Are You Still Stuck in an Employee Mindset?
- Brainz Magazine
- Sep 15
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 17
Written by Claudia D. Thompson, Leadership Consultant
Claudia D. Thompson is the founder of The Business Fabrik, the no-nonsense leadership academy for entrepreneurs who never planned to be bosses. With her BOSS method and book, "Take Charge", she helps small business owners take control and lead with confidence, on their own terms.
How to finally break free so your business stops running you? When I first started my business, I asked a trusted and very honest, direct friend about blind spots or recurring patterns they thought were holding me back. What they said came as a bit of a shock (but hey, I did ask for it). They said I was still stuck in the mindset of an employee and, if I didn’t step into the CEO role fully, I would probably stay and play small forever.
At first, I wasn’t sure what they meant because I had left the 9-5 for the exact reason of no longer being an employee. But once they explained, and I started self-reflecting on it, it all began to make sense.
Once that awareness kicked in, it enabled me to make conscious decisions, choose another option whenever I was falling into the employee mindset again, and finally step into that CEO role that would allow me to build a successful business. And because that shift was so powerful for me, I want to share it with you today.
How to spot you’re still thinking like an employee
You wait for permission: As an employee, there was always a manager to sign things off. In your business, that manager doesn’t exist, but you might still catch yourself hesitating, second-guessing, or seeking validation before making decisions.
You confuse busyness with progress: In a job, productivity is measured in hours worked or tasks ticked off. As a boss, it’s about outcomes. If your to-do list is always full but the business isn’t moving forward, that’s a red flag.
You put being liked above being respected: Avoiding conflict or softening expectations feels safer. But when you prioritise keeping the peace, you sacrifice clarity. Without clarity, your team (or even your clients) won’t know what’s expected of them.
You struggle to let go of tasks: As an employee, you proved your value by getting things done yourself. As a boss, your value comes from creating systems and empowering others. If you feel guilty handing things over, constantly check up on work you’ve delegated, or find yourself saying, “It’s quicker if I just do it,” you’re still stuck in the employee mindset.
You wait for things to get better: As an employee, someone else was responsible for fixing broken systems. In your own business, waiting is a trap. If something’s not working, it’s on you to take the first step.
You neglect your growth: Companies usually invest in employee training. But now? You are the company. If you’re not actively investing in leadership, strategy, and growth, you’re capping your business at your current level.
You still think of your business as “your job”: If you’re just doing tasks all day, you haven’t created a business. You’ve created a job with worse hours. A true boss builds systems and a team that can function without them.
How to break free from the employee mindset
Breaking free doesn’t mean becoming cold or detached, but stepping into ownership and choosing behaviours that build freedom instead of more work. Here’s how:
1. Create company-level goals, not personal project lists
Employees think in terms of tasks, finish the report, answer the emails, tick the boxes. Bosses think in terms of outcomes, increase client retention, launch a new service, grow revenue. If your “goals” look more like a personal to-do list, you’re still in employee mode. Shift your focus to company-level objectives that move the whole business forward, and then let the tasks flow from there.
2. Do a role audit
Write down every single thing you do, every little thing that eats up your time at work. Once you have an extensive list, split it into three sublists:
Must be me (vision, leadership, high-value client relationships)
Could be delegated (with clear systems or training)
Should be delegated (now!)
Keep only the first list as your CEO job description.
3. Practice decision speed
Employees often delay decisions because someone else higher up will eventually make the call. As a boss, indecision slows everything down. Create decision rules for yourself:
Everyday decisions (under £500/low impact): Make them on the spot, but definitely within 24 hours.
Bigger, strategic decisions (high impact/high cost): Give yourself a clear deadline (e.g. one week) to gather input, and then commit.
4. Stop trying to be the “perfect worker”
Employees are trained to prove their worth by being efficient, reliable, and flawless. But as the boss, your role isn’t to tick every box, but to set direction and make progress. When you catch yourself obsessing over perfect spreadsheets, working longer than everybody else, or polishing something no client will ever see, that’s employee thinking sneaking back in.
Shift the focus from “Did I do this perfectly?” to “Did this move the business forward?”
5. Drop the need to “look busy”
As an employee, staying late or being the first one in often earned you brownie points. As the boss, your team doesn’t need to see you glued to your desk to believe you’re working hard. If you feel guilty leaving early, taking thinking time, or not being “always on,” you’re still carrying that employee habit. Your real value now comes from vision, decisions, and leadership, not clocking the longest hours.
6. Block CEO time every week
Block out 2-4 hours where you don’t touch daily tasks (aka firefighting). Use this time for reviewing progress, setting direction, and spotting opportunities. This is where the real growth happens.
7. Invest in yourself
Join programmes, read, get coaching, build networks. As you grow as a leader, your business grows with you. Waiting for the “right moment” is an employee habit. Create the moment now.
The bottom line
Moving away from the employee mindset isn’t about becoming someone you’re not. It’s about giving yourself permission to step into the role your future business truly needs you to play.
You don’t have to prove your worth by working the longest hours or doing everything yourself. You don’t have to wait for permission. You already are the boss, and every small shift you make in how you think and lead is proof of that.
So if you catch yourself slipping back into old habits, don’t beat yourself up. Notice it, choose differently, and keep moving. You’ve got this.
And if you’re ready to see where you’re slipping back into employee habits, take the BOSS Scorecard. It takes less than 3 minutes and gives you a personalised snapshot of where you’re already leading and where a mindset shift could unlock the next level for you.
Take the Scorecard today.
Read more from Claudia D. Thompson
Claudia D. Thompson, Leadership Consultant
Claudia D. Thompson is the founder of The Business Fabrik, the no-nonsense leadership academy for entrepreneurs who never planned to be bosses. After seeing the damage poor leadership can do to good people, she made it her mission to change how small business owners lead.
Her BOSS method©, outlined in her book, "Take Charge", helps them stop firefighting, start leading and build teams they trust. Claudia empowers business owners to lead with confidence and clarity without turning into someone they’re not.
Her mission states, "Better bosses. Happier teams. Stronger businesses."
