WORKSHIFTER - Dispatches from the New Executive Frontier

Step 3: Evaluate Your Behaviors and Motivators

Part three of our five part series looking at the steps to becoming independently employed.

Working independently isn’t for everyone. Do you have what it takes? How you behave in certain situations and what motivates you can shed light on that.

Examine your personality. If you’re domineering (or what some formal assessments refer to as “high in dominance”), you will run into problems. As an independently employed consultant, you need to integrate quickly into new environments and be accepted. If you’re used to simply telling people what to do in no uncertain terms, you need to stop and think about whether this path is right for you. That style may work in certain crisis or turnaround situations but other than that, it can be a bit of a problem.

If you’re highly collaborative (“high in influence” we sometimes say), that’s a good thing. The ability to project a sense of service in your project workplace is also a must. While being a team player is essential, at the end of the day you’ll need to accept that you are an outsider. If you’re highly sociable and crave close interactions, this outsider status may be a difficult adjustment.

What motivates you? If you derive satisfaction from delivering results, and can live with moving on after the engagement is done, then this independent life could be the one for you. There are many tools in the marketplace today to help you understand your behaviors and motivators.

Step 4: Develop your CV….not just a standard resume