How To Get Away From An ‘Employee Mindset’
Blog Author | ANNA JOHNSTON
For those in leadership positions, are you changing your mindset or still stuck as an employee?
It’s important to note the difference between an employee’s mindset and an employer’s. It starts with how you perceive things around you in the same setting.
An employee is coming to work as a way to pay their bills while an employer is looking to build the business and increase its value while making money too.
Most employees only stick to their roles because that’s how they think and they don’t like the idea of starting their own business. However, it all comes down to perception.
For those wanting to be a leader, you have to get into the right mindset and you have to think like a leader. It’s not about the idea or goals but also about how you turn those things into reality.
The Australian Government currently recommends business owners seek support or business advisory help. So, what’s stopping you from getting the support you need?
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If you want to stop thinking like an employee and start thinking like a leader, this is what you have to do.
1. Realise your role and your job are separate
Let’s assume the business is not your own, this doesn’t mean it’s time to separate yourself from its success/failure.
You have to be invested in how well your business does and that starts by becoming a critical cog in the machine. This means you want to showcase your passion for the role and business so the people around you notice. This is going to push you in front of everyone else and lead to better opportunities to succeed. You will start to push towards a greater leadership role with something as simple as this.
When a leader isn’t inspiring, no one is going to want to follow them and this hurts the business. You have to set the tone naturally and turn into a proper leader through your actions.
2. Share Your Knowledge and Expertise
Sharing is essential and it offers a long list of advantages.
The primary advantage has to do with being able to practice your leadership skills, which include intuition, communication, and patience.
You are also going to start to learn how to teach others while remaining a key part of the team. It changes how you look at the same situation as you share your knowledge.
You don’t want to keep this information to yourself because it takes away from your role.
Many experts, such as HR manager Jacqueline Payne of Sydney SEO Company > Search It Local state this is a key strategy. She says “it’s all about getting people to work together and share information rather than withhold it for selfish reasons. If the goal is to stand out then team members have to share. It’s about being proactive and making sure others notice that you are invested in the business as a leader.”
3. Take Everything as a Useful Challenge
Challenges are good for you and it’s important to have some in the workplace.
A lot of the times when everyone is too comfortable, they are not going to push hard or take on new responsibilities. They will stick with the status quo, which hampers the business.
You don’t want to stagnate and this means taking on new challenges with a smile on your face. You want to set the tone and show you are the one willing to push harder and try new things.
4. Create Goals
Success doesn’t come randomly and it starts by making powerful decisions.
Decisions are great but it’s also important to think about having a goal or a vision. You want to know where everything is headed and what you want the result to be at the end of the road. This is key, especially with younger businesses.
The business loans team from Credit Capital recommend goal setting as a way to stay focused on both financial goals as well as personal. They explain “strategic planning is often seen as a way to identify and move towards financial business goals. But these strategies can be applied to your professional goals too. Studies have shown that a goal-setting formula can increase the likelihood of achieving goals by as much as 10 times. So identify your goals and turn them into clear, actionable steps.”
You want to have your vision in your mind at all times, so you are not making rash decisions.
5. Focus on Yourself
You have to understand your role in all of this.
Are you going to grab the opportunity to lead with both hands or are you going to stick to the employee’s mindset? If you want to lead, you have to invest in yourself as an individual and as a professional.
Start working on new skills and building on what you already have. This is going to be great as you become a stronger leader.
6. Remove Distractions
If you tend to get distracted with something as simple as your emails or texts then it’s time to remove these issues immediately. You want to become organised, focused, and ready to work harder.
This is only going to happen when those distractions are a thing of the past.
7. Stay Humble
Becoming a leader doesn’t mean you throw it in everyone’s face because this takes away from your leadership potential.
There’s nothing wrong with taking ownership of your success but it’s also essential to remain humble along the way. This is when you are going to get the best of both worlds and continue to contribute to the business.
It can take time but you have to understand where the line is as a leader.
8. Stay Away from Workplace Politics
You are better than the same old office politics everyone indulges in.
It is not going to help you and it is going to take away from your ability to get stronger as an employer and as a leader. You want to be the one that is known as being humble, efficient, and honest.
Becoming a leader means having everyone on your side and that doesn’t happen when you’re knee-deep in office politics.
Sarah El-Moselhi
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- How To Get Away From An ‘Employee Mindset’ - December 15, 2019