Want your boss to let you work from a coffee shop? Or take long lunches? Or visit with friends during the work day? I’m convinced you can make it happen.
One of my favorite things about self-employment is the liberty to do whatever I want and work on my own schedule. But I’ve also experienced this in most of my other jobs – near complete freedom to set my own schedule and work however suits me best.
Not every job is conducive for this type of environment. But I’m convinced you can experience more liberty in your job if you follow a few steps. These are actually found in the story of Daniel (Daniel 1) where he appealed to his overseer to let him eat something different than the king commanded. Here are a few of the lessons I see in this story.
1. Be the best at your job.
If you’re subpar or even mediocre at your job, you’ll never experience special treatment. In the story of Daniel and his three friends, you see they had already found favor with their manager. That doesn’t happen from sucking at your job.
The first step to getting more liberty is to be the one that’s the most reliable, most efficient, and has the best attitude in your role.
2. Appeal to your manager from their perspective.
Next, show how the liberty you want will benefit your manager or boss. Liberty shouldn’t be just so you can play Candy Crush during the workday; it should be about making you even better at your job.
Show how liberty will help you make business connections or infuse more creativity into your job. If you relate your liberty to one of your boss’s goals like a better product or bigger bottom line, you have a much better chance of getting to do what you’re wanting to do.
Daniel promised that he and his entourage would be healthier than their co-workers, and that’s what happened. Make sure your liberty actually turns into what you’re promising.
3. Bring something more to the table.
Finally, use your newfound liberty to bring something brand new to your job. Take on another role or improve your process in some way. Make sure your liberty becomes a blessing for your boss and your co-workers.
This will also keep your co-workers – who might not get to experience the same liberty you do – from resenting you too much.
Daniel began to interpret dreams and hear from God for the king. Because of that, you can bet money that the king wouldn’t be taking away Daniel and his friends’ liberty to eat whatever they chose.
I’m convinced you don’t have to get the big promotion or become the boss to experience incredible flexibility in your job. It just requires you acting like you’re in charge and taking the responsibility upon yourself – proactively becoming your own boss – to experience that. It’s more work, but the perks are all worth it.