THE LOYALTY FACTOR: WHY YOU SHOULD PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE EMPLOYABILITY NOW, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5109 · Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 5:42 am

THE LOYALTY FACTOR: WHY YOU SHOULD PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE EMPLOYABILITY NOW
by Connie Podesta (Part 1 of 2)

In today's ever-changing workplace, the meaning of "loyalty" is quickly evolving. Gone are the days when employees stayed with an organization for 20 or more years, or when employers tried to guarantee an employee's job until retirement.

The fact is that you alone are responsible for taking charge of your professional life. And you owe it to yourself to keep your options open. That does not mean that you should begin to think about your future on the day you find yourself out of a job. It means that you must think about other opportunities and directions you may take while you are still employed.

Unfortunately, many employees admit that they know they should be looking at other career opportunities, but they feel disloyal doing so. Some also say they feel guilty for having a resume, for networking, and for keeping an eye open for other options while they are still being paid by their organization. However, these people must keep in mind that loyalty in today's workplace is quite different than it was in the past. After all, if your organization can't guarantee you a job (and in most cases it can't), then your future may depend on keeping your other options open and exploring new opportunities.

To put it in better perspective, think about it this way: Your organization's executives are certainly keeping their options open. If they can merge with another organization or if they have an opportunity to increase profits by downsizing, they will do so. Their ultimate loyalty is to their stockholders and their customers. Likewise, your ultimate loyalty should be to yourself and your career opportunities.

With that said, though, employer and employee both have a responsibility to avoid taking advantage of one another. Fair treatment and compensation in return for a good day's work are still part of the mutual loyalty bargain. While an organization is keeping you on the payroll, loyalty is still very important-you must keep trade secrets private and do all you can to keep the organization profitable by working as productively, creatively, and cooperatively as possible. All efforts to keep your options open should be discreetly done on the employee's own time. However, since guarantees of employment can no longer be given from decade to decade or even from year to year or month to month, a smart employee will always be prepared for the worst case scenario; looking for a new job. In these times, loyalty is almost a day-to-day commitment.

The following seven (I’ll cover the first 4 today and the last 3 on Thursday) high-performance abilities can help you plan for your future and keep your options open in today's evolving business world.

1. Take Charge of Your Personal Life
Being out of work is usually painful for anyone, but the situation can be manageable and even tolerable with the support of friends and family. Those relationships, however, must be built and nurtured along the way. They don't magically appear on demand when we need them. When people lose their jobs, the questions is: Have they sustained other relationships that will help them experience the transition more easily? If not, the feelings of isolation can be somewhat overwhelming.

Unfortunately, many employees who have been hit the hardest by downsizing are people who have worked tirelessly to move upward in their organizations, often at the expense of building and maintaining strong personal relationships. They have immersed themselves in their work to the point that their jobs are who they are. They are often shocked when they lose their jobs, and if they have allowed their personal relationships to falter or even fail, they may find themselves without anything or anyone to give their lives meaning. Keeping your options open means taking the time to cultivate relationships other than work. Having this support system can make the job transition phase much more bearable.

2. Demonstrate Value Added
Perhaps you've decided you want to quit your job and move on. Or maybe the organization decided for you and now you're on your own. If you want to stay employed, it's imperative that you be able to demonstrate to a new employer or company that you are vital and essential to their number one goal of making a profit and effectively servicing their customers.

Before going on an interview, take an approach that will set you apart from the other applicants. Take the time to do some careful research on the potential employer. Who are their customers? How can you help to retain them or bring in new customers? How can you help them increase productivity? These are the questions you must prepared to answer. It's also important to know where an organization is going in terms of the future. What kind of reputation does it have? Is it respected in the industry? What is its track record for success? What are some trends that could possibly affect its ability to keep you on as a valuable employee?

And while honesty is necessary and vitally important when preparing your resume, don't forget the importance of creativity. Just as you want to stand out from the crowd at your interview, your resume should also set you apart and encourage your potential employer to take a second look at your abilities. Is there something unique about your talents and skills that the other people applying for the job might not have? Remember, you options and opportunities will be greatly increased if you can demonstrate to prospective employers that your abilities will add value to their organizations.

3. Have a Positive Impact on Your Situation
To be willing and ready to explore new options, you must also be determined to have a positive impact on your situation and yourself. If you are worried about losing your current job, are presently out of a job, or are going through a transition period between jobs, you may be experiencing a barrage of mixed feelings including anger, anxiety, sadness, bitterness, fear, and apathy. A positive attitude and the determination to move on and discover new opportunities will play a big part in whether or not your undesirable situation can be turned around.

You must take charge of your attitude and literally teach yourself to work through your negative emotions and into more positive and productive ones. Because eliminating or defusing a negative attitude takes work, you must want to feel differently. You must take whatever negative feelings you may have and leave them behind. If you keep telling yourself, "I'll never get over this," then you won't.

If your goal is to stay employed, then you must believe that you will be able to get through difficult situations and move on successfully to other opportunities. Be resolute and determined, think positive thoughts, and engage in behaviors that will have a positive impact upon your career.

4. Embrace Change
Starting a new job can be very stressful because it often requires us to make many adjustments all at once: a new office, new colleagues and co-workers, new rules, new expectations, new people to impress, etc. Sometimes we must even relocate. In other words, accepting a new job means that we have to make many changes. Unfortunately, most people are resistant to change.

Expanding your horizons by additional education and training can be very rewarding, as can be taking a new job with new responsibilities that makes you aware of skills within yourself that you have never tapped before. To stay employed, you cannot be resistant to change. You must be willing to explore all your options, even if that means getting more education and training, acquiring new skills, accepting new responsibilities, and moving to a new location. You can't expect employers to adapt to your individual needs. You must adapt to theirs.

Connie Podesta

What shocked me was not how funny and entertaining she was, but how direct she was, in fact she hit not only me, but it seemed she hit the entire audience right between the eyes!

She touched on self-esteem, how to make difficult relationships work, how to be a dynamic leader and how to make lasting changes. I've been a fan ever since!

Now we have the good fortune to offer you 4 of Connie's best-selling CD and DVD products. Please take advantage of Connie's straight forward, yet entertaining message that will have a profound effect not only on you, but on your loved ones, your company and your staff.