Who Do You Work For?

The logical answer of course is your employer. To say otherwise is to invite criticism that are you are being a smart aleck.

Changing the way you look at this whole idea of working for another may change your attitude about how you deal with work.

Think of it this way, you are running your own business, you are therefore working for yourself and you are your own product or service. What do your employers represent then, you may ask. They are your customers and in order for your business to flourish, you have to make them happy.  Their happiness improves the market value of your product. Your ability to do more than expected makes your product attractive both to them and other potential customers. The more attractive you are, the more people will be interested to retain your services, hence the better job pricing offers.

When you think of work as all part of your own business to improve your stock, you will realize that everything you do is an investment. Your putting more value for your employer's time and money, your being easy to work with, your turning out quality work and your making your customers' customers happy - these all lead to your own business success.

This isn't really a secret. Those who look at their careers with entrepreneurial eyes moved up in their respective careers because they deliberately pursued success. While others wait for entitlement, those who took responsibility for their own career advancement surged forward.

So, who do you work for? You work for yourself and everyone else is your customer. Your career success depends on your ability to take an entrepreneurial approach to work.