Are You Still Trying to Manage Your Career with an Employee Mindset?
I’ll start with an uncomfortable truth.
For some time now, years before the pandemic, there’s been a fundamental shift in terms of “Employee as a dependent of their employer” towards “Employee as a partner with their employer.” This fundamental shift means if you’re serious about thriving in the new world order, you need to lose the traditional “Employee Mindset.”
Somewhere along the line, many employees, I would say the majority, ignored the obvious signals employers have been sending out-you’re a free agent. It surprises me that even after witnessing how jobs almost instantly vanished due to COVID, many people still cling to the belief that job security still exists.
Your job is what your employer needs today. In 3 years from now, will your job be relevant? AI, robotics, contracting out, using freelancers, self-service, self-checkout, ecommerce, offshoring-you get the picture.
Here’s the head kicker. It is common knowledge today that virtually all industries are unpredictable and prone to significant economic swings. Yet, most employees ( free agents) aren’t prepared for the likely possibility of being laid off. Many employees assume that who is chosen to be laid off will be based on merit. They sell themselves the narrative that if they work as hard and produce the best results they can, they’ll be safe. Unfortunately, reality isn’t always black and white.
Unless you sat in on the meeting where employee reductions were discussed, it is impossible to know how the choices are made. Every company is unique, and therefore every layoff is unique. Don’t get me wrong; working hard and adding measurable value to your employer’s bottom line does increase your odds of not being axed. However, often other factors also come into play, such as office politics, your salary ( cost to the company), bad luck, and a myriad of other factors beyond your control.
The bottom-line: You don’t own your job; your employer owns it.
The question that causes angst amongst free agents: Can I control my career?
The answer: Yes, if you replace having an “Employee Mindset” with a “Free Agent Mindset” ( aka. an “Entrepreneurial Mindset”) and you’ll be in control of your career destiny.
The following table illustrates the difference between an “Employee Mindset” and a “Free Agent Mindset.”
The biggest mistake you can make in your work life is to leave your career to your employer, or anyone else. You must work at your career goals, plan how you’ll achieve them and then take action.
I hope you feel compelled to comment on this LinkedIn post.
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Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.
