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How To Survive The Idiot Curve

How to survive the idiot curve

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52 views16 pages

How To Survive The Idiot Curve

How to survive the idiot curve

Uploaded by

jesunifemiadeyinka
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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How to Survive the "Idiot Curve"— and

overcome the challenges of a new job

Azubuike Ezenwoke, PhD © 2023

The Career Exploit Series is a collection of interesting fictional


short stories with potent scriptural career wisdom — it is a
retelling of Scriptural lessons in modern-day career contexts.

Endeavour to ponder the Reflection Point and complete the Self-


Improvement Activities to position for career exploits.
Synopsis
A young copywriter struggles with feelings of incompetence
in his new job and seeks advice from his brother. The
brother introduces him to the "Idiot Curve" and encourages
him to persevere through the difficulties, citing 1
Corinthians 16:9 that with great opportunity comes
adversaries.

— Workplace Insights from 1 Corinthians 16:9


“I love challenges!”
They make me stronger, bring out the best in me,
and push me to optimise my previous self for a
better future self.

But the experience with my new job shook my


conviction — it was devastatingly challenging.

I worked so hard to secure a copywriting


role with a marketing company.
I loved writing. I scored the highest in all my
writing courses back at the university.

I had written about 100 successful copies as a


freelance copywriter, but securing this job was
oddly more satisfying.

I felt this job was the crowning of my


efforts — my entree into the world of
impact, but
How to survive the idiot curve

What was supposed to give me pleasure and


satisfaction was as though it would kill me.

The overwhelming pressure, the cut-throat


deadlines;

And the super high expectation to deliver


consistently at an unspecified bar of excellence
that is only known to my supervisor.

I felt like a Screw, with my supervisor as


an unrelenting electric-powered
screwdriver drilling me through a
reinforced concrete wall!
Nothing I did was good enough. He had the
reputation of constantly trashing your first three
drafts without reading them.

How was I going to survive swimming across this


ocean? Boy, I was drowning!

“I thought new opportunities were


supposed to be a good thing,”

2
How to survive the idiot curve

I poured out my heart to my elder brother, who


had joined the workforce three years before me.

My elder brother is the “Spiri-coco” of our family,


and it seems to have paid off well for him — he
had enjoyed rapid career advancements in just
three years.

I knew speaking with him would be a breather and


give me the much-needed clarity and wisdom to
navigate this new terrain.

“We were told about the exciting new


opportunities brought — impact, contribution and
recognition,” I lamented.

“The company should have seen some value in me


before hiring, right?

Why does it feel like I am incompetent and cannot


even scratch the success surface?

I was ranting.

3
How to survive the idiot curve

My brother stared at me, smiling, and


looked unconcerned about my
predicament.
He allowed me to finish my rantings.

“The Idiot Curve,” he said, gesturing a wave with


his hands.

“The Idiot what?” I asked, wondering what he


meant.

He pulled out his phone, opened the


Bible app, and then showed me 1
Corinthians 16:9 —
“For a great door and effectual is opened unto
me, and there are many adversaries.”

“Every new job or role is a great door,” he began.

He said the great door leads to a world filled with


opportunities for career growth and impact — all
of the perks of a professional career.

4
How to survive the idiot curve

The promises are real, but with great doors and


high-potential opportunities come plenty of
challenges for new hires and appointees.

An adversary is an opposition or
withstander to your access to flourishing
opportunities.
The degree of resistance is always directly
proportional to the potential opportunities.

The resistance makes new hires doubt their


passion, competence, and ability to blend with
that organisation's culture or sense of belonging.

This resistance contradicts your good


feelings about the company’s brand.
I mean those lovely things you read about their
corporate vision and mission, the fancy pictures of
smiling employees on their website, all the nice
things you were told during the onboarding or
induction process.

5
How to survive the idiot curve

So you find that many quit mentally before they


eventually quit physically.

And when they don’t quit, the negative


experiences during the challenging time set a limit
to their future growth — cutting them into
‘mediocrity-size ‘.

I nodded as my brother accurately described my


predicaments.

“So, what did you mean by the idiot


curve?” I asked.
“Ahh, that,” he snapped his fingers.

“I once read that it’s the curve every new hire or


appointee to a new role goes through in the first
90 days of engagement.”

I mentally calculated how long I had stayed in my


company; mine was 57 days.

