You Are Not Behind
Social Media Envy and the Rising Professional
Nicholas Carr once asked if Google were making us stupid. Maybe. But I know this for sure, the internet makes us feel behind. You spot an award on LinkedIn, you see a new apartment on Instagram, you scroll past a graduation on Facebook, and you wonder, “Shouldn’t I be farther along than I am?”
You can’t Google an answer to that question. But you can stop for a few minutes and listen to Shaquille Anthony talk about coping with the excessiveness of social media in the arc of his career. I’m especially grateful that Shaq took a break from dissertation-defense prep to sit in front of a mic with me.
Although this interview has been edited for clarity and brevity, I think you’ll hear a direct message not unlike Mary Oliver’s “Instructions for Living a Life” in her poem “Sometimes.” Shaq, too, wants to say, “Pay attention. / Be astonished. / Tell about it.”
Craig: [adjusting the mics] Looks like I can give you a bit more gain there.
Shaq: Check, mic one.
Craig: You’ve done this before.
Shaq: I haven't done a podcast before. I've been around mikes. I'm a musician.
Craig: All right, so I think we’re finally good. As you know, the Mode/Switch asks early-career professionals about overwhelm. You’re the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Calvin University. So, tell me, how do Directors of Strategic Partnerships feel digitally overwhelm?
Shaq: It depends on how much I have my phone in my hand. When you're on social media, and you're seeing all of the social media stuff about where you should be in your 20s and 30s--I'm looking at myself: “Man, I should be working harder!”
Craig: The airbrushed images of Other People’s Lives.
Shaq: Exactly. Nobody's posting their failures. You see the success, but you never see the process.
Craig: You see their carefully curated identity.
Shaq: Exactly. When you're done, you still have to face that real person in the mirror. You go back to your reality, and that person you just curated does not match.
Craig: You said you've begun to be more mindful of the detrimental role of the smartphone in your work. Say more.
Shaq: Coming out of college, working for the Department of Labor—workforce development stuff, working with at-risk youth--it's like, Yeah, I'm cool. I'm blessed. This is meaningful work. But I was making no money. And then, you look on social media, and you see your friends who got these big old tech jobs. We're talking $60,000-$70,000, straight out of college. But I was missing out on vital lessons for where I am now and where I'm going.
My digital overwhelm was hot. Then I left that place and went to a local nonprofit in the trenches, doing positive, impactful, world-changing work. I did get a raise. And I noticed that it still wasn't enough.
Nobody's posting their failures. You see the success, but you never see the process.
I was wrapping up my master's degree. I'm doing everything I'm supposed to do. You gotta take in consideration my background. I don't come from a family full of money. You know what I'm saying?
I remember being in this job and being completely overwhelmed, even though I helped over 500 people obtain employment in one year by myself. Some of the most impactful work I've ever done. But I couldn't even really celebrate that.
Craig: When you look back, are you thinking, “Shaq, you were missing what was going on”? Or was the Shaq back then just responding to full-on economic distress?
Shaq: Both-and. It was response to the economic stress. But I was missing things. I did not honor the work for real. I was fighting for companies to reevaluate their structures and their policies from an equitable lens. What can you do to get more people in the community to work? What are your hiring policies that pertain to people with felonies or criminal records? This is before George Floyd. This is before the pandemic.
I get hired at a corporation. And the work is, “We need to look at our hiring policy.” I had already done that work!
On average, they were turning away maybe 150 applicants every two weeks based on criminal record. Here's where the equity part comes in: trying to shift the mindsets of hiring leaders. “Oh, this person committed armed robbery fifteen years ago. They can't work here. They're violent.” I took the time to have a conversation with this person. “It was fifteen years ago. My family was hungry. I didn't hurt nobody. I just wanted to get food for my family. I went in there and acted like I had a gun. And I just wanted the food.”
Craig: So, a very different story than the narrative in the heads of hiring leaders.
Shaq: Different story. But it's like a dog tag: it never leaves him, even though it was fifteen years ago. Technically by law, you can't go past seven years. But it pops up, because it's a felony.
