What We Teach/Job Journey/The Unwritten Rules of Work
Job Journey

The Unwritten Rules of Work

Every workplace runs on two systems. The official one, and the one nobody tells you about.

Why this works

Most career advice covers the first system: targets, performance reviews, job descriptions. But the reason someone else gets promoted usually isn't about any of those. It's about the second system: the one nobody puts in an onboarding doc. Once you see it, the gap between good work and recognised work closes fast.

What you'll learn

  • Why good work alone rarely gets you promoted
  • How to spot the invisible system in any workplace
  • The reframe that makes asking for things less awkward
  • Why "do I deserve this?" is the wrong question
  • How to make it easy for decision-makers to say yes
  • What curiosity looks like as a career strategy
3 lessons·Reel-length intro, then two carousel deep-dives.
1
JJ20

There's a Second System at Play

Doing good work is necessary, but not sufficient.

You hit your targets, did the work, showed up on time. The person who did less got promoted first. That sting isn't about them. It's the moment you realised there's a second system at play. This reel is the opening reframe: every workplace runs on two systems, and you've only been taught to play one of them.

Watch the reel

2
JJ26

The Unwritten Rules of Work

The visible system is KPIs. The invisible one is everything else.

Every workplace runs on two systems. The first is visible: KPIs, performance reviews, job descriptions. The second is invisible: who gets heard in meetings, who gets pulled into the important projects, who gets trusted with the ambiguous problems. Most people only find out about the second system after they've been passed over for something they thought they'd earned. The fix isn't self-promotion. It's curiosity about what's valued, not just what's measured.

Read the carousel

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3
JJ21

How to Ask for What You Want at Work

Good work doesn't speak for itself.

The people who get what they want at work aren't more talented or more deserving. They're just willing to have the conversation. The reframe that changes things: stop asking "do I deserve this?" and start asking "have I made it easy for them to say yes?" One is about worth. The other is about strategy. And strategy is learnable. Your manager is tracking ten other priorities. They're not reading your mind about what you want. Make it visible, make it easy.

Read the carousel

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Want the whole Job Journey map?

From landing the first role to thriving inside one, the full pillar covers every step. This theme is only the start of the "thriving" half.