Prior to start offering consulting to companies I always wondered why salaries were so low and why I was not taken into consideration when something important was to be discussed. It felt weird to me, and I kept asking to myself this question: “Why am I so underpaid and only just a number in this society?”
Then one day I got an illumination, and instead of complaining like the other days, I asked myself: “If I would be my own boss, how much would I pay myself?”.
It turns out there was a lot to learn and discover from that simple question.
First, it’s important to note that for your own boss I don’t mean working for yourself, but rather working for someone who’s looking closely at you. It would be too easy to answer that question in the first scenario, as everybody would auto-raise their salary.
But what happen when you put yourself in the eyes of someone else? Well, the answer cannot be generalized for everyone of course, but if you would see someone spending its time browsing facebook and doing its business instead of delivering real work, maybe you’ll also start to see why you’re not getting that promotion.
How value is measured
The amount of value that you deliver in a typical day can be measured by dividing the total amount of results by the number of hours you spent working. Results may be calculated in different ways, and it should not be your main concern to track them directly.
“Quality means doing it right even when no one is looking” – Henry Ford
Knowing this, you can be aware of the situation and act accordingly. If your are paid to do something, don’t be surprised if you are considered just a number if you spend most of your time doing unproductive activities.
Try to project and see yourself from a different perspective and do some comments about the situation. And then act accordingly.
I’m not preaching to just keep working all the time. Breaks are important and maybe you really want to check the latest news online, but don’t let that become the rule. Productivity is not improved by removing your breaks, but rather from attacking the time you spend doing absolutely nothing.
Not just for your job
What I’ve just said can be applied not just to your work, but also in your life in general. You can see your personal or intimate situation from the eyes of a stranger, and test to see if there’s some incongruence with your core values.
Doing this exercise is like being someone else but at the same time knowing everything about yourself.
Conclusion
For a long time I used to think that using imagination was for losers, as I usually prefer science over guessing. However I have changed my mind after trying simple things like seeing myself from a different perspective.
The good news is that it just takes a few seconds to do this exercise, so you can get its benefits almost immediately. Try it now and let me know how it goes in the comments.