Stuck at Work? Ditch the Office Mindset and Start Acting Like You Only Have One Day to Win

How Can We Obtain Rapidly Growth In Any Environment?

If I can only work for an employer for one day, how should I perform my work? Should I treat the job differently from a long-term job position?

Why Should We Work Like Short-Term Contractors (consultants)?

Most of us are in favor of long-term positions. Why do I ask you to work on short-term positions? To be clear, I am only referring to a mindset here.

Many of us must encounter this situation in our workplace. When the environment is restraining our growth and we do not know if it is the right time to quit, or, even if we could find another job immediately, what should we do if it does not go well in the new place?

We should be able to grow in any environment, regardless of where we are working or who we are working for. Having a contractor mindset will help us grow faster when we can

• Focus on what we want to achieve and how we want to grow in the next 6 months. If you were a short-term contract worker, you would be more focused on your personal growth and the short-term value this job brings you, making you more competitive. You wouldn’t worry too much about things like relationships with colleagues or promotions.
• Downplay the environmental dependencies that generate many negative comments from us. For example, having a bad manager who does not support us or working for a company that does not care about employees’ growth.
• Diverge our bad feeling of not being promoted. A short-term contractor won’t care about promotion at all.
• Do not be afraid of being laid off.
• Enable ourselves to grow at full speed and learn skills as much as possible.

The more we detach ourselves from our environment, the more we empower ourselves.

I’ve seen in others, and experienced it myself, a mindset where after working at a company for a while, you subconsciously “marry” yourself to your company or position. Your thinking becomes completely bound to your current position, greatly limiting your development.

At the same time, don’t forget, there are two sides to every coin. While we approach work with the expectations of a “short-term contractor” we should also actively engage with our environment and absorb its nourishment.

Why Should We Work Like Owners?

Being a short-term contractor with a strong ownership mindset might sound odd, doesn’t it? However, I have seen engineers who are not growing fast enough because they feel they are not empowered to take ownership.

It might seem contradictory to approach work with a strong sense of ownership while maintaining the mindset of a short-term contract worker, right? Here, “ownership” refers to adopting the perspective of a boss when it comes to your work attitude.

But in reality, I’ve seen many engineers fail to grow quickly due to this lack of ownership:

• They work hard but lack a sense of responsibility.
• They have good ideas at work, but can’t put them into action.
• They rely on others to push their ideas forward.
• They complain a lot but are unwilling to change anything themselves.
• They adopt an “it’s not my business” attitude.

Some of us are real contractors and freelancers. Some of us might be in junior positions. Why does ownership matter to us? However, a good mindset should not be altered because of our positions. Good mindsets, such as ownership, accountability, and being team activators are the guarantees for our growth, happiness, and a promising future.

I have seen many talented fellow engineers refrain from making cross-team influences. Their good ideas are restricted within a small team or documented in meeting notes without action items. This is because they cannot think like a boss or act like an owner. This suppression affects those engineers who are already at a senior level and wish to advance to principal, director, or higher positions.

Imagine, regardless of your current position, if you were the boss of your teams, how would you approach your current work? When you think from the perspective of a boss one or even several levels above your current position, your enthusiasm and initiative for work will be stronger. More importantly, many problems that trouble you can be naturally solved, and your personal growth will be faster.

Here’s a suggestion, try to understand your boss’s thoughts. For the same issue, are your views different from your boss’s? Handling work from your boss’s perspective will often bring more value to your work. Of course, this definitely doesn’t mean flattering or fawning over your boss.

This is what I often hear called “Perform at your next level”!

Here are some of my suggestions:

• When you hear something unreasonable in a meeting, point it out in a timely manner, even if it is “beyond” your responsibility.
• When you think something is important and needs to be done immediately, don’t hesitate to execute, or communicate immediately, don’t wait for your boss to ask you about it.
• Take the initiative to shoulder more responsibility, and don’t be afraid to take responsibility. Only by taking on more responsibility can you grow. Remember the expectations of a “short-term contractor” mentioned above, don’t be trapped by your position. Focus on your growth and what you want to achieve.

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a one-day contract worker or a long-term employee, the right mindset can help you grow quickly in any environment. Use the “short-term contractor mindset” to ignore negative factors, and use the “ownership mindset” to inspire action, ultimately allowing you to reach greater heights and go further.

Release ourselves from environmental constraints and empower ourselves with an ownership mindset to move up and beyond.