Business owners, do you still think like an employee? Don’t take this as an invasive question. It is not unusual to deviate from the behavior of previous employees even after several years of running your business. I call this the leftovers of “employee thinking.”

It is not unusual for after operating your business for several years to return to behave like previous employees. Habits die slowly; they are so ingrained in our psychic that deliberate actions are needed to eliminate or replace them.

I kept an employee mindset for the first 3 years of my business. It wasn’t until I ran into some big challenges that I recognized; 1) I was stuck with an employee mentality, and 2) I needed a breakthrough.

So don’t think it’s strange that you, an established business owner, have reverted to employee form. Stress, distraction, and business challenges can lead us to that place where we relapse into unproductive behaviors of the past. For example, have you seen older children, when they are frustrated or tired, revert to old habits like thumb or finger sucking as a way to calm or comfort them?

Of course, it is not unreasonable that business owners or entrepreneurs experience unforeseen setbacks that “shook their cages.” These setbacks can push you back into employee survival mode. This is perhaps more prevalent in areas of financial affairs. The concept of obtaining high returns on investment (ROI) may prove elusive; simply because you may not see the return right away.

These 5 easy steps to break the cycle of an employee mindset:

  1. Acknowledge or be aware that you have returned to the employee mindset or are at least headed in that direction. Take a conceptual snapshot of the last business decision you made and the result. Review the process you followed to reach your decision. If the approach wasn’t aligned with your vision and business goals, you need to control the damage. Consider the following questions: “Am I taking shortcuts to reaching my goals?” “Am I looking at the whole picture or is my attention focused on that one thing that is immediately in front of me?”

  2. As an entrepreneur, sales are the main part of business success. Employee attitudes toward sales are skewed and often viewed as a necessary evil. To be successful, our perception of sales must be different. You have to accept it as the conduit for success. Making a change in mindset is the first step; Think of your business as a solution provider for the dilemmas or challenges your market faces.

  3. Lifelong learning is essential. Working for an employer impacts our approach to learning. We may learn only what is essential for the job or enough to get by. But that kind of thinking can be detrimental to your business. You must keep abreast of economic trends and changes that impact your business or market. This approach opens the door to additional business. Keep learning; It never ends.

  4. Looking for a loan to invest in the growth of the business. The mindset of an employee thinks a business loan is too risky; I’ll limp doing the best I can and the sales will go up. Definitely not a good idea. Go back to your business plans and review the timeline for growing your business. Were you reinvesting in your business? Didn’t you set goals to expand the business within a certain period of time and hire an assistant to free you for work? U.S the business? Making a smart investment in your business will allow you to achieve your goal.

  5. What is your attitude towards change? This is a tough road for most of us, especially when we are emotionally involved in business. Starting a successful business requires a good product or service that others need. So it makes sense to invest in developing the right solutions. But that’s not all. It also requires passion, commitment, diligence, and many other qualities. Within a few years of starting the business, you may experience changes in the market that require change. For starters, any unduly close connection to your business can blur your objectivity, hamper growth, and even erode your business. Remember that any unhealthy emotional attachment gets in your way.

If that’s your dilemma, take a page out of the professional tennis player book. In short, it is not unusual for this group to work with different coaches at different times. The ultimate goal is to stay fit, be competitive, and improve your game, among others. In turn, they hire coaches to take them to the top and fire them if the results are less than stellar.

As employees working for someone else, they rarely care about the challenges of building business. That is not your problem or concern. As an employee, your focus is narrow and narrow. There are other employees to manage other aspects of the organization.

When you become the CEO of your company, you need to start thinking and applying solid attributes worthy of a CEO. The first thing to do is exchange your employee hat for a CEO hat. Eradicate those bad habits and mindsets. Don’t take your CEO hat off when difficulties arise and always think with the mind of a CEO.

If you find this challenging, invest in entrepreneur leadership training or hire a business coach to work with you.

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