Who do you work for?

Most of us start our working lives working for some individual or organisation who tells us what to do.

What we are told by our Parents and Teachers is ‘work hard to get a good education’ and then you will be able to get a ‘good job’.

They are a bit vaguer about what that good job is likely to be because their experience of starting work is a bit out of date.

Unfortunately their idea of a ‘good job’ is difficult to find these days. One feature of such a job is that can be relied on to continue indefinitely. It used to be called ‘Job Security'. It implied that you could rely on the income even if there wasn’t much work to do and that in return for your loyalty you would receive a ‘good pension’ when you retired.

The ‘good pension’ is another out of date concept. Very few companies today have enough money saved up to pay generous pensions to their ex-employees. The exception has been government and other public sector organisations but even they are now trimming expectations because they no longer have the money available in big pension funds and cannot rely on the tax payer to make up the difference.

The ‘good job’ and ‘good pension’ scenarios relate to a world that has disappeared. 

Today the deal is: You can work and be paid when there is work to do. When there isn’t work then you become redundant and have to make other arrangements to support yourself and dependents.

The ‘good job’ and ‘good pension’ scenarios relate to a world that has disappeared. Large commercial and public sector organisations could offer job security followed by a ‘good pension’ for a lifetime’s work by a loyal employee. Now those large organisations no longer exist or have become shadows of their former selves. Read more about the underlying movements in all western societies which has brought these changes about in our members section.

A new approach

The new world requires a different approach to work. Instead of relying on an employer to provide work and income, we have to take a more independent minded approach.

This has been very clearly outlined by a new style financial philosopher called Robert Kiyosoki. His most well known book is Rich Dad Poor Dad, a semi-autobiographical story of his financial education. Less well known is his next book called The Cashflow Quadrant.

This shows the different ways which can generate the ‘cash’ which we all need to support ourselves and our dependents.

Briefly these are being an Employee, or Self-employed, or a Business Owner or an Investor. In addition, to laying these out as options, Kiyosaki portrays this as a progression or journey starting as an Employee and finishing as an Investor.

The book goes into a lot of detail about each of these four phases and is well worth reading as it provides a roadmap for financial survival and security in the new global economy which we inhabit. It is observable just from these brief descriptions is that this journey requires you to start working for yourself from a very early stage.

However the Cashflow Quadrant book does not tell you how to do it. You would have to read all of Kiyosaki’s other books, approximately 10 in number, to change your thinking and attitudes sufficiently to start to negotiate your way through this journey. Even then you would probably need more help and guidance to make the journey successfully.

Positive Input is able to offer this through guided reading and absorption of Kiyosaki’s ideas and practical help with applying his principles to your on situation. Click here to find out more about the benefits of membership.