Can mission-driven individuals be easily exploited?
Shauna Springer, Ph.D.
Best-selling Author | Award-winning Podcast Host | Keynote Speaker | Nationally recognized PTSD and Relationship Expert
This brief article is in response to an invitation by LinkedIn Editor Susy Jackson to comment on a thoughtful post by Anne Helen Peterson about the potential cost of cool jobs.
Maybe controversial, but sure, I’ll weigh in. Someone needs to make this point.
I’ve always felt that doing work that is aligned with one’s purpose is a form of wealth. This belief has made me vulnerable at times, and I’ve seen how this can make other mission-driven people vulnerable in the same way.
Here’s how…
In the space of “mission-driven” work, there can be a tendency for individuals and organization to de-value others’ time and talent. Unintentionally – and sometimes very intentionally, organizations can make mission-driven individuals feel that “if you really care about this mission, you’ll give away your time and intellectual property free of charge.”
Yet, if you observe what happens upstream in some of these organizations, you’ll find that there are in fact a few people who are profiting immensely. Organizations that can well afford to pay for expertise and talent feel that they can “pick the brain” of people who care about a cause without paying them.
I have observed this repeatedly in the veteran service space and I’ve been on the receiving end of this, though thankfully never in any of my formal job roles. It’s just another form of exploitation of good people under the guise of a shared service mission.
I try to be vigilant to this now, and I am now making efforts to place a fair value on my time and expertise. I even put a sticky note on my computer to hold myself accountable. It reads:
TIME is our most precious resource. I will place value on my time so that my work gets the respect it deserves.
I also try to look out for others who are being used in this way, as this issue has come onto my radar as a theme in service-oriented professions.
What do others think? Has anyone else experienced this? How do we, as mission-driven individuals, set and hold a fair value for our time and expertise?
Best-selling Author | Award-winning Podcast Host | Keynote Speaker | Nationally recognized PTSD and Relationship Expert
4 年KaLea Lehman - thought you'd be interested in this short piece! I know you also donate a lot of your time and expertise!
Strategist??| George W. Bush Institute Scholar ?? | Forbes Nonprofit Council ??
4 年Spot on, Doc. On the regular I find I need to remind myself about the value of one’s own time and that of others.
Storyteller, changemaker, technologist, military veteran, rural woman. Self employed consultant looking for my next opportunity. #business engineer #business #consultant #functional analyst
4 年A mission driven attitude and enormous capacity for multitasking coupled with conditioning that makes task refusal very difficult very definitely makes a Veteran vulnerable to exploitation. I actually had to research and rehearse ways of refusing work and setting boundaries. I've learned to be more careful who receives the benefit of my dedication and loyalty.
Health care/insurance subject matter expert with strong financial acumen
4 年I've often seen this play out in the new business venture space. Budding entrepreneurs often behave as if their idea is the mission, soliciting counsel and work from others without compensation as if these professional services are free for their asking.