I’m Not a Clock Puncher

If you are employed by someone, or employ people, chances are you have a “clock puncher” mentality. You trade money for other people’s time, and you trade your own time for money.

I don’t.

 

I’m not a clock puncher. I don’t trade my time for your money. I trade my passion, interest and involvement in a project for a connection with you, your time, your commitment, your buy-in to the project. What happens is we agree on a set amount of money in exchange for an end product. But along with that comes a trade of time, focus, passion, exchanges and the involvement of intangible expenses. We pick each other’s brains. We spend time talking, experimenting, testing and exploring.

You share your expertise, I connect you with an expert in another field who will talk to you for free for 30 minutes or more. If your idea is timely, I will search out and share it with my media connections. I’ll find outlets that will double or triple your investment because I believe in the project. You benefit above and beyond your financial investment. And, as a result of your financial and networked fruits you’re in a position to help others down the road.

We take turns pulling each other up the ladder. It’s about trust. I trust that if I push you up, once you’re secure there you’ll extend a hand and pull me up beside you, recognizing you’d never have gotten there without either a HUGE financial investment, or my help.

I will bring people to you and the project, almost always at low to no cost, who can help you launch your business, or project or get your idea on track. They do it because I do a lot for them and they’re returning the favor, or they see potential in you and your project and are willing to wait until you’ve got your feet under you before they make things official.

Either way, you’re often the recipient of several such gifts and connections—all of whom benefit you and the project, but not because of money. There’s often no money involved at all—just an exchange of ideas and value and networking. It’s how I do business, by being generous and expecting things to flow among like-minded people.

Clock punchers don’t know how to engage in this kind of collaborative work. They don’t understand how to participate in projects that create a bond, a tribe and a future. Clock punchers throw money at things and resist involvement. Clock punchers are dead enders, incapable of success on the scale of collaboration.

If you are a clock puncher, you can’t participate in this kind of exchange because (1) you’re treating me and those I introduce you to like we’re your hired help, and like we need to eat in the kitchen after you, the master has been served and had your boots licked. Everything is a dollar or power struggle with you. You want to order me (and others) around like your $9 an hour secretary (good luck with that by the way) (2) you don’t recognize VALUE when it bites you on the nose. Value is not getting two hours of work out of someone for the $9 an hour rate. If you don’t recognize value I can’t explain it to you because it would be like teaching a pig to sing—amusing for me, but impossible to accomplish.

Finally, (3) clock punchers are playing amateur ball when the rest of us are playing pro ball. You are so far below the standard of excellence needed to even participate that the rest of us see you as a fan who snuck in the locker room and is pretending to be a player. You’re not.

I do not work with clock punchers. So if you’re looking for a “deal” — look elsewhere. I want to work and only work with people willing to become part of something larger than themselves.