How you should look at your Job

BOX 1(figure 1): Most people live, at least at work, in the “ME Box”. What does this look like:

• Reason you were Hired
• Your daily work
• Follow orders without question
• Do things the same way it was shown to you, even if it makes no sense
• Always do things the same way, even if other things are changing around you
• Only care about things as they relate to Me (things that effect your peers, do not interest you)

BOX 2(figure 1): Your Leadership – Learning the WHY behind things

• You need to LEARN how to MANAGE your BOSS. In order to do this you have to UNDERSTAND the BIGGER PICTURE first…
• Start by Asking WHY?
• Get in the Habit of asking WHY… at least 3 times or until you get back to the root.
• WHY do we have to do this?
• WHO needs this and WHY?
• WHY Don’t others need this?
• WHY do we do things THIS WAY?
• WHY is this activity assigned (or not assigned) to ME, is it properly aligned in the organization?
• As you ask these investigative questions, LOOK for PROBLEMS (what I refer to as OPPORTUNITIES) that you can help be part of the SOLUTION to fix for your Organization
• This activity is the one the sets LEADERS apart from most people.
• WHY?
• This activity almost always adds MORE work to your plate or “ME BOX”.
• Most people don’t cause extra work for themselves.
• Eventually, some of this additional work, moves out of your Daily Responsibility or as we say leaves the “ME BOX”.
• If it doesn’t benefit ME or I don’t have to do it, then I won’t. That is someone else’s responsibility. This leads into BOX 3.
• The more you investigate the WHY behind things the more you start to understand the BIGGER PICTURE.
• The more you understand the BIG PICTURE, the more you understand your BOSS and what they want or are trying to achieve.