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This is Scott Becker with the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. Today's discussion is going to be how to approach your first job and what you have to do and Never listen to the boss. Bear with me and I'll try and explain this. You'll also get episodes this week on Nvidia, on Microsoft, the five Big PE Funds and Clarifying Life. So this title your first job don't listen to your boss. Here's what I mean here. And the advice of course is going to be counterintuitive. Of course you got to listen to your boss. But here's what we're talking about specifically when you get to your first job and your boss says to you, oh no, it's fine to leave early, it's fine to take Friday off. It's fine if you don't complete that right now. What's really happening is your boss is trying to avoid conflict and so he or she is telling you what you want to hear from, but he and he or she in their mind is basically keeping some kind of analytical spreadsheet in their mind, very subjective, very objective, what have you. Just very sort of come and go as to what do they really think about this employee? Is this employee really making a difference? Are they really in it? Are they showing the driving motivation we need or are they just picking up a paycheck? So every time you say to your boss, is it okay if I take this off? Is it okay if I don't do this? And your boss says fine, of course, not a problem. What your boss is really saying is sure, but I've now marked you down a little bit on my overall view of your long term career prospects. And I think many people in this world of conflict, adversity, especially when there's so much conflict in other places, don't understand that when they're not giving 100% and their boss says it's okay not to give 100%, they're the contract between boss and employee is more along the lines of fine, you don't have to go 100%, but also you also don't have to get the best raises, the best promotions. You also might not be the person that we need for the long run at the company. So what I would tell people is even if your boss gives you the answer you want to hear, you have to also think about how reflects upon you for the long run in your job and how they look at you. I think many sort of junior answering your people sort of miss this memo or miss this understanding of what is the boss really thinking. I have the great beauty of working with some incredibly reliable people. They get back to me right away. They do what they're supposed to do, they do beyond what they're supposed to do, and they do it with a great attitude that as someone who's working with people, contracting with people, employing people in is something that I can't tell you how much I appreciate. Other people say to me things like I'll do it that way if you want me to, which I hear as okay, that means you hate this and don't really like it, but you're willing to do it my way. And all these things, even though all okay in passing, ultimately lead to bosses, employers, leaders looking at things in different ways and evaluating people in different ways. I Are you really trying to be great? Are you trying to get by? Are you difficult to work with? All those things are things that bosses look at and they can't help themselves every single day, every single moment, and how they assess who they want to build their team around for the long run. In any event, thank you so much for listening. If I could work with 10 Chanel bungers, who is my executive producer, that would make my life perfect and simple because she is so great and so reliable. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business and the Becker Private Equity Podcast. I hope this resonates with people. I'd love your feedback on it. Some people might hate it, Some might like it. 773-766-5322 But I'd love your feedback. Thank you for listening to the Becker Business and the Beck Private Equity Podcast.
Episode: How to Approach Your First Job: Never Listen to the Boss
Release Date: May 15, 2026
In this solo episode, Scott Becker challenges common advice given to young professionals starting their first job. Framed with the intentionally provocative line, "Never listen to your boss," Becker explains the deeper, often unspoken dynamics between entry-level employees and their supervisors. He draws on personal experiences to highlight the subtle ways workplace behavior, motivation, and reliability influence long-term success—regardless of what the boss outwardly says.
(00:27 – 01:41)
“What your boss is really saying is sure, but I've now marked you down a little bit on my overall view of your long term career prospects.”
— Scott Becker (01:26)
(01:41 – 02:28)
(02:28 – 02:50)
“I think many sort of junior... people miss this memo or miss this understanding of what is the boss really thinking.”
— Scott Becker (02:44)
(02:50 – 03:32)
“All these things, even though all okay in passing, ultimately lead to bosses, employers, leaders looking at things in different ways and evaluating people in different ways.”
— Scott Becker (03:15)
(03:32 – 03:47)
On unspoken evaluations:
“They're keeping some kind of analytical spreadsheet in their mind... is this employee really making a difference?”
— Scott Becker (00:53)
On reliable team members:
“If I could work with 10 Chanel bungers, who is my executive producer, that would make my life perfect and simple because she is so great and so reliable.”
— Scott Becker (03:50)
Invitation for feedback:
“Some people might hate it, some might like it... but I'd love your feedback.”
— Scott Becker (03:56)
Summary:
Scott Becker’s message to those starting their careers: Don’t take a boss’ easy yes at face value; go the extra mile, be reliable, and aim for greatness even when no one is pushing you to. Long-term career growth hinges not just on explicit instructions but on the subtle daily judgments about effort and attitude.