First a quote: “You were hired because you meet expectations; you will be promoted if you can exceed expectations.” - Sayi Ljiyemi
Hello and happy Monday.
Congratulations, you have just been officially promoted!
I am pleased to announce that you have been promoted to an extremely important role as C.E.O. at “You Incorporated” effective immediately!
In truth, whether you know it or not, you have been the Chief Executive Officer of “You Inc.” for most of your adult life. Unfortunately, that announcement was never published in the Wall Street Journal, or anywhere else for that matter.
Based upon my observations, of the population at large, very few people have ever been told about their promotion, their role, and the related responsibilities associated with being a Chief Executive Officer. I often wonder how this thinking might have helped countless people achieve even greater levels of success if they had learned this lesson earlier in their careers.
As your self-appointed mentor, I’m simply making the proclamation of your promotion official, on this day, January 29th, 2024.
Congratulations…
You are the CEO of “YOU INCORPORATED!”
In last week’s missive, (“Is it time to reinvent yourself?”) I offered seven ideas, for consideration, when contemplating the possibility of reinventing yourself, or at least your career.
As a follow-up to that article, my focus this week is on the importance of your mental model and seeing yourself as the “CEO of your life and of your career.” I invite you to imagine that you are in business for yourself… because, in my opinion, you are… even if you are an employee in someone else’s organization or business.
Most successful small business owners understand the full gravity of what this concept means to them and their success. Self-employed people are painfully aware they must wear many hats to be successful. And, they must wear them well almost every single day. Let me repeat, every single day!
Balancing all of these responsibilities is no small task. (It sure hasn’t been for me during my 25 years of self-employment.)
My primary focus today is on those of you who are employees and working for someone else, perhaps in a company or large corporation.
If you like the concept of seeing yourself as the CEO of your career, then you will also see the importance of a paradigm shift in your thinking.
I’m suggesting the shift from a mental model of seeing yourself as an employee, to that of being the CEO of your career. This may be hugely important for you, and also quite empowering.
Just to be clear, I’m not in any way suggesting some sort of selfish, myopic, or self-centered mindset. In fact, if you see yourself as a CEO, than you will appreciate the need for teamwork, customer service, and an “other-centric mindset.”
Following is a small sampling of what this shift in mental mindsets might mean or look like:
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Would you hire yourself? – As the CEO of “You Inc.,” would you hire yourself, promote yourself, mentor yourself? Do you exhibit the kind of attitude, values, and behaviors that would contribute to building a desired culture in your company?”
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Do you offer exceptional levels of customer service? – Do you know who your customers are? (I‘m talking about YOUR customers which could be your employer, other departments, or your employer’s customers.) Are you meeting and/or exceeding their expectations? How do you know? Do you know how their needs are changing as business changes? In what ways are you, or your department changing to meet those needs?”
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Are you an effective team member or team builder? – In what ways do you foster teamwork within your immediate team, or the various teams across the business? Would others describe you as a good and valued team member?
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Are you an adaptive learner and strategic thinker? – As you know, the business landscape is in a constant state of flux. What are you doing to keep your skills and abilities up to date? What books have you read recently? Do you read industry-related trade journals or articles?
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Are you a problem solver? – All businesses have problems, that is a fact of life. (My mom used to say the only people who don’t have problems are now six feet under, everyone else has problems.) If you’re good at solving problems, then you will likely have lifetime employment almost anywhere.
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Are you thinking proactively about your career? – Being CEO of “You Inc.” means that you are constantly learning, growing, and looking for ways to add more value to your organization, department, or customers (both internal and external).
What advice and experience would you offer on this topic?
Do you see this topic differently?
As always, I welcome your reactions and feedback.
If you found this missive to be thought-provoking, I highly recommend the book below written by William Bridges in the late 90’s. It is still instructive and applicable for the workplace today. In fact, at that time, he was talking about, and predicting, the “de-jobbing” of the workplace as we know it. I suspect the trend he predicted more than 20 years ago is still happening today.
His book has been on my personal list of “recommended books” ever since I first read it many years ago. It is worth a read, or a listen.
Suggested Reading:
Bonus Quotes Below.
How will you live, love, or lead, differently, or better this week?
Sincerely,
Bryan Yager
“Expanding Your Capacity for Success”
Do you know someone who might benefit from this weekly leadership minute? If so, please feel free to pass along the subscription link below:
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“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. ”– C. S. Lewis
Bonus Quotes:
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“Being ready isn’t enough; you have to be prepared for a promotion or any other significant change.” – Pat Riley
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“Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” – Michael Jordan
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“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice, and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do so.” – Pele
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“Understanding why people suffer, how they change, and how to help them live more satisfying and gratifying lives is a fascinating, huge, and important undertaking.” – Sommers-Flanagan
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“I never dreamed of success, I worked for it.” – Estée Lauder
