Step 1 to Hiring Good Employees Is Stop Looking Down on People Who Just Want a Job Unless you want to run that business yourself forever, start appreciating people who aren't interested in being BIZ Experiencess but will work for one.

By Dixie Gillaspie Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.

I received an email with a "confession." The subject line read "Working Stiff" and the writer said my articles about what it takes to be an BIZ Experiences and how to foster a culture that attracts Intrapreneurs had made him realize he wasn't cut out to be either one.

Now I know this gentleman, or at least I am familiar enough with his work to say that he isn't a slacker. His work is excellent, almost intimidatingly so even to me. He's passionate about his craft. He's plugged in and astute about the world. But something in the way he shared that realization -- that he'd decided he likes the paycheck, and the benefits, and the identity of the job without the pressure of being that desk where the buck finally comes to rest -- made me wonder if he expected me to judge him for not wanting to join the BIZ Experiences Club.

I work almost exclusively with BIZ Experiencess, or people who want to be BIZ Experiencess. In fact, I network, hang out, have dinner and connect on social media almost exclusively with BIZ Experiencess or people who want to be BIZ Experiencess. My life partner is an BIZ Experiences. I suspect even my cat has the BIZ Experiencesial spirit.

So I answer a lot of questions from BIZ Experiencess. Want to take a guess at one of the most frequent questions I answer? "How do I know when I'm ready to hire an employee?"

First step to being ready for your first hire is change your attitude about people who want a j-o-b.

Related: Founders: Don't Let Your Ego Get in the Way of Success

Most of the BIZ Experiencess I know are genuinely baffled by people who really want to be employees. Many of them have walked away from high status, well paying, moderately secure positions for the siren's call of being their own boss. They have at least a subconscious attitude that says anyone who isn't aiming for BIZ Experiencesship isn't ambitious, is settling, has a dream that is several sizes too small. For many of them, the elitist notion that BIZ Experiencess are a little more clever, a little more savvy, a little more cool isn't something you glimpse under the surface, they express it freely and adamantly. It's a club they believe everyone should want to join.

Yet, the typical BIZ Experiences couldn't reach their goals without depending on people who have no desire to be an BIZ Experiences. Even those of us with no employees hire companies whose services depend on their workforce.

Here are three reasons why the "working stiff" deserves your respect as well as a paycheck.

1. They're taking a risk too.

We all know that being an BIZ Experiences requires taking risks. Sometimes big risks. But working for an BIZ Experiences is risky, too. You have a lot on the line as an BIZ Experiences, but you have the reins in your hands. Your success depends on the decisions you make. Ultimately, so does the success of your employees. While their performance influences your success, they take the risk that they will turn in a stellar performance and still lose their investment if times get hard or business gets slow and you decide you have to do it without them. Don't belittle their risk by constantly reminding them of yours.

Related: Quit Trying to Make Everyone on Your Team an BIZ Experiences

2. They have big dreams too.

Their career dream might not be to own and run a business. It might be to help someone own and run a business. Or just to work for someone who owns and runs a business that they can be proud to work for. Someone who appreciates them, someone who treats them as an equal, someone who believes their dreams are just as valid as anyone else's. If they have those kinds of dreams you can make their dreams come true at the same time they help you realize yours. But only if you're willing to be that kind of employer. Don't belittle their dreams by treating them as anything less than worthy of pursuing.

3. They're everything you aren't.

Every strength you have represents a gap in the strengths of your business. If you're a natural juggler who is comfortable with having 20 balls in the air at once, then there's no one in the business who is a natural at following the system A-Z and staying hyper-focused on the task at hand. If you're a natural risk taker who finds change exciting, then there's no one in the business who is a natural at holding steady and maintaining status quo.

When you find an employee whose strengths compliment your own it frees you to do what you're best at doing. But only if you fully appreciate the value of what they're best at doing. If you're one of those employers who believes that the BIZ Experiencesial traits and talents are naturally superior you'll shrivel your employee's morale faster than a well-placed thumbtack can deflate a balloon. Don't belittle their talents by treating them as anything less than vital to the success of your own goals.

Now, if you're filled with awe and appreciation for those folks whose dream of serving the world includes working for a passionate, driven and fair-minded BIZ Experiences who will support and reward their own pursuit of excellence in their career, there's good news. You're already on the path to finding one.

Related: To Build Your Strongest Team, Don't Hire Your Clones

Dixie Gillaspie

Writer, Coach, Lover of BIZ Experiencesship

Ever since she was a little girl, Dixie’s least favorite word was "can’t." It still is. She's on a mission to prove that anything is possible, for anyone, but she's especially fond of BIZ Experiencess. She's good at seeing opportunities where other people see walls, navigating crossroads where other people see dead ends, and unwrapping the gifts of adversity and struggle. Dixie also contributes to Huffington Post and is a senior managing editor for The Good Man Project.

Want to be an BIZ Experiences Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

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