CREATE JOB SECURITY

Posted in Articles on January 14th, 2008

© 2005 …. by Doris Helge, Ph.D.

The following material was excerpted with permission from the book, Joy on the Job - Over 365 Ways to Create the Joy and Fulfillment You Deserve, by Doris Helge, Ph.D., © 2005, Shimoda Publishing, shimodapub@mindspring.com.

Any material from this website that you quote, download, or reprint must include the credit line above.

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Workers across the world are challenged by downsizing, constant reorganization, lack of job security, and the struggle to achieve balance in their personal and professional lives. Because entire industries are in chaos as corporate boundaries and hierarchies dissolve, even a fortuneteller can’t foresee which career paths will blossom and which will wilt on the vine.In the new economy, most employees will change jobs every two years*. Both organizations and employees must reinvent themselves in the information age.

Your key to sanity and success is to take control of your own professional life. This will empower you to thrive in an age in which long-term loyalty between employer and employee is virtually nonexistent. When you view yourself as a freelance worker, even if you remain in your current position for the rest of your career, you find joy while constantly updating your skills and strategically planning your career moves.

Assume you will partner with a specific manager or organization as long as it is mutually beneficial and consistent with your work ethics. Many organizations today view their relationships with employees as task specific. When particular jobs are completed, working arrangements are either terminated or updated. Because it will be clear to you that you are in charge of your own life and happiness, you will avoid feelings of betrayal or bitterness when an organization’s agenda changes. You will thrive in the midst of corporate chaos and uncertainty, and you will be filled with the highest level of self-respect.

* “Number of jobs held, labor market activity, and earnings growth among younger baby boomers: results from more than two decades of a longitudinal survey summary.” (Report available at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/nlsoy.nr0.htm.)

BECOME A ONE-PERSON BUSINESS

How do you journey toward this peak? Think of yourself as the CEO of your own single-employee organization. Even when we are working for someone else, each of us is the CEO of our own organization. We are constantly making decisions and engaging in negotiations that affect our livelihood and the degree to which we are happy at work. The next exercise will help you make these efforts more rewarding.

USE SELF-RESPONSIBILITY TO CREATE JOB SECURITY AND FULFILLMENT

Assume you are the CEO of your own single-employee service organization. First, read the examples below. Then make a list of the actions you can take to enhance your mobility and job fulfillment.

WHAT AN ORGANIZATION DOES

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Develops short- and long-term goals.

Develop long-term goals. Break them into short-term, measurable objectives with timelines for completion. Review your goals regularly. Modify them as needed.

Researches industry trends.

Be aware of industry trends.

Educate yourself by reading trade publications, conducting research on the internet, etc.

Attend conferences.

Participate in local trade associations and other professional groups that will enhance your knowledge and networks.

Evaluates employees.

Develop a professional support system, and partner with someone you trust so that the two of you can periodically evaluate each other’s marketability.

Shifts priorities and strategies based on industry trends and quarterly reports.

Shift priorities and strategies as a result of valid external feedback as well as self-analysis and intuitive messages. Turn setbacks into steppingstones.

Downsizes and reorganizes.

Build job security with self-responsibility. Develop a career ladder for yourself.

Trains employees on an as-needed basis.

Ensure that the most important employee in your organization-you- receives the best training possible.

Constantly develop new areas of expertise. In addition to consistently upgrading skills specific to your occupation, assess and improve transferable skills. (These include problem-solving, organizational, communication, analytical, customer service, and supervisory skills.)
Note that empowering yourself by perceiving yourself as a CEO will not decrease your loyalty to your current employer. It will make you a more valuable employee!INVEST IN YOUR FUTURE

Accept responsibility for your marketability by seeking opportunities to learn and use new skills. Work with a mentor or mastermind group. (This is discussed in chapters 69-76.) Ask the human resources or training department in your organization about additional training opportunities. Learn by tutoring or by volunteering to lead a project.

Enjoy self-education. Discover how many new skills you can learn with only a few weeks of concentrated effort, whether through self-education or enrollment in an Internet or community college course. Watch your self-confidence soar as your marketability increases.

DISCOVER THE JOY OF SELF-RELIANCE

Rather than assuming that your long-term interests are identical to those of your employer, empower yourself by developing a safety net with some funds for emergencies. Stash funds that are equivalent to a couple of months of your salary in an easily accessible place such as a money market fund. Plan and manage your own pension fund.

Knowing you have choices will cause you to radiate a self-confidence that will ensure you cannot be threatened. In fact, you will be amazed at the degree to which people will compete for your services-inside and outside of your current organization.

Click here to order your copy of the book, Joy on the Job - Over 365 Ways to Create the Joy and Fulfillment You Deserve, with hundreds of additional proven strategies you can immediately use.

Click here to learn how author and international speaker, Doris Helge, Ph.D., can assist you as a keynote speaker or seminar leader.

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