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.
Posted on December 10 2009
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[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Harsh Agrawal, Oscar Del Ben. Oscar Del Ben said: If You Were Your Own Boss, How Much Would You Pay Yourself? http://bit.ly/6USKgO […]
The question is, are your really getting paid for fulfilling tasks or are you getting paid for face hours? As the latter is the case too often, I’m not too much into mainstream office work.
Now, the approach you describe of course is very valuable. I see me spending hours on bullshit all the time. So filling these hours with more enjoyable idle time (beach, friends, reading a good book, take a walk…) is my personal goal, as long as the work gets done in its due time (as it has until now).
.-= Fabian´s last blog ..Happy New Year 2009! =-.
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You are definitely getting paid for what you do. In the contract is written time, but in reality is the value that you deliver. Your personal goal is great, spending time as you described is cool, is when you do bullshit activities that it may be improved.
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Oscar, you are right of course. You definitely GET paid for the work you do, or let’s say: for what your boss EXPECTS you to do. I think Paul Graham described this well in his essay on building your own startup: As it’s normal to work slowly, what most people get done in a day could also be done in three or four hours. But as an employee you seldomly get paid for doing more, so it’s not really worth it. Thus, it’s probably better to work on your own and decide if you want to work fullspeed to just make more money or gain more influence, or just work less, OR work on something you really like, although you’re making less money probably…
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To help us learn how to use our time better, consider reading “Eat That Frog” by Brian Tracy. If you could apply most of the simple suggestions he has in their your productivity would sky rocket.
.-= Gordie Rogers´s last blog ..Why Deadlines Are For Deadbeats. =-.
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Hey Gordie, I read that book on a plane last year, I’ll probably re-read it soon. Thanks for the suggestion.
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Hi Oscar,
Great advice, seeing ourselves from a different perspective is very useful to grow, above all if we don’t get recognition for our accomplishments or if we don’t get the results we are looking for. Maybe our work wasn’t so valuable as we thought.
Take care buddy :)
.-= David | ilcantone.com´s last blog ..HOW TO OVERCOME YOUR FEAR OF PUBLIC SPEAKING =-.
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It’s because it’s difficult to have the big picture if we are running our life fast, and this exercise gives indeed a bigger picture.
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Oscar,
But what if we’re not all just living, breathing working machines? What if we do things that are fun and enjoyable, outside our work? How does that relate to how much we pay ourselves?
I’m just throwing out these questions so I understand the concept better. Yes, I understand the question – but our value lies in more than our work.
Cheers!
.-= Brett – DareToExpress.com´s last blog ..Crowning the Inner Champion =-.
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If your values are going out with friends, that’s great, and I have similar to yours. But for me the problem is when I do low value activities like checking 40 times the latest news online just to see if there’s something new.
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Oscar,
I really enjoyed this post. It’s really interesting to think about things from a very different perspective. Starting to take your approach to value I would think would make anybody much more efficient with how they manage their time.
.-= Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Guest Post: The #1 Mistake About Productivity =-.
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Thanks Srinivas, this exercise is tremendous because it gives you a bigger picture, and maybe a kick in the ass when needed ;)
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Oscar, no question you keep providing more and more value. Let’s skype before the new year and discuss our 2010 goals, would love to hear yours!
.-= PAPA´s last blog ..Post-it Note #26 =-.
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Hey Brian, you have my contact ;)
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The questions you asked in this article are exactly what I was thinking a lot lately myself. Totally agree – the change can start from seeing yourself from a different perspective. Great post Oscar!
.-= Lana – DreamFollowers Blog´s last blog ..Life Purpose: Do you avoid challenges? =-.
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Thanks Lana for your support!
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Hey Oscar!!
Nice post :) It’s a good way of looking at yoruself to find out why things are not going the way they are. And if you do feel you should be paid much more for the effort you put in, then speak to your boss or find a new one :)
Have a great day!
.-= Diggy-Upgradereality.com´s last blog ..More Is Not Enough =-.
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Hey Diggy, thanks for your comment!
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Oscar – good points, but often it’s very difficult in a traditional work environment to define this. Many employees get bogged down in busy work (answering e-mails, going to meetings, etc) and after awhile they get burned out. We can say, well, they need to focus on activities that add value, but it’s not quite black and white. Most employers do a horrible job of sitting down with their employees to discuss goals. To really define what it looks like to be successful in the given position. A lot of employees aren’t really rated and evaluated on the value they provide even if it seems on its face that those systems are in place….they rarely are. Of course, it needs to go both ways, but a lot of people get caught up in a vicious cycle of doing the bare minimum because nobody seems to care what they do even if they do work on projects that add value.
.-= Nate´s last blog ..Are You Sleepwalking Through Life? =-.
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Hey Nate, don’t get discouraged by the fact that it’s difficult, but instead take it as a challenge. If in doubt, ask to your employer what you can do.
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Quite a bit! I offer value to the universe during most of my waking hours, and even during sleep (subconscious conditioning with a cassette tape).
Pay is in proportion to value offerred.
.-= Ryan´s last blog ..My Quotes: 12/11/09 =-.
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That’s awesome Ryan!
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Hi Oscar.
We get a lot of value when we look from the perspective of others. Sometimes I think we can get the majority of what someone else might tell us as a suggestion from our own thoughts, if we place ourselves in their shoes mentally.
This idea of how much one would pay themselves sure brings to light the issue of how much value we assume we are providing. It can be disappointing at first, but at least we get a realistic sense of it.
If I was my own boss I would remind myself of self-imposed deadlines often.
.-= Armen Shirvanian´s last blog ..Sites To Mention 12-10-2009 Plus Podcast Plus Map =-.
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Hey Armen, recognizing the problem is the first step, so even if it can feel a bit odd at first, it’s wort doing in my opinion.
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Man, you are definitely one for scientifically looking at a problem.
I think we see the next Tim Ferris. If you work out a way to increase my productivity while asleep, or better yet, eating ice cream them please let me know.
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Thanks to some personal courage and a big loan. I am my own boss! Yes!
.-= Cogiterium´s last blog ..Tuesday meal plan and exercise =-.
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Hi Oscar.
That’s a good question anyone should ask herself whenever she’s feeling underestimated, or is underpaid. I sometimes wondered in the last months why I don’t earn assets blogging, but I had to realize that I didn’t work as much for it as the people who actually do! Very inspiration question!
.-= Zoli Cserei´s last blog ..Welcome to Simply Will Do, my dearest readers! =-.
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Glad you liked the post ZolI!
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I’m glad that you published it!
For blogger minds like us, I’d extend it “If you were a visitor at your blog, would you subscribe?”
.-= Zoli Cserei´s last blog ..Welcome to Simply Will Do, my dearest readers! =-.
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In my experience, many (if not most) managers do not understand how to determine the value of an employee. I have had jobs where, if I were the manager, the whole job would not have existed. For instance, I had a job a couple years back where my computer skills compensated for the deficiency in computer skills of people who should have been able to add my tasks to their job duties. As boss, I would have fired my coworkers, hired competent people, and eliminated my job altogether!
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Hey Barbara, unfortunately this happens a lot of times, and there’s very little we can do, except maybe being be boss ourselves :p
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