The difference between being an employee and being an entrepreneur is that an entrepreneur chooses his own path to achieve his/her goals and an employee chooses to contribute to the goals set by an entrepreneur.
JFK had said, "Think not what the Country has done for you, Think what you have done for the Country", a very powerful statement indeed, now if I replace the word "Country" by "Company", does this statement still hold good? I think it does.
I have chosen to be an employee and have been one for the last 15 years and I hope to continue for a few more years....
At work, my boss sets goals for me on a periodic basis and measures my performance against these goals...
Many a times, I have wondered how does my goals relate to my company goals, what difference does it make to the company if I don't achieve the targets set out for me, of course it affects my promotions and my annual salary increases, but other than that, what difference does it make?
On one beautiful rainy evening, I watched raindrops falling, I remembered a saying that I learnt at school, "Little drops of water make the mighty ocean, Little grains of sand make the mighty desert".
I found the answer to my question...
Small contributions by all employees add up to the achievement of a big goal.
For example: if the sales goal for the company for a certain product for the day is $100,000, then 100 sales staff bringing in $1,000 sales each, adds up to a $100,000. See the difference!
Now if one salesman says, I will take a break as I have to paint my house or I need a vacation or he is just upset with something that his boss said and decides not to turn up for work, we lose $1,000 for the day, so the daily sales total is now on $99,000. Overall picture, the team did not achieve the target.
See the effect of the "Rogue Salesman" --- He has successfully prevented 99 others from achieving the target. This guy goes scott free, but the others feel bad for not having achieved.
Most times, in companies, we never get to know of these rogue salesmen, because, some people over achieve and somehow help make up for the deficiencies of the rogue salesman. These stars keep the company going and protecting from the rogue salesmen. It is sad, but true.
Being an employee, I am obliged to achieve the goals set for me by my Manager. Whether the value of my contribution to the Organizational objective is big or small, I must do my best to achieve my goals. Even if the target is "mission impossible", give it a shot. If I succeed, I have a sense of achievement, if I fail after an honest attempt, I have some satisfaction of having tried at least, hence the experience. Trying and failing is a better than not trying at all.
I have heard a lot of people saying "I am doing a thankless job, there is no incentive for achieving my goals". I wonder why someone should be thankful to me for doing my job. Should my company be thankful? no way, they paid me, so we are even. How often have I thanked my maid for doing house keeping? How many times have I thanked the taxi driver for dropping me off to my destination? How many times has the sales clerk thanked me for picking up grocery at the supermarket? Unfortunately, the answer is "never". So, why should my company be thankful to me for doing my job?
The relation ship between the employee and the company is a mutually beneficial relationship. Company earns some revenue by the work I do, and I earn a salary.
Often times, I have heard employees saying, "I have brought in $1,000 sales today, but I get paid only $200 per work day, that is only 20% of the sales I have brought in". I asked myself is this a fair statement? I came to conclusion and an answer for this employee: "who pays for your transportation and food while you are on your sales call? who pays for your work desk? who pays your telephone bills? who pays for the air conditioning of your workplace? who pays for the cost of acquiring the product that you just sold? who pays for the marketing?" After paying all the bills, I doubt if the company makes even $200 from a $1,000 sales revenues. Even if it does, it helps buy new equipment, rent a new sales office, hire some new staff and everything that helps grow the company.
JFK had said, "Think not what the Country has done for you, Think what you have done for the Country", a very powerful statement indeed, now if I replace the word "Country" by "Company", does this statement still hold good? I think it does.
Being an employee, I try and achieve the targets that the company has set for me and that is the best I can do for the company and for myself. The company will still run with or without me, and I will still be going ahead with or without the company. Now that I am working here, I must contribute positively and go on.....
You have an incredible grasp of what every company wishes they had: loyal employees. It warms my heart to know that you are one and that you are striving to instill such loyalty in those in your charge. Wonderful post, my friend.
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