Own it - Tips for Your 9-5 (Pt. 2)

The Obsession | Edition - 030

This is part two of a three-part series on tips for starting out at your 9-5 job.

There are about 23.8 million millionaires living in the United States today. Only 15% held a senior title like VP or C-suite.

As someone who has only worked as a W-2 employee since college, this series covers some things that I believe helped me find early success at my corporate job.

Own it!

This one is simple but can be hard. Own it means you come into work with a business owner mindset. Believe that you make a difference, because you do!

Whether you're a junior analyst or a CEO, you've got to approach everything you do as if you own the company.

This mindset change was huge for me. When I first started out, I would get inbound calls. If one of those calls turned into a real lead for the person who covered the client, I would keep a note. Then I'd follow up and see if they had landed the business. If they did, I kept note of that too.

When it came time for an interview to the next role, I was able to pull up every call I took that turned into business and how much each one was worth. To the managers interviewing me, it wasn't about how big the business was. They were impressed that I cared enough to keep a running note and talk to a coworker about it. That was really it. I just kept track like a business owner would.

It would have been easy to say that all I did was pick up the phone, answer some questions, and connect them with the right person. But I took some pride in what I did. I hopefully gave them an easy experience to get the information they needed and to the right place quickly. That might have been the difference between us and a competitor.

All I'm saying is have some ownership over what you do. Believing in what you do starts with how you treat the job day to day.

And if you can't feel that way, I'd say you might be in the wrong role. Look for something different.

What would change about how you work if you treated your role like it was your own business?

Stay tuned for part three.

THE WEEKLY 3

1) One Question I Asked Myself

Am I treating my role like it's just a job, or like it's my business?

2) One Idea That Shifted Me

You don't have to be in charge to act like an owner. Keeping track of the impact you make, even when no one asks you to, says more than any title.

3) One Challenge to Take Into Your Week

Start a running note this week. Track what you contributed; calls, introductions, ideas, whatever it is. Don't wait for someone to ask. Just keep score like it's your business.