Thomas Fox

 

Just like companies need to innovate you need to innovate and develop professionally to stay competitive. The skills that got you to the position you now hold may not be sufficient enough to take you further or even keep you where you are in such a fast changing global employment market. You will need to learn new skills, build confidence to take the steps to professional development, add value and stand out.

 

The number of unemployed is expected to continue to climb this year as well as anxiety and fear of job security. Consider this a good opportunity for you, because anxiety generally stimulates creativity (and fear, action).

 

Without anxiety, and even frustration, we are satisfied with the way things are and continue as usual, while everyone else passes us by. Most of us will not make any kind of change to advance our professional career unless we are scared into doing so; unless we face a crisis. A “no pain, no gain” state of the mind. You may not be facing that kind of stress (yet), but you can still use the anxiety hanging in the air to kindle creativity and innovate yourself.

 

Our economy will eventually improve, but under different rules with different expectations. The resulting business environment will be one Peter Koestenbaum, Ph.D. has called “new-economy pathology.” Characterized by “impossible demands—better quality, lower prices, faster innovation [generating] an unprecedented form of stress,” according to Koestenbaum, a philosopher and thought leader.

 

Employers are drawn to those who will commit to personal and professional development and adapt as rapidly as industry changes. IBM conducted a Global Human Capital Study for 2008 and the first need identified was “An adaptable workforce that can rapidly respond to changes in the outside market.” We’ve reached a point where change happens so rapidly in the business world that those who can react nimbly and respond effectively to changes rapidly are valued.

 

Here are five tips for helping to achieve that transformation.

 

Staying Current Is Not Good Enough

Do one better and get ahead of everyone else. Being a continuous learner is essential since technology and best practices changes as resources, policies and demands change. Take a look back over the last 15 years and think about how the changes have affected your industry and may affect it in the future.

 

Look at the Internet and how it has accelerated the rate of communication, research and brought the world closer together.

 

Not many companies were talking about outsourcing across the border 15 years ago. Those individuals who were aware of this new wave of business were able to reinvent themselves and be effective when this new way of doing business hit their companies.

 

Look at the political climate and the policy changes which have affected the way your industry conducts business or imposes limits your industry.

 

Social responsibility is changing the way we all live and the way companies do business. Know what opportunities exist for your company to become more socially responsible and present your idea. It will make you stand out personally and professional while benefitting the image of your company as well.

 

Staying current allows you to participate more and the more you participate the more you stand out. In business, if you are not known your journey to success moves at a tortoise’s pace. Last December you attended several corporate, industry and social functions. Were you able to participate in all conversation or were you clueless and decided the right tactic was to change the subject? This will make you stand out, but probably not in a way which will benefit your career or keep you on any list of invitees. Building confidence influences your ability to participate in conversations and your ability to participate in conversation speaks to your knowledge and thought process and although company parties may seem to be social events, those that can help you rise are taking mental notes.

 

Turn to the latest, best selling business books to stay current. No need to read every chapter, but become familiar with the ideas.

 

Become active in an industry related or professional organization where you can interact with others willing to share ideas, opinions and even hear from industry thought leaders who are often guest speakers. Attend the seminars and conferences which are not only confidence building and great learning opportunities but excellent networking opportunities as well.

 

Subscribe to your industry publication to learn which topics are important.

 

Got Flow? Go With It.

We all know what it’s like to be involved in some activity so absorbing that we lose track of time and self-consciousness. One in which we’re both proficient and challenged. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls this “flow,” and it’s correlated with health, happiness and creativity. The ideal, of course, is to find a job that goes with your flow. That may not be possible for many of us, so a practical Plan B is to try to incorporate that activity into your work adding value to your personal brand, allowing you to develop personally and professionally and contributing something which will benefit your company.

 

You might start a company newsletter, donate your talents for a charitable auction your company supports or produce a video presentation for an annual meeting. Whatever contributes to the job in a sphere in which you are singularly talented.

