Within any business there are two different types of employees. There's no difference between a huge corporation and a small business in this aspect - there are still going to be employees that fit these two types.
Type 1 - These employees have an agenda. They may want to rise up to a higher position, or make themselves more marketable for future opportunities. They start new initiatives. They mention their ideas to management about how to improve the company. They form relationships with coworkers they might not normally interact with. They lead projects. They raise their hands in meetings and say "I'll figure it out and get it taken care of." They make things happen.
Type 2 - These employees literally watch the clock. They do what their told and then waste the rest of their time sitting around and doing nothing. They complain to coworkers. The standard response when asked to do something new is "That's not my job." They get their work done, but there's no new ideas, no progress or improvement.
I think there are a few employees that fall in between the two types that I mentioned. Maybe an employee that falls into the second group presents a new idea once in a while. Maybe one of the best employees gets in a rut for a period of time and just kind of "does his job."
The organizations that are going to succeed are those with the highest percentage of Type 1 employees. Think about it for a minute. Are you helping your organization succeed? What kind of employee are you?
