In days gone by, a student completed his education and found himself a job. The company he joined would then take care of
his financial needs in return for his services. This would continue until his retirement when he would receive ample provision for his twilight years.
However today the scene has changed completely. In order to remain competitive companies often shed excess baggage and
the non-critical mass gets the yellow ticket.
Here are 5 things you should do to ensure that you do not get the axe.
1. Be a valuable asset – Excel at your job
With advanced travel mechanisms and a barrier-less world, companies are able to solicit the services of people all over the globe. To be valuable, You should constantly excel at your job. Strive for giving your 110 percent to whatever job you are assigned. Do you know how to do a better job than all your colleagues? Or at least better than 95% of your peers? You should have a yearning for excellence, the inner peace of mind and strength of character to produce great quality work even when no one is looking. A professional is one who gives his best even when he is not in the mood.
2. Feel like a valuable asset – Success comes from Within
Once you get into the habit of demanding of yourself nothing less than excellent quality deliverables, you will startfeeling valuable. You should know techniques of positive thinking, self-motivation, goal setting and other self improvement aids to help you sustain and repeat your successes. Where does Success originate? Success always originates from people who have strong faith and conviction about themselves. They are willing to face all odds, to surmount all obstacles in order to achieve their goals. My fre email course Success comes from Within describes how to Attain, Maintain and Sustain Success. Send a blank mail to within@sendfree.com.
3. Be Perceived as a valuable asset – Invest in Yourself
So you excel at your job and you know it, you are satisfied with yourself. But how does your boss feel, what is his opinion of you? Being excellent at you job is no longer sufficient in today’s world. Competition is so great that unscrupulous peers do exist who are ever willing to lay claim on your work. What should you do to ensure that others also perceive you as an excellent resource, as a valuable asset to the company?
You need the soft skills, the Team Building Skills of Communication, Presentation and Negotiation to ensure that your boss and his boss know that you are a truly invaluable asset. Hide it under a bush? Oh no! I’m going to let it shine, Let it shine All the while Let it shine is a ditty we learnt in school.
Continuous and well-planned self-improvement go a long way in helping you in this aspect of your Career. A good book like my Project Serenity – How to gain happiness and peace is an excellent tool on your path towards becoming invaluable to your company.
4. Get Acknowledged as a valuable asset – Stand out from the crowd
Once you decide to give nothing but your best and to do an excellent job every time, you will soon acquire a lot of technical knowledge and become an expert in your field. Your peers start approaching you for advice and consultation support. Bosses start depending on you form time-critical projects. You gain the respect of your peers and your boss.
How do you cash in on this respect, esteem and solution provider image? You need the techniques of giving & getting feedback, of knowing when to speak & when to remain silent, of helping others without decreasing your own worth and value. You should be alert to opportunities, you should create and maintain your network of friends and build your support structure. To reach the top, you should fly on your own ballast
5. Give a Clear ROI – To Get more, Give more
Sometimes we see that even those who received best performance awards are shown the door when the company wants to downsize. How did this happen and what should you do to insulate yourself from such a situation? At every point in time ensure that you give back more than you receive.
Innovate, Improvise, Initiate measures that reduce costs, increase productivity and enhance the quality of the work that you do. Be ever aware that you should do, feel, be perceived as and be acknowledged as having made the significant contributions.
Your company should feel that you still have a lot more stuff within you; that you are full of pleasant surprises and that you give back to the company much more than what you are paid. The salary & benefits the company pays you must be significantly less than the benefits that you give back to the company.
The return the company gets on the investments they make on you must be clear. The company will then decide that keeping you on the payrolls benefits them more than laying you off. Thus when the layoff lists are made your name will refuse to appear on them. Give and you shall receive
Naseem Mariam is Editor of Management that Soars & Author of Project Serenity – How to gain happiness and peace. Let her guide you towards Faster All RoundSuccess and a Stress Free, Joyous Life! Her free ebook and Newsletter tell You How. Subscribe with projectdioxide@sendfree.com Visit her at www.123projectmanagement.com
