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July 09, 2007
Who's Controlling You?
For the next few posts, I want to discuss, and I welcome your comments, how we are being controlled? I want you to ask yourself, "What is my life revolved around?"
I want to look at our current work model that is prominent in our society today. You have heard of mind control, today I want to talk about TIME control. The work model we see today became used in abundance decades ago. The idea of the 40 hour work week being carried out by 5 days a week at 8 hours a day, although may be good for the company, has unfortunately caused people to develop a mundane attitude about their jobs. Keeping employees in a box has stifled creativity.
If you could change one thing about your current job, what would it be? The number one motivation, statistics show, is not money. It doesn't matter how much you get paid, if your miserable in what you're doing. This will bleed over into your family, your church, your community service, just about any relationship you maintain. The number one thing that I have found that would keep people associated with a particular job is the opportunity for flexibility.
Flexibility definately goes against the decades old work model that is prevalent today. In the office at 8:30, out at 5:30, it doesn't matter how productive you are while your there. The bottom line is, the boss just wants you there. What if you could earn income by your productivity and not just the fact that the boss wants to see your face?
What if you could do what you do from home? What if you could do what you do at your office, but had the flexibility to be creative with your time, if the job was done? How would that make you feel? Would it put a pep in your step? Would you feel a little freedom and possibly enjoy getting up to do the day's work ahead?
These are some serious questions that need clarification and answers in your mind. The lack of flexibility from employers today is causing huge amounts of turnover for the company. The expense of the hiring process of new employees, the cost for their training. These two processes alone could save companies thousands. Any HR director can tell you that.
When will companies wake up and see that their people want uncontrolled time. Not fluff, that at the end of the day, just goes away and is forgotten. I'm not talking about corporate anarchy, but I am talking about flexibility. You vacation, when the boss says it's ok, you go to lunch when the boss says it's ok, you come in when the boss says to and can't leave until he says. With broken homes at an all time high, and stress and frustration running rampant, it seems that there is a solution that could be easily implemented to help ensure the balance of the employee's lives. It's flexibility.
If you're reading this and you're a business owner with employees, you should take a serious look at providing flexibility for your people. The culture, money or a "because I'm the boss, so it's my way or the highway" mentality does nothing for people, families and freedoms other than destroy them. Time is the issue. Listen to your people. Get flexible or you'll be needing to get replacement's.
Plan - Build - Live
Rick@FreedomCoach.org
Discover your passion.
Live your dream.
Posted by Rick at July 9, 2007 04:34 PM
Comments
Well, I, for one, am happy there are employees.
I don't think I am entrepenuer enough to build my own car or make my own shoes, or make all the building materials I buy from Lowe's.
Posted by: DeeAnna at July 18, 2007 06:46 PM
this is a capitalist society. if you give the employee the control to run everything his way
there is no reason to have a freakin' boss.
if you want socialism, then move to europe or russia.over there employees can miss as many days as they please and still not get fired.isnt that nice and productive? the boss is the boss, he's the one that puts up the money, takes the risks.
if you dont like the circumstances, start your own business or find a communist company to work for!!!
Posted by: digman at July 16, 2007 04:43 PM
Great point JW!
Posted by: DCA at July 12, 2007 02:26 PM
In my many years of business I've noticed you have leaders and followers. You can never turn a follower into a leader(they just aren't wired that way).
Just like you have those that are rich and those that aren't. You could reverse the roles but in a few years they'd be right back.
Same thing with working. Some would rather work for someone else than run their own business.
Posted by: jwmason at July 12, 2007 02:12 PM
Are your future entreprenuers supposed to go sans employees? Where's the "flexibility" in that?
You need to work on your sales techniques. A professional sales person doesn't get defensive because of objections, they become responsive so they can overcome them. And if rejection upsets you, sales (and self-employment) will leave you frustrated 90% of the time.
I am not against you, I too am a small business owner, but when a potential client has a question or objection, I don't get upset, defensive, sarcastic or self righteous; nor do I IGNORE them. Questions and objections are opportunities and right now, I'm not convinced that YOU see that, so I question how you will be able to help others see it.
Posted by: Michelle Hanners at July 12, 2007 02:06 PM
JAS,
What is all of this talk about the church? I am talking about a for profit business.
