Stop worrying about your job and do more than your job!
I have been wanting to blog on this topic since we began doing layoffs and the economy started heading south. Being in the HR field, many people ask, “Anita, are you worried about losing your job?” I say, no, I am worried about losing our company.
For many, this sounds far worse. It reminds me of the story of a man going on a job site and asking a worker, “Sir, what are you doing?” The man states, “I am laying block.” He goes to another worker asks the same question and hears, “I am building a wall.” He goes to a third man and asks the same questions and hears, “I am building a cathedral.”
In these times, all of us, no matter what our position in our companies, need to be thinking about the sustainability of our cathedral. This is a call to action for all employees to look up from their computer screens and see the vision of the organization and ask themselves, what they can do to better support it.
1. To support the vision, first find out what the vision is
2. They ask how your job relates
3. Learn new tasks, ask others how you can help them
Number three seems to be the hold up. It seems we are in a survival of the fittest mode, every man for himself, scarcity. This attitude is what continues to bring the system down.
Do not pretend to be busy; the managers know you are not! So be honest, be real and ask others what you can do for them, learn new skills.
Remember all of those things we had no time to do when our businesses were booming? Do them! Our businesses will boom again and we need to prepare, be ready to act and catapult ourselves ahead of the competition.
So please:
o Ask others if you can help them.
o Learn new skills to benefit the business.
o Come up with ways for the company to save money.
o Treat your customers well, ask them what they need and provide it!
o Most of all, excel at your immediate job, do each task with excellence!
What are your ideas? What do you see people doing in your companies?
Great post Anita! So true today when everyone is paranoid about losing their job. Great ideas for taking your job to the next level when it matters most!
A great message. Very useful advice!