Progress in Your Career: View the Company You Work for as Your Client; Not Your Employer

Changing your mindset to view the company that pays your monthly salary as your client, will change the way you work, think, live and will ultimately result in your career success.

Many of us are stuck in positions where we view our work as a necessary evil in our lives in order to merely survive. Our job pays the bills. How exquisitely boring and doll drum that sounds! Instead of forcing ourselves to drag our bodies to work every morning, imagine how it would feel to bounce out of bed with a vision for each day.

If we have vision in our career, no matter what the circumstances, it will give us passion to succeed at any vocation. This reminds me of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, “If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, “Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well””.

Whether you’re a street sweeper, a plumber, or an executive manager, because work is where we spend most of our time, isn’t it worthwhile to change our mindset so that we can start making our lives work for us? Let your work become one of your passions, and it will change all aspects of your life.

The company that pays your salary does so because you render a service to them. So in essence, they are your client. If you stopped being of value to them, they would no longer pay you. The most profound aspect in making the shift to alter the way you think will change the way you behave and then in turn, will positively affect the outcome of your career.

Once you think of the company as your client, it becomes a totally different ball game and a guarantee to accomplishment and fulfillment. In all you do, keep reminding yourself that the company you work for is your client.

Once you have acknowledged the value of thought modification, it helps to motivate yourself further by understanding how you and the company stand to benefit from the shift you have chosen to make. Invariably, your new attitude will put you in line for promotion over and above your peers who may still be working according to negative thought processes.

And again, if we view our career as the company being the client, we can think of a promotion as gaining more business due to excellent client service. The benefits are the same as owning our own business and delivering exceptional service – the rep who gives the best service to a client, will get the most business. Over and above the more obvious reasons of making the shift, more subtle benefits include a positive transformation in your life, a sense of accomplishment, vision and purpose.

After you have discarded all negative notions you may still have regarding your job or the company you work for, it’s time to deliver great client service. Bear in mind that what customers primarily expect, is for you to meet their needs. Even so, this will not cause them to rave about you, as this is a core expectation. To wow your client, ask yourself what it is they expect from you (what is your core “product”?) and what would wow them, and then begin your mission…

1. Create high standards for yourself and refuse to drop them, no matter what.
2. Respond quickly, keep your client informed (that includes fellow colleagues).
3. Be easy to deal with and make your client trust you.
4. Never grumble but rather provide solutions to any issues you may encounter.
5. Make your boss look good.
6. Provide value.
7. Identify ways to delight your client and woo your colleagues.

Of course, you could choose to continue in your old ways and live day to day to day to day…or you could start making the shift, and watch those gears of success and deep fulfillment click little by little into place until victory becomes yours.