When the Work-Slave Wants to Become the Boss

Stuff you probably haven't had to grapple with before.· Ensures you return calls to unhappy customers
You have heard it before, people complaining aboutwhile being nice to them? or
the lack of value in their employer. What do they do?· Entices you to stick with it during the eighth hour
they say. What good are they? Maybe you havewhen you are tired and you know the family will be
asked these questions about your own employer, orhome any minute.
employers in general.This belief that children and employees could not or
The answer - apart from any specific management,would not be made responsible for these primary
technical or specialist skills they might possess - lies inmotivational roles themselves is the basis for
the original master-slave and master-servantenormous problems that many people experience
relationships. These are what the employer-employeewhen they decide to take the big step of moving from
roles are legally based on.being an employee to running their own small business
This master-servant division is based on a belief thator home based business. They may have never
the former knows and has the skills to create andperformed this role in their lives before.
drive the work required, while the latter carries out theThe need to avoid disaster
work required.Having been free of the responsibility for these primary
This division of roles relates to attributes or characterroles, many ex-employees find themselves with all the
or class or mental facility or education or evolution -necessary skills to do the actual work, such as,
according to its origin in the past when servants andmassaging clients, building water-features, cleaning
slaves were a normal part of the workforce, andhouses, writing ebooks or building websites. But if they
when master-servant relationships reflected principlesdon't go out of their way to acquire the primary
and beliefs about superior and inferior humans.motivating skills they will find themselves with a failed
This hierarchical attitude to human capacity is also thebusiness.
basis of our other major relationships: the parent-childDo you have what it takes?
and the student-teacher relationships.Do you have these skills? Do you have the ready
What your boss does for youability to:
The original master-slave arrangement assumed that· self-motivate everyday, through thick or thin,
the slave or servant did not possess an inherent desire· discipline yourself and your workload whether you
to do what the master wanted of them, and so forcefeel like it or not;
had to be applied to ensure the work was carried out.· set direction, business plans, marketing plans, weekly
The master fulfilled the roles of motivator, discipliner,and daily goals and tasks and stick to that during
direction-setter and the creator and maintainer ofevery half-hour block of the day;
focus.· create and maintain focus without there being
Similarly, children, needing to be taught many thingsanyone looking over your shoulder;
including socially acceptable behavior and school· day in, day out, on and on with no-one knowing
lessons, also needed the parent and teacher towhether you are doing that or not.
perform these roles of motivator, discipliner,Equality of responsibility has only in more recent
direction-setter and the creator and maintainer ofdecades become something people have considered
focus.valuable within certain, more entrepreneurial fields. And
Your limitationsit only works where the responsibility for self is taught
Now, let me clarify a vital point here. Employees, alongand promoted, obviously because that is what is
with children, need to motivate themselves to performneeded, yet largely missing.
their individual required tasks. They need to say, 'I willSkills you need to acquire to fill your boss's shoes
write that report now', or, 'I will wash those pots now',Generally, the employer-employee relationship is still
or 'I will teach that class now'. Yet behind these acts oflargely based on an 'us and them' belief system. So, if
self-motivation there is the primary motivator: theiryou are moving from employee to owner-manager
employer keeping task expectation up, continuing tolet's make sure you will have what it takes to provide
provide the job, and continuing to provide theyour home business with the basics.
pay-check.Click here for checklist -
Do not confuse secondary task motivation with· self-motivation - I want
primary motivation. Primary motivation becomes easier· self discipline - I will
to see when you imagine taking the employer out of· pain and pleasure incentives - carrot and stick
the equation.· daily and weekly focus
· What then propels you out of bed in the morning· finding your weak spot: the thing you deny needs to
specifically to work, every morning rain, hail, late night orhappen, or be done.
shine?Other resources:
· What gets you to the subway on time? orUpgrade your self-directorial skills and knowledge with
· Focuses you on that difficult task first thing? orthis easy-to-use, free, quick-bytes newsletter: Business
· Keeps you away from the television during theNous for Struggling Achievers.
day? orCopyright 2005 Seismicfish.
· Insists you learn new and difficult skills? or