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Working for the Right Person

Written by: Nan Russell

Article Overview: People who are winning at working work for the right person - the one looking back in mirror. That differentiation changes everything. It's easier to know what jobs to seek, skills to enhance, and opportunities to seize. It's easier to know when you should change paths, companies, or bosses. And it's easier to weather workplace stresses when you're the one holding the compass for your life.

Working for the Right Person

"I don't know," the Gen-Y acquaintance mused. "I'm thinking about grad school, but it's more work than I thought to prepare for the GREs. Then if I do all that and don't get into the program I want, it's a waste of time. Plus, did you know it could cost more than $40,000 to get a masters degree? I don't want that kind of debt, especially since I'll never make it up in a starting salary."

By the end of answering my question about his post gap-year plans, this young man described several options he was pondering for his future. But woven into threads of indecision and idealism, I recognized limiting beliefs punctuating his words. It's "too hard." It'll take "too long." It costs "too much." I also recognized he hadn't yet discovered who he was doing the work for.

He's right. Getting the work you want, creating your future, developing your skills can be hard, take time, and cost money. But this isn't a generational issue; it's a life-potential issue. We can hold these self-limiting beliefs whether we're Gen-Y, Gen-X, Boomers or Traditionalists.

When we think we work for other people instead of working for ourselves, we're less likely to make the investments in self-development, put in the time and determination, or make the trade-offs necessary to achieve the goals we desire.

When we think we work for "the boss" we're less likely to push ourselves, take on the challenging project, volunteer for extra assignments, or offer the best of who we are to our work, whatever that work may be.

When we work for other people, we're less likely to use our unique gifts to make a difference in our work group, community, or world. And we're less likely to have the internal drive and passion to sustain us through those workplace potholes.

Working for yourself is not about being an entrepreneur, owning your own business, or being self-employed. It's a vision, not a vocation.

You can give away the power over your future to bosses or other influencers in your life, or you can keep that power to fuel your dreams. As Nashua Cavalier put it, "Man's biggest mistake is to believe that he's working for someone else." When you believe you are, that's when work becomes work.

People who are winning at working work for the right person - the one looking back in mirror. That differentiation changes everything. It's easier to know what jobs to seek, skills to enhance, and opportunities to seize. It's easier to know when you should change paths, companies, or bosses. And it's easier to weather workplace stresses when you're the one holding the compass for your life.

People who are winning at working accept the accountability for inventing their future, realizing it's not the boss or the work or the company politics that stand in the way of their success. These can be obstacles to maneuver certainly, but the real obstacles are self-inflicted: fear, limiting beliefs, victim thinking or misplaced perspectives. These are what hold your life-potential in check.

Want to be winning at working? Start working for the right person.

(c) 2008 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

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Article Tags: boomers, creating your future, gap year, gen x, grad school, gres, group community, indecision, influencers, masters degree, owning your own business, potholes, project volunteer, self development, self limiting beliefs, starting salary, trade offs, traditionalists, unique gifts, waste of time



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Re: What is Your Favorite Thing About Owning A Business? - [quote="freddyb45":1t3lpfi8]For me it's the fact that all the time and effort you put in is worth a lot more, due to it making you "business" more profitable. Working for yourself is also a positive, although employing people you can trust is quite different.[/quote:1t3lpfi8] I like this idea. Working for yourself means you are investing in your own future, not someone else's, although there is value in working for someone else first to gain experience and confidence. Working for yourself does not automatically mean success, fame and fortune. For most entrepreneurs, it takes much work and dedication to get to the point of financial success and comfort - sometimes years. But the benefit is, again, you know you are investing in yourself and building equity for your own future. GT :-]
Re: help wanted in u.k. - Working on it all, a new world to me cheers brendan
Respect?!? - Hi there, A successful business depends on ongoing series of transactions. This inlvolves people. To what extend is respect important? When one thinks of himself alone, like me, me and me, how can respect become real? How many types of respect can we come up with? I think of a few: Respect of disagreement can be one. Then there is Respect of the Customer. Respect of position. Respect of 'Older Person'. By the same token, Respect of the 'Younger ones'. etc..... Has anybody got any other ideas on this subject. Kindest Regards Beat "Unlock People's Potentials!"
Re: What is Your Favorite Thing About Owning A Business? - For me it's the fact that all the time and effort you put in is worth a lot more, due to it making you "business" more profitable. Working for yourself is also a positive, although employing people you can trust is quite different.
Re: When do entrepreneurs retire, if ever? - Entrepreneur don't retire, they die on the job. It is his passion and what he enjoys doing. Rubert Murdock is 77 years old and he is still working. He said he would die fast if he stop working. Working had become his life,joy and passion


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