Give Yourself the Employer Mentality
5/4/2010 at 2:09 pm by
You’ve likely suspected it for years, but a recent entry written for the Huffington Post by authors Fred Wheland and Gladys Stone confirms it: Some of us have an employer mentality, while some are hardwired to be employees.
If you find yourself stuck in the employee mindset without an escape, they’ve offered a rundown of what businesses are looking for in their managers.
Company managers are often on the lookout for people who think in terms of growing the business. You don’t need all the answers, they say, but just asking the right questions will send good signals.
Answers to problems that already exist are welcome, however, since too many employees complain without offering solutions. Find areas for improvement and suggest solutions that could help, such as streamlined processes, improved e-business software, or a new brand strategy.
Finally, Wheland and Stone say it’s important to distinguish yourself by mentoring others, creating a bigger presence for yourself around the office, and voicing a strong point of view in management meetings.
When you make it to that management position, it’s important to maintain the big personality and develop it even further. As Ray Silverstein recently wrote in Entrepreneur magazine, “Nobody wants to work for a wimp.” He suggests taking up the mantle of “courageous leadership” when dealing with decision-making, downsizing and employee responsibilities.





