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Sheyenne Kreamer,
Founder,
Triangle Solutions Alliance |
The
Rise of “Free Agent Nation”
As North Carolina continues
to endure one of the most challenging economic periods in
recent history, there’s a quiet revolution taking
place in how we balance our careers with our family
life. The term “Free Agent
Nation” was most recently brought to
life by Dan Pink, author of “Free Agent Nation”
in which he describes the current trends surrounding an increasing
desire of individuals to become independent
consultants.
New Trends – New
Economy – and a Return to Traditional Values
There are a number
of changes happening in our economy and our
society that are fueling the rise of the
Free Agents, such as:
1. Corporate
Downsizing – as many of our larger corporations
continue to cut costs by reducing personnel, many individuals
are finding it necessary to strike out on their own to develop
a new income stream.
2. Employee Burnout
– some of the employees who “survived” the
downsizing are finding the demands of their corporate positions
to be too much. Burnout is driving some to consider options
that would put them back in control of their lives.
3. Traditional Family Values
– since the tragedy of 9/11, more people have been evaluating
priorities and values in their lives. Trading one’s
life over to a corporation that no longer provides any measure
of “job security” is slowly losing its appeal
in favor of spending more time with friends and family.
4. Outsourcing
– the number two activity for reducing costs in the
corporate structure provides a lot of opportunity for Free
Agents to position themselves as a place to be “outsourced
to”.
Benefits to
the Free Agent Consultant
Most independents agree
that the benefits of being a Free Agent far outweigh the challenges.
The most noted benefits include:
1. Flexibility
– there’s nothing like being able to develop your
own schedule, decide which clients you want to work with and
which ones you don’t, being there for a child’s
ball game or performance, and not having to “play in
the traffic” early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
The ultimate ability to balance one’s personal
life with career is a major driving influence in
a Free Agent’s life.
2. Creativity
– as I’ve interviewed people who have left the
corporate structure after many faithful years of service,
I’ve been amazed to see how much the art of
being creative has been lost. Most Free Agents get
really excited about being able to unleash their creative
abilities in a consulting assignment. It is miles
away from hearing someone tell you “go sit in the corner
– that’s not the way we do things here”.
3. The Ability to “Make
a Difference” – solving a problem
and producing a valuable result for someone is at the heart
of what motivates and excites many of us.
Benefits to
a Company that Hires Free Agents
The benefits of utilizing
Free Agent Consultants are as varied as the problems they
solve. Some of the more common benefits:
1. Acquire
Short-Term Capacity or Skills – a company
can increase their capacity or fill in a missing skill without
all the overhead of hiring employees.
2. Ability to Dedicate Focused
Effort to Resolve a Situation – with
employees being consistently stretched to the max, many companies
don’t even have the ability or time in-house to analyze
a situation, much less resolve it.
3. New Perspectives and Solutions
– sometimes the answer to problems sits right in front
of our face, but if we can’t see it, we can’t
implement it. Outside assistance can often help us acquire
a new perspective on an old problem.
The
Challenge
There are unlimited
opportunities in our state for companies to become more profitable
through the use of Free Agent consultants, and for Free Agents
to develop a career that works for them, not against them.
There are, however, two major challenges to be overcome.
First, consultants must
learn how to effectively sell
and market their services – focusing
on being an investment to a company, rather than an expense.
Return on investment (ROI) is something all
Free Agents must come to understand, and be able to show a
prospective client how they will produce a return.
On the other side of
the table, companies must be willing to invest wisely to improve
their situation. Many companies have “locked
up” their budgets and refused to spend on anything
but bare necessities during this economic downturn. It would
be a mistake to wait until things were “like they were”
a few years back to start spending again. We have no
guarantee that things will ever be “like
it was”. We only have to look to nature to see that
everything is either growing or dying – there is no
“standing still”. Refusing to
invest in the future may look like “standing still”,
but if there is no growth, there is only one alternative.
Education
is Key
It’s time to get
North Carolina’s economy rolling again for the sake
of all of our families. And hiring local Free Agents is certainly
one way to do it.
There are a number of
organizations springing up around the Triangle with a desire
to educate the community on how Free Agents can improve our
economic situation. Groups like Solo-Entrepreneur.com, Inc.
(www.solo-e.com) seek to provide support to Free Agents and
education to companies that could benefit from utilizing Free
Agents.
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 Sheyenne
Kreamer
Since 1999, Bottom-Line Recruiting & Consulting Associates, Inc.
has provided technology and people solutions to North Carolina companies
through the placement of talented hardware, software, manufacturing and
management professionals into direct-hire positions. Now, with the creation
of the Triangle Solutions Alliance, we are continuing our mission of creating
continuous improvements in our clients’ technology, processes, people
and profits, without the employee overhead.
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