May 2015 I went solo to go work as a freelancer. What an adventure it has been!
It’s not the solo part that’s important to me, because I especially love working with other people and teams. It’s not even about being the boss of my time, because I feel any future proof company should let their employees manage their own work schedules. But freedom, that’s a thing. Mostly freedom from the power structures in companies, even if it’s a company that actively advocates its “safety culture”. It takes real freedom to be able to always honestly speak your mind. To work on what you want, with whom you want and where you want. I think this is where we’re headed anyway.
In the future you will not be “owned” by one company. You will have 5 jobs at the same time, you will manage your own teams and work from anywhere you like. The titles won’t matter as much. It will require creativity and all of your talents to be explored, instead of becoming a one-trick pony. Will you still have a sense of belonging then? Yes, because you will have access to so many working communities both on- and offline.
It’s important not to be “owned”. We need to let go of this system, not just with products but with ideas and people too. It just doesn’t get the best out of any of us. Let alone the reward systems we use. It should be about creating the most value for each other and our future. About growing, not about owning. You should just have access to the right “tools”, only when they’re needed. And there will be abundance if we share.
So this is why I like working around. It doesn’t matter what titel I wear, I don’t have to deal with too much politics, I can just do the job in the best way I see fit to add the most value and everybody is free to move on. I get to learn from so many people and build great relationships, I get to be in so many awesome places and discover so much of my creativity freely. Working around is a gift.