You can be/know "more," not "better"

My professional background and daily grind required me to adopt a personal theme to maintain balance between my responsibilities as an employee and citizen. Looking back on it, the saying is applicable for just about anyone, especially those trying to understand how you achieve greatness or recognition without growing negative egotism.

Simply put, you can always be "more", but never "better."

Alexandra Levit offers her own take, which mostly echoes my beliefs on the matter. For those of us in public administration/bureaucracy, it is necessary to recognize that our duties not only require interpretating, upholding, and enacting stated policies, or applying skilled knowledge, but also necessitate appreciating the perspective and experiences of others who may not see eye-to-eye with our judgements. I find it extremely important, if I want to fulfill my professional obligation while making certain that a citizen or official is understanding of the decision made, to show that while I may be well versed in what I do, it does not mean that I have "the" right answer, in contrast to theirs.

This concept applies to virtually anyone, but may have specific relevance to those (like me, at times) who believe they have advantages in proficiency with technology. Recent or upcoming graduates often automatically think that they will be able to get "a step ahead" in the real world by showing off their skills with computers, electronic communications, and what not. I have found (in some cases, the hard way) that despite what we may know that more veteran coworkers don't, it does not mean that our ideas or information has any practical relevance to the situations at hand.

In any given situation, presenting your talents and abilities is always applicable. However, it is important that you do not want to insult the audience, especially if they are in a supervisory or mentoring capacity, by expressing your skill level as somehow "better" than theirs. More than likely, as I did, you'll make this mistake (more than once).

Your coworkers have made this mistake as well, but it will be important to learn quickly about cues and the role of organizational culture, especially when it comes to institutional habits that might negate some of the value possible with your advanced knowledge.