It is obvious that my mindset is not the same as yours. While you are a company man and work for the boss making $100k a year, the perks are nice sir but not free. I am the opposite, I choose to create my own income that has nothing to do with a church. I am a small business owner that too makes plenty of money and my family also sleeps very well at night.
Your comments about your company perks and bonuses are nice... You as the employee may not understand that your benefits are not magical... they translate into dollars in my mind. Calculate what the real value is of your employment contract? The company offers all of these benefits to make up for the beating you are taking on your salary by the tax laws...
The tax laws are set up to HAMMER you as an employee and benefit the entrepreneur as his own boss...
We are obviously wired different. I have nothing against you working for someone. Please do not discourage those who have a dream to make it on their own.
Is there a problem with that?
Posted by: DCA at July 12, 2007 11:14 AM
DCA You too, much like Rick are quite amusing! How much Tax does your church & Rick's pay to this town? Yet once again your kind come out of the woodwork to attempt to brainwash people into your way of thinking.(using free advertising)
As for your comment "with your help Portland may generate the small business that everyone is wanting in our town" We have plenty of churches that DON'T pay a DIME of taxes in this town, while their members and everyone else picks up the tab, we hardly need more!
I'll keep my $95K a year Salary job, 4 weeks of paid vacation, paid Insurance, 10 days of PTO, profit sharing, 401K at full employer participation fattening my retirement, and bi-yearly bonuses of another $25K each thank you! At least I pay my fair share of Taxes and my family sleeps quite well at night!
One more thing, Take your "Business Pyramid" and turn it upside down, any smart employer knows that is a TRUE picture of a successful business and treats their employees accordingly! I suppose everyone becomes the BOSS without taking the small steps first, I'm quite sure mr Bandy wouldn't be where he is today without all the experience & knowledge he gained as an EMPLOYEE from his prior employers!
Posted by: JAS at July 12, 2007 10:43 AM
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone. That is why we have the shelve stockers that make $7.50 an hour or the bank teller that may pull $10 an hour. If you are happy with that I thank you for your hard work.
You may be in sales and make $60k a year and are working in the office 40-50 hours a week. You are right that is responsible. But an entrepreneur is the boss, the owner of each of those situations.
Let me use Wayne Bandy as an example. He worked at CVS for a while. Put in a lot of hours and was CONTROLLED by that company. He signed up for it and did as he was supposed to.
Worked when he was told to, vacationed when he was told to, came home when he was told to, and I am sure took breaks when he was told to. CVS was his boss and he did not have control of that.
Well he obviously had a touch of the entrepreneur spirit...
Look at him now, need I say more? Way to go Wayne! Here is a plug for "Pharmacy Express." Great service!
Rick, Keep up the good work, with your help Portland may generate the small business that everyone is wanting in our town.
If we left it up to JAS all we would have in the town is a bunch of employees!!!! Exciting….
Posted by: DCA at July 12, 2007 09:18 AM
Well, have you ever been to any typical MLM
( multi-level marketing ) meetings ???
It's all the same spiel.........."Where do you want to be in 5 years"..... they ask, " do you know what a J O B is ? "Just Under Broke" or something like that....they all say the same thing. "Don't work for a
boss"...etc....etc....this just sounds like more of that type of thing to me. And every MLM I've ever seen promises the same thing...."Discover your passion...live your dream"....or in similar words.
Posted by: DeeAnna at July 11, 2007 11:45 PM
OMG.......Rick says * "You vacation, when the boss says it's ok, you go to lunch when the boss says it's ok, you come in when the boss says to and can't leave until he says" Ummmm Helllllooooooo... That's why he is the *Boss* and your the *Employee*, can you just imagine going to the grocery store and finding the shelves were empty because the employees wanted flexibility and decided not to come to work, better yet on Friday go to the Bank to cash your check and there aren't any tellers because they wanted a long weekend and "flexed" out on Friday!! Thanks Rick for a good laugh! I think I'll keep my family in tact by ME supporting them working within the guidelines my employer set out when I was hired. Good luck at the unemployment office Jeff!
Posted by: JAS at July 11, 2007 09:48 PM
Rick - Great post! I'm definitely motivated to make some changes that will benefit my family, community and church versus just filling my boss's pockets. I never thought slavery was a good thing.
Posted by: Jeff at July 11, 2007 05:26 PM