfake Fraud

You can, and should, take proactive measures to safeguard yourself against deepfake fraud:

• Educate Yourself: Stay informed about deepfake technology and its potential risks. Understand how it can be used to manipulate recruitment content and stay updated on deepfake detection advancements. Verify the legitimacy of potential employers by checking their online presence and reviews on professional networking platforms.

• Use Reputable Job Search Platforms: Stick to well-known job search platforms to minimize the risk of encountering fraudulent employers. Independently verify job postings by contacting the company through official channels.

• Check for Red Flags: Be on the lookout for inconsistencies in communication, job descriptions, or company information. Poor grammar, vague job details, or early requests for sensitive information can indicate a fraudulent posting.

• Protect Personal Information: Avoid sharing personal information until you have verified the legitimacy of the job opportunity and employer. Be cautious about sharing sensitive details online.

• Participate in Secure Interviews: Insist on using secure, reputable platforms for interviews. Verify interviewers’ identities by checking their credentials on the company website or professional networking platforms.

• Be Skeptical of Unrealistic Offers: Be wary of job offers that seem too good to be true, such as extremely high salaries or disproportionate job responsibilities. These may indicate a scam.

• Report Suspicious Activity: Report any suspicious job listings or potential deepfake scenarios to the job platform and relevant authorities. This helps protect both yourself and other candidates from deceptive practices.

The rise of deepfake technology presents new challenges and risks in the hiring process, requiring a collective effort from employers and job seekers to address.

Adopt vigilant job search practices, stay informed about deepfake trends, and verify job offers independently to protect their personal and professional interests.

Are you fleeing or pursuing? 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

One of the first things most clients say to me is that they wished they would’ve taken the first step in leaving sooner. I totally get that sentiment— once you know that better exists, it’s easy to chastise yourself for not running towards it sooner.

Sometimes, though, we run from things not towards new things. We get hyper fixated on the toxicity of our current situation that we run so hard away from the bad situation… and we run into another bad situation. This often feels like job hopping, going from bad job to bad job, and continually running from places and spaces that no longer serve you.

Before you start any job search, take time to inventory what you’re leaving behind and what you’re carrying forward. What warning signs, environments, management styles, companies, and other factors have you discovered take you out of being your best? What needs to be true in your next role to feel supported, valued, and recognized?

Use those questions to create a “hell yes” and a “hell no” list to give yourself boundaries in your search. You’re running towards the hell yes criteria and avoiding the hell no list.

Set intentional goals on what the next thing needs to be and build boundaries to protect it. If you need to flex a boundary, do so intentionally. Maybe the market isn’t paying for a particular skill or you found a role that meets the criteria but it’s in office. Weigh the risk and benefit and intentionally decide if flexing that boundary is something you’re willing to do. Are there tradeoffs?

Protect your energy and intentionally run towards what’s meant for you. The rest is just baggage from bad bosses and toxic workplaces that was never ours to carry in the first place. ❤️

Summer Priorities 🌞

We just spent 5 days in Nisswa, MN on vacation at our family’s lake house. My husband’s grandparents bought the house in the mid 1980’s and at the time it was a quiet, peaceful retreat. Since then, the lake has grown in popularity and in summer it shines.

We had more than 40 family members comes together to celebrate the summer and family. We spent time boating, kayaking, swimming, and catching up. It was exactly what my summer heart needed!

Dollyism.

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