Are you sick and tired of your non-fulfilling job?
Don’t you sometimes feel like telling your boss “Take this job and shove it?”
Well you can. I have done it on several occasions. Not in those exact words, but rather tactfully, and often after giving them several warnings.
A paradigm Shift
The first step to firing your boss is a Paradigm shift. You need to see your boss for who he is. Someone who is using your services. He needs you because you have something to offer that no one else can.
What? You say that it’s not true? Well, then you’re screwed. If what you have to offer to the world, and your boss, is dime a dozen, then you’re stuck. But, fortunately, that is not the case.
You see, you are a one of kind human being, and no one else can be you. So if you add your personality and your attitude to the set of skills that you offer, then you are already offering your boss more than anyone else, provided your attitude is a positive and helping one. If you help your boss make more money, then he would be a fool to let you go, and if he is a fool, then you can let him go and work for someone else. Someone who would appreciate what you have to offer.
Easier said than done, you might say, given the current economic conditions. But the opposite is really true.
Hang with me here. If the economy is really tough, wouldn’t it make sense for the companies to hire the best employees? Ones that are worth more than everyone else? The ones who are a notch above the rest? And if you are one of those, wouldn’t the companies be looking for someone like you?
Like I said, the first step is a Paradigm Shift.
You need to stop seeing yourself as an employee and start seeing yourself as an independent contractor who is renting out his services to the company that you work for, and you need to stop seeing your employers as your boss and start seeing them as your customer. If your customer is happy with what you have to offer, he will keep using your services and reward you accordingly.
The more you make yourself worth, the more you can charge for your services. Of course, your customer may not be interested in, or have any use for the extras that you are offering. In that case, you can find another customer who can use the services you have to offer and charge them accordingly.
That, my friend, is how you fire your boss. It’s that simple.
Of course, if you see your employer as your customer, and yourself as an independent contractor, then it would be foolish to rely on only one customer. But that is a topic for another blog post.
You have just become a member of a Joyfully Jobless tribe, as Barbara Winter would call it.
Ah, if only more people would wake up to this reality
I think it is happening more and more, James.
I appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
Rasheed
Hi Rasheed,
Looking at this from a slightly different perspective, I would say that when in contact with any human (customer, co-worker, boss, family member), not giving yourself fully to that situation makes you a substandard human.
We have come to vilify the evil corporation that oppresses poor workers but this is not the beginning of the industrial age any more. We have freedom to do whatever we want, where ever we want. Every single interaction with have with any person, even animal or the environment is a chance to prove our quality as a human. Excellent people do excellent things.
You are what you do everyday. It doesn’t take much extra work to smile at strangers on the street, be courteous to customers or hold back negative remarks. Too many people are lacking basic civility and human decency.
On the bright side, every once in a while I encounter someone who obviously cares about their job and gives the little extra to make sure everything is amazing. It could be a waiter that keeps the water glasses full or the supermarket cashier that actually looks at you in the eyes and has a real conversation. They are small things but they make all the difference
That is what personal excellence is about. It doesn’t take much extra work. It only means respecting other people and being fully engaged in every task you decide to do. Excellent people are worth so much more because they are a rarity. Even boring tasks can become enriching when you are striving for excellence.
Very well put, John.
I agree with you whole heartedly. As Aristotle put it, Excellence is not an incidence, it is an attitude of living.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I appreciate it.
Rasheed
I used to work for the man. Now I am a contractor & my bosses are my clients.
This post reminded me of that. Thankyou
Among other things I work as a live sound engineer. I often get comments on how I am helpful & friendly & that musicians enjoy working with me. The only difference between me & your average grumpy sound tech is that I actually care about how well I do my job & the biggest part of that is ensuring the artists have the best possible sound within my abilities & those of the gear available to me.
That is Awesometastic, Stan.
Yes, when you care about what you do and how well you do it, the “work” is its own reward and the prosperity and abundance are simply the bonuses.
Welcome to Present Day Nomads.
Rasheed
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