Why being employed is not such a bad idea
By: Njeri Kiruku
Tags: Employer, Workplace, Employment, Employees, Workplace Culture

On several occasions, I have sat through conversations where the entrepreneurial spirit is often encouraged. Don’t get me wrong, I am pro-entrepreneurship. However, countless times I have heard many people say, “You should quit your job and get into business.” For sometime now I have struggled with this statement because it makes me wonder, “what if someone really enjoys their job?” , “what if someone doesn’t have a business idea at the moment?”, “what if I don’t have to quit my job at all to own a business?” My list could go on and on but I wouldn’t want this article to be made up of a bunch of endless questions.

I believe that every person has been skilled differently. Some people are “vision bearers” while others are “vision propellers”. The Vision bearers cast the vision and show you where exactly they would want to go while the vision propellers accelerate the implementation of this vision and this is where many of us who are employed lie.

When you join an organization, your first week is primarily induction which heavily involves understanding the organization’s purpose and vision. Let’s take a few steps back to before you joined the organization. Like any other job seeker, you probably visited the company’s website, read through their vision, mission , work done and perhaps the team’s composition. When convinced, you went ahead and sent in your application hoping to secure an interview and eventually get the job. I believe that you sent in your application because you believed in what the organization does and you saw yourself propel this vision with your expertise. Am I right, or am I right? I digress.

Back to your first week at your new job. Once you have understood the company’s “why”, you begin to develop your own work plan which aligns with the overall strategy of the organization. So now, here is what I want you to pay attention to. I once read somewhere or listened to someone say, “think of your job position as your own business.” Yes — you read that right. With your role, you get to develop a mission, vision, strategy and clearly stated Key Performance Indicators. The only difference between you and someone who actually owns a business is perhaps the fact that you won’t have to think about the overall running of the business since you only need to focus on your “own business”.

Once you have your strategy in place, you get to see your vision unfolding within the larger vision of the organization. Now, truth be told, not all your ideas will be adopted. That shouldn’t discourage you. Rather, temporarily tuck away the “rejected” ideas and trust me, an opportunity will arise for you to use them. Whether it is in your next job, the following year’s work plan or…wait for it, in your consultancy business, you will definitely have an opportunity to bring your ideas alive. See, I have nothing against entrepreneurship :).

While I recognize that being an entrepreneur grants you freedom to execute ideas first hand, I also acknowledge that every entrepreneur needs a team that will propel these ideas and as mentioned earlier, that’s where some of us come in.

Next time, I share with you some benefits of being employed.