You can be a programmer or a manager. You can be an airplane mechanic or somebody that flies it. You can be a painter or a clerk or a messenger or a typist. None of that matter. Even the tools, skills, expertise, education required to do the job don’t play a role. The only thing that ever matters when you take up a new job is –

Is the job change-seeking or status quo-seeking?

Status quo seeking people do exactly that. Seek stability. These are the people who look busy. Calendars blocked. Won’t respond to emails. They get very offended easily, especially with the change-seeking type. They consider devil’s advocates the devil himself. You can’t question them on the workings of themselves or their teams. You can’t ask them if there is a better way of doing something. They themselves are not capable of asking those questions to themselves. Truth is they won’t even if they can. Feedback? Forget it. They won’t take it, neither will they give. The only people they will accept feedback from are other status quo seekers, who have the power to contribute to their self-preservation.

Change seekers on the other hand, constantly ask themselves, their teams, their bosses, their customers if there is a better way of doing something. They don’t pretend to know the best way of doing it. They may or not be entrepreneurs, but they are true to themselves and would rather be true, than appear good. Common sense moves them all the way. They are open-minded.

If you are a change-seeker, stay away from the other type; don’t do as much as talking with them. Surround yourself with people who are change-seekers — this includes everybody but most importantly the top-most leader of your company and your immediate boss. If your immediate supervisor is a status quo seeker, you should find another boss. If your CEO is status quo seeking, you should switch jobs.

So, what are you?