[Content Warning: The term serf is being used in this article. It is not meant as a derogatory attack or dehumanizing label. We unequivocally condemn historical tyrannies, including that of serfdom as well as all forms of slavery, and we are in no way implying that “serfs of the past had a bad mindset” or “deserved what they got” or “they had it coming”. History is a graveyard of injustice, and the serfs of the past deserve our compassion not criticism]
Iâm about to teach you something troublingâŠ
I say itâs troubling because, while the new mindset shift I’m going to discuss with you in this article can open several career development doors, and even – potentially – lead to big promotions, it is also the kind of shi(f)t that can cause you to get fired.
Making the transition from what I, hesitantly and distastefully, but also necessarily, call “the serf mindset” to the “professional mindset” is a risky journey.
In fact, itâs very much like trying to cross a rapid river during flood season – one you start, you have to make it across, or youâll perish.
In that sense, once you decide to make it to the professional mindset, especially the high-value professional mindset, you either have to become a highly valued competent professional, or youâll perish and turn into a corporate reject that can barely hold down a semi-stable gig.
With that warning in place, let me unpack what I mean by the transformation of the serf mindset into the professional one…
From Serf to Professional
A serf is a kind of peasant from medieval times, an agricultural laborer bound to their lord’s estate under the feudal system of work. In this system, serfs could only work on the land they were bound to, and they didnât have the right to travel or pick their work.
Serfs werenât abject property like slaves, and had a few – and by few I mean painfully few – civil rights. And while they could not be bought or sold directly, they could still be sold in a bundle with the land.
If you’re a serf and someone bought the farm you toiled at from your landlord, you came with the land… Despicable!
For the time being, I will ignore the outright similarities between serfs and most modern employees, such as the fact that they can be âboughtâ or âsoldâ when corporations exchange hands⊠Neither will I highlight the obvious differences, such as the fact that modern employees have voluntary contracts, and even if their company exchanged hands, they can walk…
But instead⊠I will focus on the cultural mindsets that come from the servile days – mindsets that still dictate the way most people approach work.
Culture’s Gears Grind Slow
You see⊠While some aspects of culture change rapidly from generation to generation, other aspects of culture, and especially the aspect of culture that relates to work, changes very, VERY slowly. In fact, it changes so slowly that we have an inbuilt, biologically hardwired psychological trait called conscientiousness that defines our relationship to work! (That one took hundreds of thousands if not millions of years to develop)
Make no mistake: We may work in offices, sitting on pleasing modern furniture, inside tall glass towers with spectacular views, staring at shiny screens while pressing on plastic buttons at alarming speeds…
But amidst all that modernity which borders on the sci-fi, we are still ruled by the biological legacy of our evolution, and harbor the cultural imprint of our servile ancestors⊠This legacy hardware and outdated software combine to manifests as:
Neo-Serf Thinking
Maybe if I give you some examples of this Neo-Serf thinking, it will become more clear:
âI came in late, I hope my boss didnât noticeâŠâ
âOh⊠Itâs another 40 minutes before I can leave. So frustrating!â
âI hope nobody noticed how much time I spent on social media todayâ
âI have to make this report look like I put real effort into itâ
âI have to ask my boss for permission to leave early tomorrow, better think of what to sayâ
âThey are going to move my department, I hope I still get a good seat. I hate it when my back faces the hallway!â
âThe executives are going to visit us tomorrow. I should dress for the job I want!â
âOh theyâre coming over here… Better look busy!â
Are you getting a sense of it?
Are you starting to see how submission to authority and the urge to please the âlordâ appears in internal dialogue?
Did you notice how appearing busy is confused with being valuable?
Do you recognize how this type of thinking is rooted in the way our culture approaches work?
That approach is the Neo-Serf mindset: The approach of the dis-empowered individual, whose worth is determined by the subjective opinion of their lord… I mean boss… Rather than the objective measure of value creation.
Itâs the position of a laborer who is bound to their employer’s opinion, who is trading their time in for money, and whose value is determined by how busy they appear and how much effort they put in.
