Looking for new opportunities - a misleading statement most people won’t notice.
Looking for new opportunities — a keyword phrase that any person on the employment market has heard and used. It has pretty much become a widespread idea that everyone seems to share. From LinkedIn suggesting you add to your profile that you’re looking for new opportunities to motivational speakers encouraging you to go for the new opportunities. However, this phrase has always bugged me, so I decided to share my thoughts with you. We’re not going to analyze the essence of said opportunities but rather discuss the mindset of “looking” and what effect it can have on your professional life.
Looking vs creating
Entrepreneurs — when we talk about them we understand a person, who is owning full responsibility for what is happening in his/her professional life. An entrepreneur is the best person to understand what “looking for new opportunities” means.
This is a vital process that should be in each entrepreneur and business gene. This statement is basically true and I believe most entrepreneurs will agree with me. But how correct is applying the phrase “looking” for today’s reality?
Each entrepreneur is in a constant process of improving, growing, changing, exploring their own business. I believe that the word “looking” has become broadly outdated and misleading. The first perception of the word “looking” is that there is something that is already out there and might be applied, added or explored. In today’s world, where markets of various products and services are very much saturated, “looking” is NOT enough anymore. We will return to this, but let me just highlight one psychological aspect of it.
For me, “looking” is paying attention to something that is already there, ready, possible as an option which basically can be accessible for everyone. This creates a sense of consumerism rather than exploration and creating which is very much in entrepreneur’s blood.
Seems like the word “creating” is better reflecting innovation, adventurous risk-taking, genuine creativity and exploration. There is a huge psychological difference between “looking” and “exploring” from a behavioral point of view, not saying that these are two totally different processes.
A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds. Francis Bacon.
Entrepreneurs in today’s life should apply, and there are those who already applied, a concept of “creating” new opportunities and not “looking”. Entrepreneur’s mindset should operate with a creating opportunity and not looking for one. I am sure this is very easy to grasp for an entrepreneur.
But how does this apply to an employee, who is an indivisible part of every business?
Employees — Seems life phrase “looking for new opportunities” was written for employees. An employee works for a business, where he/she performs a certain set of responsibilities. And then comes the time, when for some objective and subjective reasons, whether fixable or not, an employee is starting to look for other employment options, aka looking for new work opportunities.
Even though there are performance management systems, behavioral analytical AI algorithms, 1/1 sessions, motivational techniques (including stock options, bonuses, etc.) and other methods applied in organizations to better track employee’s output, satisfaction and relationship, these all areas are dealing with resulting behaviors. In other words, these systems don’t get to work with the origin and rather deal with an effect, resulting behavior.
Employees will always be detached from the business, feeling that “it’s not their business” and will keep “looking for new opportunities” unless…
Unless entrepreneurs embrace “creating”, instead of “looking” and work with employees to create, cultivate that strong mental attachment to the business and give employees the opportunity to create.
Each position has different rooms for creativity and attitude towards work should be creating and adding value, rather than doing what is told as a job responsibility and consume benefits of it. In order to become a more valuable, impactful and meaningful element of the business, employees should operate with creation and deeper mindset and unlock opportunities.
A good exercise can be to ask yourself what creates opportunities in the current position that can bring additional value and benefits to the business. Have your significant input, be a part of success and rip fruits of success together with entrepreneurs! Try and explore all opportunities, before making up your mind to change your current job.
Entrepreneurs from their side should be sharing part of success with an employee, who helped him create that value and reach success. Modern entrepreneurs need that from their staff, not just only get “shit” done.
Forget “Looking for new opportunities” and embrace “Creating new opportunities” instead!
We at HelpSystems are constantly working with all our employees (better to say shareholders, as they literally are) to have the right “create” mindset, which gives us a sense of equally shared responsibility for the products we create and great sense of satisfaction when we ripe the fruits of success! We communicate this to all employees who come to us from Interns to Team Leads.
