Stop Thinking Like An Employee (I'm Begging You!)

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Last week, LinkedIn shared some potentially good news for workers. Their latest survey results show a whopping 96 percent of HR professionals say improving the employee experience at their company is a top priority in 2020. Translation: employers plan to listen more carefully to employees in an effort to craft a work environment that's more satisfying. While that sounds like a step in the right direction. As a career coach, it worries me. Here's why...

Thinking like a "traditional" employee is an outdated way to build a satisfying career today.

We all know the days of staying with a company for 20 years, getting a pension, a gold watch, and big retirement party are long gone. For the most part, neither side of the employment equation expects (or wants) to stay in the same place with the same job for their entire career. Not to mention, given the rate of change in business and technology these days. If your career isn't growing, it's dying. I'm not suggesting we all have to climb the corporate ladder. But, we do need to constantly pay attention to how our skills are evolving and staying relevant in the marketplace. Or, risk being laid-off as some jobs become antiquated and no longer needed. Given all this, you'd think the workforce would have evolved by realizing what's truly needed for a good employee experience. However, that's not what I'm seeing.

The employee mentality isn't always the best guide for what needs to be improved at work.

A lot of people who see themselves as employees have "golden handcuffs." They don't love their jobs and are feeling trapped by the income and benefits. This creates a victim mentality. In their minds, the employer is bribing them to do something they don't really want to do. They long to be set free, but see no way out. So, they seek an over-the-top employee experience to dull the pain of being held hostage. The more perks the company offers, the better. The goal becomes to make the work day tolerable. Unfortunately, this doesn't work. The high from a big paycheck and extensive benefits eventually fades. Even worse, the gold handcuffs get bigger and stronger. It's harder than ever to quit when you work for the so-called "dream employer" who gives employees the world. People wonder what's wrong with you. Leaving seems crazy. Which is why I'm BEGGING YOU to stop thinking like an employee, and start thinking like a business-of-one.

Treat your employer like a business partner and your relationship will change - for the better.

One of the first mental shifts we teach Work It Daily members is to stop thinking like an employee. Instead, we map out why they're really service providers who have a single client, a/k/a their employer. Using basic business concepts, we transform their mindsets and beliefs into powerful tools for positive career growth. We look at what it will take to build a strong partnership between them and the customer. We focus on what needs to happen to create a win-win situation in their career. They take FULL OWNERSHIP of their situation. No more victim mentality. Ownership = empowerment. If you own it, you can change it. Through this process, people start to detach from the negative, helpless, career-limiting thoughts and feelings holding them back from greater career satisfaction. Better still, they understand how to build the trust and respect they want and deserve from their employer.

But, most importantly, they realistically assess and determine whether the relationship with their current employer can evolve into the win-win partnership they desire. Or, if it's time to move on.

You see, I hate it when people leave jobs where they've built up some credibility just because it doesn't feel fair. Starting over someplace new is hard work. Why not leverage the existing relationship and learn how to take it to the next level? And, if you figure out you truly can't improve this situation, at least you'll be able to leave with a clear conscious. Part of the reason job jumping is so common is the jumpers don't know how to think like a business-of-one. The employee mentality has them running from the pain instead of addressing the situation and trying to fix it. Which leads to my last point...

Not everyone is meant to be a successful entrepreneur. But, we ALL have the ability to be a successful business-of-one.

In the last 20 years, being an entrepreneur has become some kind of status symbol. Being an employee is no longer good enough. Nowadays, lots of people seem obsessed with being able to say they own their own company - making anyone who is "just an employee" feel like they're slacking. I really dislike this trend for two reasons. First, not everyone is cut out to build and run a company, causing lots of people to waste their savings on failed attempts at entrepreneurship. Second, it's messing with people's sense of self-worth. In my opinion, this is the real reason why studies today show job dissatisfaction and employee disengagement at an all-time high. Meanwhile, workers are missing out on the opportunity to improve their career satisfaction by realizing they do own a business - a business-of-one.

P.S. - If the above doesn't convince you to start looking at your relationship with your employer differently, consider this...

The use of independent contractors (self-employed freelancers), is rising year over year. Business models are being disrupted daily with a focus on harnessing the power of a flexible workforce to avoid using traditional full-time employees with benefits. The sooner you start realizing your business-of-one could truly be on its own someday, the better. Embracing this mentality frees you up to start thinking creatively about how you can craft a career that lets you live on your own terms!

P.S.S. - I want you to be 1 in a million in 2020.

My company's goal is to help 1,000,000 LinkedIn users grow their careers in 2020. How? By using the subscribe button at the top of this page, you'll get two career growth articles from me for free each week via LinkedIn.

And, if you are looking for more help, my teammates and I at Work It Daily put together the following free career growth tools for you:

• A complete job search checklist.

CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD the pdf file.

• A list of the 18 most common interview questions.

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• Free cover letter samples.

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• Guide to changing careers.

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• Masterclass on how to avoid common job search mistakes.

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