5 HARD TRUTHS I'VE UNFORTUNATELY LEARNED FROM HARVARD, FINANCE & EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN

@emmawilloughbyg

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Why it worked

The video offers relatable, albeit harsh, truths about navigating professional and social environments, resonating with viewers who have experienced similar situations. The creator's direct and personal delivery, combined with the numbered list format, makes the content easily digestible and shareable.

Summary

The creator shares five hard truths learned from experiences in Harvard, finance, and influencing. These truths emphasize the importance of relationships over talent, the necessity of execution before questioning processes, the impact of how work is done rather than just the work itself, the distinction between fairness and equality, and the idea that being right doesn't always lead to credit. The creator concludes by stating they've already tested these principles and failed, encouraging viewers to learn from their mistakes.

Structure

1Introduction of 5 hard truths from diverse experiences
2Truth 1: Politics and relationships matter more than talent
3Truth 2: Execution is key, even before understanding the 'why'
4Truth 3: How work is done is more important than just doing good work
5Truth 4: Fairness and equality are not the same
6Truth 5: Being right doesn't guarantee credit, and communication is vital

On-screen text

5 HARD TRUTHS I'VE UNFORTUNATELY LEARNED FROM HARVARD, FINANCE & EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN I've been in many different worlds. Harvard, Finance, Business School, influencing. And no matter how hard I try and escape these little rules, they don't stop showing up. These are the five rules that as much as I hate, keep proving themselves to be true in every industry place. Social construct 1. Politics matter. as much as I hate to admit that. And I'm not talking about Republican or Democrat, although some places that probably does matter. I'm talking people politics. I'm talking about who advocates for you when you're not in the room, who likes you, who wants you in the room? You can be incredibly talented, but relationships matter more than we like to admit, and it's everywhere. It mattered at Harvard just as much as it mattered in finance, just as much as it matters in influencing. Honestly 2. And this one I hate probably more than any other because I am a very big why person. But sometimes you don't get to ask why. Understanding the reasoning is usually incredibly helpful, but sometimes you have to show that you can execute before you get to question the process. And sometimes, even when you've earned the right to question the process, you still need to shut up and not ask why. 3. Being good at your job, or honestly anything, is about more than just doing good work. How you do the work matters. Two people can do the exact same job, turn in the exact same Piece of work and the enthusiastic, reliable, easy to work with person is gonna be invited back. Talent can get you in the room, but being someone people want in the room keeps you there: And effort doesn't usually determine how who gets in. Also, whether you like the person you're working for doesn't matter either. 4. fair and equal are not the same thing. This one unfortunately really sucks. You can watch someone who worked less than you get an opportunity over you countless times. Two people can do the exact same thing and still realise incredibly different outcomes based on luck or circumstances or timing. Hard work matters a lot, but it does not unfortunately guarantee that everyone gets exactly what they deserve. And 5 you don't always get credit for being right. This one also hurts as a Leo who often thinks that I am right. You can have a genius idea and you can share it at the wrong time with the wrong person in the wrong circumstances. And someone can have the exact same idea and get praised for it. And unfortunately being bitter about that is going to get you absolutely nothing. As an aside, how you communicate matters more than the idea that you have. So yeah, I'm gonna save you a lot of time by telling you that I've already done the on the ground research to prove all of these wrong, and I failed every time. So learn from my mistakes. Love you.

Original caption

I’ve unfortunately tried to prove these wrong in every environment I’ve ever been in and been disappointed every time to find that i cannot.

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Transcript

I've been in many different worlds. Harvard, Finance, Business School, influencing. And no matter how hard I try and escape these little rules, they don't stop showing up. These are the five rules that as much as I hate, keep proving themselves to be true in every industry place. Social construct 1. Politics matter. as much as I hate to admit that. And I'm not talking about Republican or Democrat, although some places that probably does matter. I'm talking people politics. I'm talking about who advocates for you when you're not in the room, who likes you, who wants you in the room? You can be incredibly talented, but relationships matter more than we like to admit, and it's everywhere. It mattered at Harvard just as much as it mattered in finance, just as much as it matters in influencing. Honestly 2. And this one I hate probably more than any other because I am a very big why person. But sometimes you don't get to ask why. Understanding the reasoning is usually incredibly helpful, but sometimes you have to show that you can execute before you get to question the process. And sometimes, even when you've earned the right to question the process, you still need to shut up and not ask why. 3. Being good at your job, or honestly anything, is about more than just doing good work. How you do the work matters. Two people can do the exact same job, turn in the exact same Piece of work and the enthusiastic, reliable, easy to work with person is gonna be invited back. Talent can get you in the room, but being someone people want in the room keeps you there: And effort doesn't usually determine how who gets in. Also, whether you like the person you're working for doesn't matter either. 4. fair and equal are not the same thing. This one unfortunately really sucks. You can watch someone who worked less than you get an opportunity over you countless times. Two people can do the exact same thing and still realise incredibly different outcomes based on luck or circumstances or timing. Hard work matters a lot, but it does not unfortunately guarantee that everyone gets exactly what they deserve. And 5 you don't always get credit for being right. This one also hurts as a Leo who often thinks that I am right. You can have a genius idea and you can share it at the wrong time with the wrong person in the wrong circumstances. And someone can have the exact same idea and get praised for it. And unfortunately being bitter about that is going to get you absolutely nothing. As an aside, how you communicate matters more than the idea that you have. So yeah, I'm gonna save you a lot of time by telling you that I've already done the on the ground research to prove all of these wrong, and I failed every time. So learn from my mistakes. Love you.