While it’s easy to say “to each their own”, or categorize this type of Neo-Serf thinking as a natural defense mechanism and a reaction to the neoliberal world order; and without in the slightest bit condoning or justifying the unfair structures through which such thinking emerges…
We have to recognize that…
Neo-Serf Thinking Leads to Failure
It is NOT a mindset that leads to success…
In fact, the mindset of the professional, especially the high-value professional, is the exact opposite of it.
Rather than worrying about how they look, the professional thinks: “Iâm being paid here to generate a particular result, how can I make the most of it?”.
And instead of feeling like a tool for their boss to be micromanaged every which way, the professional believes: “You are not paying for me, you are paying for my work. How I do that work is a negotiation, not a mandate.”
Ultimately, the professional approaches work as a trading relationship rather than a subservient “here to please you” relationship.
And, to many people’s surprise, the transition to the professional attitude comes quite naturally when one is made aware of the possibility of this approach, and the notion that it’s OK to pick that path!
Our education system tries to hoodwink us into thinking that the trader approach of a professional with clear boundaries is a hostile approach, and that being a good or successful employee is rooted in obedience.
Once you see it for the fallacy that it is, the transition to professionalism is natural.
The Transition is Easy…
When you make this empowering transition, and more importantly, when your employer agrees with you on your transition, you get unbelievable benefits and freedoms, as well as large financial possibilities.
But itâs a dangerous transition because, if you try to shift and pretend that you are being paid to generate results rather than to âput your time inâ, and you try to take control of your time and bend the rules without the license to do so, youâll get fired.
Make no mistake: Someone who operates with Neo-Serf thinking doesnât suddenly become a high-value professional. They have to earn the right to be one.
More importantly, once you start earning that license, you have to keep it private.
If you start talking about your transition publicly, or if you try to put any ideas into the minds of your co-workers – like they should not trade time for money but results for money, or that they are being âoppressedâ when they are being micromanaged – you will not only be fired, but youâll also be blacklisted. Youâll be labeled as toxic.
Remember: Corporations arenât trying to “oppress” people by paying for their time. They simply have to contend with the reality that most people are far too irresponsible and far too incapable of producing value in a manner such that their job becomes âtheir own businessâ and they gain the autonomy to control their work.
In other words, many corporations are forced to manage peopleâs time, to a greater or lesser degree depending on their culture, because if they donât, they get nothing out of the employee!
If you want to be the exception to the norm, you have to be exceptional. And you have to develop the ability to generate value, earn the license to be paid for your results rather than your time, and most importantly, master the ability to convince your employer that you are the exception.
The Professional Mindset
It’s quite simple, really…
Start by putting yourself in your employer’s shoes. And instead of focusing on the power dynamic in your relationship (which is real and should be addressed at some point), start by approaching the relationship as a trader.
Yes it can be unfair. Yes it can be frustrating. Yes it’s much easier to go with the flow.
And above all, yes, your boss might actively facilitate an environment that naturally leads to this Neo-Serf thinking.
Put all that aside for a moment… And focus on the fact that you have the capability to create immense value.
Get clear on what value your employer is seeking from you. Focus on generating it, and communicating the fact that you’re creating it.
Focus on increasing the value you create, in exchange for greater license for autonomy, as well as bigger compensation.
Remember, your job is not pleasing or being friends with your boss. Neither is your job being a disciple for your corporation.
Your job is, simply put, delivering the specific value they compensate you for.
Boil it down to the value exchange, and FOCUS on it!
And believe you me… When you do manage to focus on it: You’ll have more to do than you can handle!
Everything outside of the value exchange is irrelevant. It’s ALL about the “value exchange”, “the trade”, “the win-win deal” that gets both you and your employer ahead, and drives the growth engine of our civilization.
Once you make that the centerpiece of your attention, you won’t even have any time for this Neo-Serf type thinking.
You won’t even have a moment to worry about appearing busy or looking like “you’re putting your back into it” – because you’ll be doing the real work.
And that, my friend, is the professional mindset:
Someone who is so busy creating value, they don’t even have a second to waste on the now outdated servile thinking đ