In these turbulent economic times many of us are worried about our jobs. Our lifestyle even our happiness can be tied up in our employment. With the risk of redundancy and company failure so high what can you do to make yourself invaluable to your company?
The first and most useful step can be to do an audit. What is the risk, are you worried about your job. If you are is that fear based on your own fears or your boss’s comments and actions. Examine how you feel about the job, do you find yourself complaining about the work, or avoiding your boss or even maxing out your lunch hours to avoid being in the office? Next it is to really get a sense of what you can do to stop those unwanted behaviours and thoughts. What is it that your boss doesn’t like? How can you motivate yourself in the office again, even if you have lost belief in what you do? How do you build bridges with any broken relationships?
Commonly organisations and bosses are looking for people with strong communication skills, who work well as part of a team and get on with colleagues. They have analytic ability and skills that help get the company results. Remember that most organisations are focused on results and the bottom line so getting and keeping customers satisfied is the key to success. Those with the skills highlighted above are those who are most likely to succeed in that goal.
One of the first steps that you can take is to understand the job from your boss’s point of view. Armed with that knowledge you can prioritise your work and actions to anticipate those things that they see as the critical issues for the company.
If you can become or demonstrate expertise in a particular area of your companies business, be free and inclusive with that skill. In doing so you will establish yourself as the local expert, the one person that they can least afford to lose. However, you must always be ready to change, be flexible so that you can change if the company or department priorities change. If the company has to change to survive and you are seen as the problem then you may find yourself in the firing line.
Communication skills are key, but remember to use all forms of communication. If you simply use e-mail and don’t engage face to face or call on the telephone you may be seen as aloof or unapproachable. Perhaps it will be perceived that you are a poor communicator and in a world that thrives on networking and social interplay being well known is a key skill.
Finally enthusiasm and dress are good subliminal ways of gaining credibility in your organisation. Customers and colleagues will notice if you take the time to be well turned out when representing the company. That need not necessarily mean being formally dressed – you need to be dressed appropriately for your business, but ensure it is clean and pressed.
Enthusiasm and in particular not running the company or your boss down will bring the best results. If the company is struggling, or even if they are concerned about keeping customers then the positive attitude that you can give will you the reputation of being someone who is interested in the company and its success.