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When you manage yourself as a business, you will immediately start paying attention to three things: your customers and stakeholders, profits, and costs. This is what every business does. But individuals often ignore one or more aspects, because they are not managing themselves or their careers as a business.

If you get a steady paycheck and you do not see how it is related to your performance, it is easy for you to get confused when you don’t get a raise, and easy not to be coherent in carrying out your duties.

For example, you may focus on pleasing your customers or stakeholders, but have no consideration for costs and profits. Or, you may focus on getting a raise (revenue) without consideration of your real contribution to customer value. Or, you may cut corners in getting costs down, but not be clear of the long term impact on customer acquisition. You will not be strategically proactive when you see a problem because “its not your job.”

Unless you are the head of a business unit, it is not easy to understand how to manage your work as a business. Organizations are not used to managing their employees that way, though they try by organizing courses relating to “business acumen.” The classes are helpful, the simulations give you some idea of the types of decisions made by business unit heads.

If you start treating yourself like a business, your co-workers will automatically align with your intent. It will force you to see the world differently and learn new skills. It will broaden your perspectives and make work more fun. If nothing else, you will shed the entitlement attitude and learn to earn success and respect.