Flexibility and Support Entrepreneur vs. Employee

September 1, 2015 ♦

Business with Michele the Trainer

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by Michele the Trainer

One of the core differences I find in being an employee vs. entrepreneur is flexibility and support.

Entrepreneurs know that to be successful we must surround ourselves with people that are good at the things that we are not, and embrace the styles and contributions of others. We don’t have to be the best at everything. We need to identify when our business can benefit by consulting with others and trusting and supporting their contributions.

Sometimes, an employer or manager can be very inflexible and their way is the only way. This ends up limiting opportunities and affecting the customers/clients the most. One way gives you one style, one market and only one type of customer. If that’s all you want, then fine, but most of you know I’m not that niche-y to embrace that limitation.

Justine Musk validates this observation in her Quora answer to the question “How can I be as great as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk and Richard Branson?”:

http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-be-as-great-as-Bill-Gates-Steve-Jobs-Elon-Musk-and-Richard-Branson

“…and seek partnerships with people who excel in the areas where they have no talent whatsoever.” Boom.

If you’re a creative innovator, to remain an employee is possible and rewarding with the right leadership.

Additionally, here are 9 Reasons Why Good Employees Quit (which could all be remedied with a touch of flexibility and support!):

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/manager-mistakes-make-good-employees-quit-dr-travis-bradberry?trk=hp-feed-article-title-comment

The man that shared the “9 Reasons” article on LinkedIn to my feed was one of my best bosses ever.

He would say, “Michele, can you <enter task here>?” It was always some new technology (i.e. IPV6 back in the day) that was so new the name was never heard of before by anyone, in any country. I would catch the question and go away. I would return shortly to his office with a few ideas, “OK I can do it this way or that way or ….” and he would say, “OK!” He knew I would over deliver but with a style that was all my own. I used to love seeing him in the front row of my presentations. I know that corporation still uses my content. That was a great gig with a great lead.

We don’t always get that at work, but it’s memorable when we do.

In this economy where we see a lot of “laying low” we are slaying innovation. It’s not as simple as blaming the boss, or the mortgage or the economy, but the more we see that big picture AND are also able to identify when leads are limiting and inflexible, we are also better able to recognize which jobs/companies/leaders might create fantastic experiences for us and our life.

If you’re working for yourself try to encourage some flexibility while the world is changing.