Opportunities and Limitations

Each position we occupy comes with both limitations and opportunities. As my role has shifted from barista to business owner and everything in between, so have my limitations and opportunities shifted.

At each stage, it’s tempting to see the limitations of your position as the things that define you, your contribution, and your ability to learn and grow. These limitations make it easy to complain about what we don’t get from our jobs, our family, or our friends. But framing everything in terms of limitations ignores the possibility that’s in front of us all.

Employee

As an employee you have less creative input and can’t drive the direction of the company, but you can impact every person on the other side of the counter in a positive way–give them energy that they can carry around with them for the rest of their day.

You can show up with the intention to work on your interpersonal communication skills, giving and receiving feedback, detaching and seeing things through the guest's eyes, learning about the structure of the business (labor models, margins, etc.). There are an infinite number of things to learn in any position and you don’t need permission to start.

Employer

As a business owner I have more creative input and the power to steer the ship in the right direction, but I feel the weight of everything that’s happening in a way that’s not easy to turn off or set aside until the next workday.

Business owners have my favorite excuses for focusing only on limitations: I’m too busy and can’t get ahead, creating a mission-driven workplace culture might work for some companies but it won’t work for ours, all my employees are lazy and unmotivated.

Bridging The Gap

Whether you’re the employee or the employer, your growth hinges on your willingness to take action on the opportunities you have, and not use your limitations as excuses.

Don’t wait until you have a great boss to be a great employee.

Don’t wait until you have great employees to be a great boss.