Your Inner CEO: Protect Your Job!

Unless you’re fully committed to complete entrepreneurship, securing your financial future begins with protecting your present job – and protecting your job begins with wanting to protect it.  Not everyone is fortunate enough to have work they love. Not everyone has work they can even enjoy. But if you really can’t stand your job, if it’s all you can do to show up every day, you’re not going to be very effective in protecting it because – whether you admit it or not – you really don’t want to protect it. You don’t want to be there in the first place.

Assuming, however, that you do want to keep your present employment and even advance in that environment, here are the key steps you need to take:

>> Know your company. What do you really know about the place you work? Your answer should encompass much more than the company’s product or service and profit or loss. Can you answer the following questions about your place of employment? If not, do something to change that situation as soon as possible.

·        What is the mission statement of your company? If there is none, what kind of statement could you make up?

·        What obstacles do you face in trying to do your best work?

·        What motivational support does the company provide? If there is no support, how can you motivate yourself?

·        Do you feel empowered to make decisions and be creative? How does the company give you that feeling (or not give it.)

·        Are there any recent changes in the company that might have affected your motivation?

·        Are career goals and the goals of your company well aligned?

·        How do other employees feel about the company?

·        Are the company's internal image and external image consistent with one another? What about your internal and external image?

>> Be confident. Think proactively about how you can make the greatest contribution to your company, and then put those thoughts into action. Don’t be afraid of making reasonable and well-intentioned mistakes. An employee who does nothing but “play defense” can’t really expect to score any points. It can be scary to see layoffs and cutbacks in your work environment, but it won’t happen to you if you make yourself indispensable.

>> Concentrate on the “customer” and “the boss.” Think of your boss as your customer and your customer as your boss – because that’s what they really are. Your primary responsibility is serving your “customer’s” needs. This doesn’t mean groveling in front of your boos. It’s just a matter of recognizing the fact that a positive outcome for your supervisor will mean a positive outcome for you. Most managers don’t like “yes men/women.” What managers do like is attention to their legitimate needs. Employees who fulfill those needs get rewarded. It’s as simple as that.

>> Reach out. The word “networking” has been severely overused, but it really is important to form positive relationships with as many people as possible in your work environment. In addition to your close colleagues, that means connecting with people from different departments and at all levels of responsibility. You never know who’s going to get a promoted to a position that could really help your career. Make sure that person isn’t a stranger.

>> Blow Your Own Horn. Without being heavy handed about it, make sure your boss becomes aware of your accomplishments and contributions to the company.  There is a fine line between kissing up to a manager and simply informing him/her of your contribution -- so you’ve got to learn how to walk that line. It’s a good idea to create an email paper trail of your achievements. There are people who will try to take credit for what you’ve done. The best way to prevent that is with solid evidence of what you did and when you did it.

Protecting your job requires attention, but it's not as hard as you might think. Just make sure you’re convinced that you have a job worth protecting.