Whether you’re employed, self-employed, unemployed or find yourself part of any kind of ploy – your attitude towards what-you-do is paramount.
Have you ever read something and thought, “YES! That’s what I’ve been trying to describe and put my finger on for years”. I had one of those moments a little while back when I read this article by Tom Peters called A Brand Called You
Life will throw you some curve-balls – or to put it in Aussie Cricket terms, “You never know when you’re gonna be bowled a spinner”. It’s unpredictable and as I wrote in my last post, we never know where the wind will blow. The economy and the markets are moving at such a fast pace that wealth is being transferred and opportunities are being created at an alarming pace. I’m sure most people reading this are in a similar position as I am where the last 18 months have created a significant shift and change in their life – whether they wanted it or not.
Tom Peters, John McGrath, Dan Schwabel and many others have written on this highly valuable trend of people seeing themselves as the brand and the product and seeing their employment, jobs, tasks and contracts as ‘gigs‘. Contrast this against the old model that saw humans as resource and a faceless means to an end like
I recently had coffee a great young guy who I recommended begin to see his employment differently and view it as an opportunity where he could:
- Bring ideas, improvements and increase to the bottom line and in turn Increase His Value
- Learn new skills and in turn Increase his Skillbase
- Deliberately meet new people and in turn Increase his Network
- Try new things whether he favoured them or not and in turn Increase his Experience
King Solomon said it best thousands of years ago – “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might because you won’t get to when your in the grave.” You give it your absolute best and do it with all your strength for as long as you see fit or are able. Don’t be another average employee – be outstanding even if your salary doesn’t match what you think you’re worth.
Become indespensable. Increase productivity. Bring new skills. New contacts. Big contracts. Do your best.
I believe that with a good shift in thinking and a swift kick of encouragement up the backside, we can all step it up a notch… me included.