5 %

If you are time-tested and proven in your line of work- and many influential people are aware of who you are- job security or the ease in which you can change employers almost certainly isn’t a concern.

So we’re talking about, what, 5% of the workforce? You think you’re in that group? You very well might be.  I have a lot of admiration for the people in that lot.

I do, at times, wonder about that 5%. Mostly I wonder why these elite performers work for other people. You 5% ‘ers  are a very special group, the BEST employees.  And my “why” inquiry- at a macro level- would be a study with endless layers that is best left to academics and meaningless to this short blog entry.

But please allow me some room.

The vast majority of business empire builders were never part of this 5%. Some were very good employees, but most were not. They just didn’t believe they should serve anything or anybody but their own ideas and resolute belief in THEMSELVES. And our world certainly benefited from their brilliance. The high profile types in this mix- Richard Branson, Steve Jobs etc..aren’t useful for this example. 

I’m talking about the untold thousands of brilliant people who perform at the highest of levels but never contemplate the idea of building something they can call their own. And gaining the monetary windfall from it.

Most high-performance employees aren’t looking to change the world. They have their own worlds- family, friends, value systems, hobbies. They are more than fine with trading their output for what is hopefully a equitable payment from an employer. And the world ALSO benefits tremendously from their effort and endeavors.

So..

If you’re EXCELLENT at what you do, are you confident and comfortable that you are getting what the market bears for someone like yourself? 

A question, even if in silence, that needs asking.