We all know the Corporate Nepo Baby—the lucky few whose main claim to fame is well, their parents’ claim to fame.
There’s hardworking and there’s hardly working when dealing with a Corporate Nepo Baby. Whichever type of Corporate Nepo Baby you run into, be it dedicated or distracted, you will have no choice but to work with them, despite their delusions of grandeur. But you can’t let their silver spoon tarnish your reputation.
Modern Manners Guy is hosted by Richie Frieman. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
Have an etiquette question? Email Richie at manners@quickanddirtytips.com.
Modern Manners Guy is a part of Quick and Dirty Tips.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.facebook.com/ModernMannersGuy
http://www.richiefrieman.com/
Since the dawn of work, there have been the lucky chosen ones benefiting from nepotism in the workplace. Whether it’s someone’s child, spouse, or distant relative, no matter how hard you work, Nepotism Babies, or “nepo babies,” will always get the upper hand. Even though their easy ride to the top can cloud their concept of what it means to be “accomplished” in the workplace, you’ll likely have to answer to the Corporate Nepo Baby. We all know the Corporate Nepo Baby—the lucky few whose main claim to fame is well, their parents’ claim to fame. For centuries, the Corporate Nepo Baby has been skipping up the corporate ladder without a worry in the world, in a corner office that has been saved for them since they were in diapers.
Of course, not all Nepo Babies are bad and you can’t fault someone who was born into opportunities that 99% of the world may never have if they, you know, actually doing their job. Still, whether a Corporate Nepo Baby is dedicated or doing the bare minimum, properly handling your relationship with said Nepo Baby is key to your career path. So, before you drive yourself mad for being passed over for a job by a Corporate Nepo Baby who didn’t even have to interview for the gig, check out my 3 types of Corporate Nepo Baby and how to handle them.
Let’s kick things off with the lowest form of Corporate Nepo Baby to ever grace a boardroom—the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby. This particular type of family embarrassment is often characterized in comedy movies and TV and likely to say the phrase “Do you know who my parents are?!” to a barista who didn’t make their latte with exact amount of milk to foam ratio. The Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby is also the obnoxious individual who makes their own hours, flexes their faux power like an irate fraternity or sorority pledge master, and will usually take all the credit for whatever good work comes their way. When dealing with this “Veruca Salt” kind of Corporate Nepo Baby, you have to make peace with the following three key facts regarding your role in the office: you will never get their job, you will never replace them, and you will never get the same perks as they do. You could invent something that ends global warning, cures cancer, and saves endangered animals, and the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby will likely find a way to shout, “I thought of that first!” Still, you like your company and with that you must properly manage your relationship with this Corporate Nepo Baby in order to survive. Yes, I said survive. It’s a war out there, people. WAR!
Before I got into my secrets for success when it comes to handling the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby with grace, I want to make it clear that I by no means enjoy having to put up with their behavior. However—and I know, I know, I know, it’s hard to admit—in this situation, you have no choice but to tolerate the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby and their antics. You’re never going to get them to change. Ever. To that point, the proper way to make sure the “Mad Ruler of the Boardroom” doesn’t report you to Mommy and Daddy is to keep your distance while supporting their mission. I highly recommend not becoming friends with the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby because someone of their caliber has never really had real friends and likely won’t have your back if you need it. Always do your work, push yourself to be better, but never let the Spoiled Corporate Nepo Baby into your circle of trust.
With that, don’t go out of your way to avoid them. If they ask you to go to lunch or grab a drink, yes, you should, but don’t let your full guard down. Don’t get sucked into office gossip or vent about something at work. Instead, swallow your pride and be their positive support for helping them realize their potential and meet their goals. Yes, this means you may have to handle your relationship with them with kid gloves but in this fragile situation, the stakes are too high to go against the grain.
If the show hit HBO show Succession has taught us anything about “family values” and nepotism in the workplace, it’s that greed or power will always trump the overall good of a company’s goals. In the show, all the Roy children suffer from the “burden” of having every single thing handed to them, and can’t settle for the fact that they have billions in the bank just by existing. If I ever had a situation where money wasn’t no object and I could buy a Porsche just as easily as I could a bagel, I could care less if I worked in a broom closet. Heck, I’d be like a Walmart Greeter, waving hi to everyone as they sulked into the building. Sign me up! Yet, seeing that I’ll never have the sick luxury of wanting to crush my siblings to get ahead, I have had the lovely experience of engaging with several Bravado Corporate Nepo Babies in my time. Regardless of their defined “role” in the company, this individual loves to beat their chest, stomp their feet, and let the world know they know better. They have a mission, a vision, and if you don’t like it, then you can see your way out the door. Such a swell individual.
I find this sort of Corporate Nepo Baby to be the most dangerous of all Corporate Nepo Babies because their ego enters the room ten minutes before they do. They also like to make sure people know they are “in charge” or even worse (and I’ve witnessed this), mention that “one day I’ll be running things” to anyone who will listen. Granted, it’s rather demented of them to find some freakish joy in the future death of their parent who currently sits at the head of the table, but that’s what makes them impossible to tolerate. When presented with this unsavory specimen of a Corporate Nepo Baby, the only way to handle them is with as much grace as you can stomach. It will be hard and will take swallowing a lot of your pride if you want stay at their company.
One way to do this is to practice what I like to call the “George Castanza Annoyed Look.” In a wonderful episode of Seinfeld, George said that if he looks annoyed at work, people assume he’s working very hard and leave him alone. Yes, this is an added layer of effect for dealing with the Bravado Corporate Nepo Baby but avoidance is essential. Remember, that the Bravado Corporate Nepo Baby is always on the prowl to find something wrong or anything to complain about, to fuel their ego of thinking they know better than all. Now, unlike how George used this get out of all work, with this tip, you have to still perform. Don’t you dare flake around this dictator and as I said, it’s okay to be a little “extra” in your attempt to get of their way. With all of this being said, if you find yourself working with the Bravado Corporate Nepo Baby, I highly recommend finding a new job. They will never be happy with the company, employees, or themselves because their egos are too big for anyone else to share their spotlight.
Even though I’ve enjoyed beating up on Corporate Nepo Babies, as I mentioned in my intro, not all Corporate Nepo Babies are incompetent brats who will skate by on their family name. Case in point, the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby is an individual who truly cares about the business and increasing the brand for their family, as well as for their own legacy. This is the type of operator who wants to be someone the employees will admire due to their actions and not their status. Most importantly, the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby knows that they won the genetic lottery, they don’t take credit for the work those who came before them accomplished, and are always looking to bring new ideas to the table. The Golden Corporate Nepo Baby is usually looking into new technologies, creating better initiatives, and has a more modern take on business. Those wonderful qualities are what make this Corporate Nepo Baby golden. So, when you do get lucky enough to work for the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby, embrace every single second of time you are able to spend with this individual to develop as a professional.
The Golden Corporate Nepo Baby may be self-aware of their situation, embrace their fantastic bank account, but with that, they don’t want to make their nepotism a “thing”—so don’t. While working for the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby, you may find them to be—dare I say—relatable, but it’s never proper to take advantage of their kindness. Don’t overly joke around like you’re “buddies,” because you’re not. They may be friendly but make sure that the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby knows you respect their leadership and you want to be a part of their ten-year roadmap. Even if you don’t plan to stay at this company, if you play your cards right, the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby will encourage you to grow to your next destination. Keeping that in mind, when you do leave, always make sure to keep in touch with the Golden Corporate Nepo Baby at the next spot you land. Trust me, they’ll appreciate your dedication, and you never know when they may reach out to have you join their team once again… but this time with a higher price tag.