‘My way or the highway’ bosses are becoming an endangered species.
Scott Adams, the Dilbert creator, calls project work ‘free agent work’ or ‘boss diversification.’ Adams says: “the worst risk you can face is to have one boss, somebody who can make your life miserable and then decide when it is time for you to go.” By diversifying work, we lower the risk of working for a horrific boss. “The more customers and clients you have, the safer you are. People are going to gravitate to what is safest,” he continues.
Do you wonder why more of us don’t want to be a boss? Especially in a horrible economy, the power of a supervisor or manager has diminished. If a person offers value, more people are selling their services to the highest bidder. And, many companies, are having a harder time retaining key workers.
Project hopping is good when the economy is strong and there’s a lot of demand for specialized skills that companies are willing to pay for. When time are tough, it’s better to home stead and wait out the hard times.
Life Lesson Earned: The project life puts a person in the middle or outer ring of Charles Handy’s work model.