Even though I helped over 500 people obtain employment in one year by myself—some of the most impactful work I've ever done—I couldn't even celebrate that. I was missing things. I did not honor the work for real.
Craig: Did you get the corporate types to change the story in their heads? What did you tell them?
Shaq: “When you hear stories like that, don't be afraid as recruiters, don't be afraid to dig deep. I know this is high-level, high-volume recruiting. But you're passing up great talent!”
Craig: You were in your mid-20s, and you’re a Black man talking to, I’m assuming, White personnel. How are they receiving this?
Shaq: It was interesting. At the outset, because of George Floyd and the pandemic, it was like, “Yes!” But when it came time to do the work, that's when it got weird. I heard a director say in a meeting, “If they don't disclose on the application and in their interview, they're liars, and they’re a liability to the company.”
But the reason they didn't disclose on the application is not because they are a liar. It's because if they disclose on the application, they won't even get a chance to interview.
Craig: Vicious loop. It's a problem with the way hiring is designed, not with the person. So, you’re doing good work, really important work—again! How did this new corporate position affect your digital overwhelm?
Shaq: When I got in that corporate space, I noticed, like, Shaq, you gotta pause and be grateful. I came from a twelve-person nonprofit to a 36,000-employee company—a senior talent program specialist. Super tricky: we're talking about leadership, we're talking about entry level, we're talking about operations. When I got there, I was letting digital overwhelm overtake who I was and the work that I was blessed to be able to do.
Craig: How do you script that out in your head?
Shaq: You're like, why am I not there yet? What am I doing wrong? I feel like I suck. And it made me neglect so much of the great stuff that I was allotted—the opportunity that God blessed me. I was put in that position strategically. I believe God is an architect, so he knew that I had to start where I needed to start so that when I got to this point in my career, I would have the experience—not only the experience, but the appreciation for the work.
Craig: I love that. I love the sense you’re giving us of your learning journey. So let’s bring this into the present. How are you coping today?
Shaq: I was just nominated for an award back home in Muskegon: the Homegrown Hero Award. Super honored. Cannot believe I was nominated. (And shout out to the Muskegon Young Black Professionals that nominated me.) But when I posted it--that one post got over 70,000 impressions. If you're not careful, it'll push you: “Maybe I could do that again. Double it! Now I'm this award-nominated guy, and, seriously, I gotta put on the suit!”
And no, I'm just Shaq. I'm grateful that God allowed me to be nominated, but I will never allow accolades change who I am. It took a while to get here. But I'm here.
I was saying, Why am I not there yet? What am I doing wrong? I feel like I suck. But I was neglecting so much of the great stuff that I was allotted—the opportunity that God blessed me.
Craig: You have been in a range of sectors! You have worked in government. You have worked in nonprofit. You have worked in corporate. Now, you’re in the academic sector. What kind of advice would you give to other rising professionals of color?
Shaq: Remember that you have the superpower. That's why people want to connect with you. Don't omit your superpower because of what you see happening around you. Even when you feel like you're not. You have to understand that the good works with the bad, and vice-versa. There are things that I encountered along my professional journey that were hard, very hard. Recently, I hit this real weird bump. And if I didn't know any better, it would have killed my momentum.
Craig: Something I remember hearing from a young professional was that she always felt behind. I feel that way myself. Can't keep up with the market. Can't keep up with whoever’s the British Prime Minister right this moment. I can’t keep up with the ever-loving Microsoft updates.
Shaq: It's a distraction to keep you from getting where you need to be. The pandemic, all you could do is think. Have time for yourself. Recalibrate. Read. Time with your family. Time to rethink. But now, I'm up at 1:30 on Periscope.
Craig: All too relatable. Hey, I'm grateful for this conversation. Shaq, you gave us a refresh on our awareness. You have this strong sense of Providence, which makes you say, “You're where you need to be right now. Stay awake! Be alive to the possibilities right in front of you.” Really thankful that you stopped by the Mode/Switch.
Shaq: I'm so grateful to be here. Thank you for inviting me.