As they say, first impressions last. It is the first thing that people will remember when they see you, and it measures your ability to connect with them. In business, it is your mindset that will define who you are, how you change the game, and how you get things done.

You might think you are the smartest person in the room, but are you really?

The Two Frames of Mind

If there is any type of thinking that values security more than any other business aspect, it is the employee mindset. It is all about stability and playing it all safe. Distant from taking risks or change-inducing steps, this mindset steers a person away from making any business mistake since it runs over the same routine over and over again.

The entrepreneurial mindset, however, enjoys the liberty of making risky decisions if it means reforming the entire system for the better. Some people are born with this quality, but most have to build it within themselves. Being an entrepreneur does not guarantee an entrepreneurial mindset, just like you do not have to be an entrepreneur to have an entrepreneurial mindset.

So, which one describes you? We’ll help you find out.

Self-Growth OR Business Growth

Employee-minded people have one thing they are great at that they wish to further explore and enhance for personal development, while entrepreneur-minded people want to discover more than just one, be good at it, and then use it to the brand’s advantage.

Due to the limitations of having to focus on their expertise, employees feel the need to impress and be told what to do. On the contrary, entrepreneurs always have the urge to create, plan, and do things themselves, which also explains why they have a hunger for being all different things at once.

You might ask, “Can’t I have both self- and business growth?” Simple. You can, but depending on the type of work you do, only one of them can bring you success.

Yes and No

Employees, to be seen in a positive light, must find it natural to say ‘yes’ to everything. The ‘yes’ mentality will most likely form them into people highly receptive to ideas and therefore earn a higher salary—ideally, just by simply agreeing.

Meanwhile, entrepreneurs who might agree, do so by saying, “Yes, but…” and proceed to negotiate in terms that align with theirs. They give so much importance to their own strategies and have a clear vision that not everything that sounds inviting must be welcomed and considered an opportunity.

What sets these two apart is their level of setting boundaries. To employees, all is plausible. To entrepreneurs, if it is not a clear yes, it is a clear no.

If you were an investor, who would you trust more?

Now OR Tomorrow

The fixed system sets employees to work on what needs to be done today, while entrepreneurs do the same thing but with plans ahead of time prepared. The former have short-term goals at work while the latter have long-term ones.

The characteristic of having an employee mindset explains that you have a modest impact on your surroundings and experience lower risk since it is the corporation that will be greatly affected by the damage.

Meanwhile, equipping yourself with an entrepreneurial mindset confirms that you are resilient and highly adaptive to changes. You look at yourself as someone the entire corporation’s lifespan depends on, which makes you take intricately calculated steps.

Now, there might not be the ‘smartest’ person in the room, but there sure is the most prepared—why not be that instead?

The enthusiasm to learn repeatedly is what sets apart the employee mindset from the entrepreneurial mindset. The former is at ease with conforming; the latter isn’t. There is independence in the entrepreneur’s goal-setting, while the employee embraces its limitations.