By operating in the right work relationship
November 4, 2003
Copyright © 2003 by Bill Dueease
Why are so many people unhappy in their work situation? Why do people,
who are successful at one career, have such difficult times coping with
their new careers? These problems frequently occur, because conflicts
exist in their work relationships.
Relationships between you and your work can also be considered the "games
of work." Games have basic rules to play, which require specific
skills to succeed at playing. People win at the games they play when
they achieve the game objectives and by operating within the rules of
the game better than others. The "games of work" also have
objectives and basic rules that must be followed to succeed.
There are many different sports games and the objectives and rules are
different for each game, sometimes dramatically so. There are three
fundamental "games of work" that define the different relationships
people have with their work.
Yet, very few people who participate in the "games of work"
understand which game they are playing, the objectives and/or rules
of the game. Consequently, if they blindly operate under different rules,
methods, and purposes than the conditions their work relationship (game)
requires, they are bound to create conflicts. These conflicts result
in serious stress and very poor success rates. For example, if a fully
uniformed football player clamors onto a tennis court and operates under
football rules with football skills by trying to tackle his opponents,
he will create considerable conflicts and will undoubtedly fail at the
game of tennis.
The first step to succeeding at the "games of work" is to
understand the objectives and rules of each game. The second step is
to determine which game of work you are currently playing. The next
step is to either adjust your work purposes and behaviors to suit the
game you are playing or switch to the game you are best suited.
Lets discover the three different "games of work" and the
rules each game requires to succeed.
: Virtually all government
and corporate work relationships fall under this game of work. The rules
of the bureaucracy game that participants must follow to succeed are
as follows:
A. Do what it takes to protect or expand their positions.
B. Divert responsibility, and take credit for desirable results of others
whenever possible;
C. Attend to the wishes and desires of those who make decisions about
promotions, salaries, and work positions first and foremost, even if
it means placing the success of the organization a distant second.
D. Recognize how little, if any, control they have over what their jobs
will be and that they have little, if any job security.
E. Recognize that they are compensated for basically showing up.
:
Commissioned salesmen, multilevel marketing members, franchisees, most
professional sports players, and real estate agents normally operate
within the game of Partial Entrepreneurship. The rules of the game that
partial entrepreneurs must follow to succeed are as follows:
A. Take responsibility for work performed and the results achieved in
their specialized fields of work, but not for the total business, even
though they frequently work within the umbrella of a larger organization.
B. Focus their energies on performing in their chosen fields and much
less on the wishes of any possible superiors, or to extracting favors
from subordinates.
C. They are compensated based upon the quality and quantity of the results
they produce within their chosen areas of responsibility.
D. They have more control over what their jobs will be and they have
much more job security.
Anyone who
has controlling interest (and many times non controlling interest) in
a business plays by this "game of work." The rules of the
game that business owners must follow to succeed are as follows:
A. Take full responsibility for their work performance and the success
of their business.
B. Learn to pass on as much credit as possible.
C. Focus their energies first and almost exclusively on the success
of the business
D. They have full control over what their jobs will be and virtually
total control over their own job security (whether they know it or
not).
E. They have no one in the organization to take orders from or to indulge,
and they do not extract personal favors from subordinates that hinder
the success of the business.
F. They are in essence, compensated only from the profits of the business.
Once the above rules are understood, it becomes easy to recognize how
important it is to play by the rules of the "game of work"
you are participating in to succeed. For example, you will clearly struggle
if you play by the rules of a bureaucracy, when you are operating as
a business owner. The conditions and rules of each of the three work
relationship "games of work" do not change. Either you change
to match your work relationship, or you find the "game of work"
that best suits you.
Michael Jordan, one of the best basketball players of all time, could
not translate his huge basketball knowledge and skills into a successful
baseball career. He proved that the knowledge and skills needed to succeed
at the game of baseball are much different from those needed to succeed
at the game of basketball. Yet, he thought he could easily master baseball,
because he had been so successful at basketball. And when he returned
to basketball, he had to work extra hard to re-sharpen his basketball
skills to his previous levels. Likewise, the knowledge and skills needed
to be a successful Bureaucrat, Partial Entrepreneur, or Business Owner,
are much different from each other.
To further confuse things, the "games of work" are frequently
intermingled with each other. A two-person business can be operated
as a bureaucracy or a much larger company can operate as a partial entrepreneurship.
Separate pockets (Divisions, Departments, Regions, etc.) within much
larger bureaucratic organizations can also be operated as partial entrepreneurships.
What game of work are you working under and are you playing by the appropriate
rules?
We welcome your opinions and comments.
Bill Dueease
Editor
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