6
How to survive the idiot curve

“The idiot curve stipulates that you will feel


dumber before you get smarter,” he further
highlighted.

“New employees lose confidence, doubt their


decision-making ability, and are overly concerned
about their weaknesses, ignoring their strengths.”

“So bro, don’t think that something


strange is happening to you; the
adversary is part of the package,” he
affirmed in a brotherly tone.
“It may feel as though you can’t make the swim
across the ocean, but winning is in your ability to
play the long game — out-shine, out-last, and
out-stand the opposition.”

“Don’t let the adversary define or reshape you,” he


added.

“The company saw the value and the potential for


value-addition when they hired you — don’t
disappoint them and yourself.”

7
How to survive the idiot curve

Then he concluded by saying,

“If you stand long enough through the


help that the Spirit supplies, those
adversarial feelings and experiences will
dissolve.”
“90 days, you said?” I said, gritting my teeth to
endure, “So, only 33 days left.”

“Aha, don’t take it literally o,” my brother laughed.

“Of course,” I said. “I was only joking”.

But I had learned a valuable lesson from my


brother, drinking from the wisdom of Scriptures.

I committed myself to focus on getting through


the “great door” to maximise the career
opportunities it contains.

I will depend on the supply of the spirit to persist


until I succeed.

8
Points for Reflection
1. How did the young man in the story initially view
challenges, and what positive aspects did he associate
with them?

2. How did his experience with his new job challenge his
perspective on challenges?

3. What steps did he take to secure the copywriting role,


and why did this job hold a special significance for
him?

4. Describe the overwhelming pressures and difficulties


he faced in his new job.

5. How did his elder brother's perspective and advice


help him navigate his struggles with the new job?

6. Explain the concept of the "Idiot Curve" as presented in


the story. How does it relate to the challenges faced by
new hires?

9
7. How did his brother use the scripture from 1
Corinthians 16:9 to provide insight into the challenges
faced in a new job?

8. Describe the role of "adversaries" in the context of his


work-related challenges. How do these adversaries
affect new hires' confidence and growth?

9. How did his conversation with his brother change his


perspective on his job challenges and his ability to
overcome them?

10
Self-Improvement Activities
1. Make a list of the challenging situations in your
new job and tag them as opportunity for growth.
See yourself navigating the challenge with confidence
and emerging stronger on the other side.

2. Recall a time when you faced and overcame


significant challenges as a student or in your
previous job. Focus on how you navigated the
situation, the lessons you learned, and the positive
outcomes that followed.

3. Meditate on I Corinthians 16:9. Write a short


reflection on how this scripture can be applied to your
current career challenges, remembering how you have
overcome in the past.

4. Write a letter to your future self, offering


encouragement and advice for when you face
challenges in your career. Remind yourself of your
strengths and the growth you're capable of achieving.

5. Create a visualization board that represents your


journey from adversity to success. Include images,
11
quotes, and symbols that remind you of your resilience
and ability to thrive in the face of challenges.

6. Engage in a conversation with a mentor, colleague,


or friend about their experiences with challenges in
their career. Learn from their insights and strategies for
overcoming difficulties.

12
About Me
In 2001 I heard that the Bible is the
Answer Book of Life. That statement
revolutionised my thinking and approach
to the Bible, sparking a profound
fascination with the wisdom found within
its words, stories, songs, prophecies, and
examples. I recognized that the Bible's
teachings could serve as an underlying ideology and philosophy
governing every aspect of human life.
I hold a PhD in Computer Science and have dedicated a significant
portion of my life to exploring, writing, and sharing my discoveries
about the practical wisdom derived from the Bible and its applicability
to everyday life.
Apart from my roles as a computing faculty and researcher at the
prestigious Covenant University, I have actively published numerous
long and short-form content on biblical wisdom and its relevance to
daily life, relationships, and career matters.
By privilege, my insights have gained substantial traction, attracting
hundreds of thousands of page views on Substack and LinkedIn
platforms.
I have been privileged to speak to an aggregate audience of more than
10,000 young people, sharing my Biblical concepts and frameworks,
and urging them to embrace Biblical wisdom as a guiding force in their
lives.

My works are available at my Digital Garden at paystack.shop/drazu, my


Substack at biblion.substack.com, connect with me on LinkedIn
@azubuikeezenwoke or reach me via email at [email protected]

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