 

If you cannot readily identify an avenue for your talents at work employ a technique experts use to stimulate creativity, through “controlled failure systems”— tackling challenges that are seemingly impossible removing limits and the anxiety of incorrect solutions which might result in failure. The result is that participants let their imagination lead to an innovative solution.

 

Whatever your ultimate creative capacity—and whatever your prospects for applying it in the workplace—be sure to enjoy flow activities outside of work. They will keep your creativity flowing, give you relief from work tasks which is often when a solution hits you, make you happier by allowing you to refocus your energy to activities which success or failure is not significant, build confidence and produce an altogether more attractive job candidate.

 

Be your own boss…even if you report to someone else.

Peter Drucker, the “father of modern management,” predicted long ago the rise of the knowledge worker, the advent of a much more mobile workforce, and the end of stable, long term, paternalistic employer-employee relationships. In this new work paradigm, no one will guide your career as much as you can. The first task is to find a job in line with your values and passions. Make your number one job achieving your number one job.

 

Figure out where you want to end up, and sketch out manageable steps for sterring your personal and professional development in that direction. Don’t worry about how long it will take. Imagine what an ideal professional development program would look like for you, and make it happen. If you need new skills, find a certificate course to get them. Look to online courses, community colleges, learning organizations and software programs. Identify a mentor (revisit the article in the Spring 2008 issue). If you can’t find a good mentor at work, join a professionals’ group and seek one there. Join your industry’s primary professional association, and try to attend all conferences or seminars.

 

Know your industry as if you are the boss. Treat your job as if you are running your own company. The results of your daily effort will matter more and you will produce better results. You will be an invaluable resource for your company, stand out and be compensated accordingly.

 

Know Your Strengths and be aware of your weaknesses

We are often inclined to think that the top achievers are great at everything. Not true. What they are great at is knowing what they know and align themselves with others who know what they don’t know and need to know.

 

Far from trying to do everything herself, a leader focuses on the tasks she does best, and gives the others to people who have the ability and skill to do them better. “Play to your strengths, and delegate your weaknesses,” advice you have almost certainly heard before. Follow it. Spend your time becoming the best at what you are good at and what you have a passion for. You can’t do everything, and this acknowledgement is at the heart of self-awareness. It is a hallmark of the most accomplished leaders and one of the components of emotional intelligence.

 

If you have a weakness in an area relevant to your department goals, look to a colleague who has complementary strengths and weaknesses, ask your boss to revise your job descriptions so that each of you can focus on strengths.  Productivity from both you and your colleague will increase and everyone benefits.

 

 

Know Your Value

What value do you bring to your company?

 

If you cannot answer that question or your answer is the same as that of several of your colleagues then you should start worrying and move quickly to innovate.

 

If you are able to answer the question and you are a top talent for your company that is a plus, but can you prove it? You must document your accomplishments, contributions and value. Companies make career and employment decisions based on the value that an employee provides. Take the lead and know your value and be able to illustrate it. Use it to position yourself for promotion, key assignments or for job interviews if that becomes necessary.

 

Get in the habit of documenting. How many times have you had a brilliant idea in the middle of the night, in the half-sleep of morning, or while stuck in traffic, and then completely lost it later? You can begin leveraging your own creative side simply by keeping a small pad and pen with you at all times.

 

Memories are fuzzier than angora sweaters. Don’t rely on them. Make sure you document your accomplishments, feedback from supervisors and contributions. When you’re asked to a year-end review, return to your notes to refresh your memory.

 

If you are not developing personally and professionally because of self imposed limitations remove them or be left behind. “One of the gravest problems in life,” Koestenbaum has said, “is self-limitation. We create defense mechanisms to protect us from the anxiety that comes with freedom. We refuse to fulfill our potential.” Embrace that anxiety. It can be what Epstein calls “positive turbulence,” and a wellspring of creativity. You cannot ignore progress because it moves on and leaves complainers, blamers and resisters behind. Do not wait for some one to pull you to success. Take responsibility for your success. To change as things around us change. Koestenbaum suggests that “we are not what society and randomness has introduced to our life. We are what we have chosen to be.”

 

Make your career your responsibility and be a valuable and outstanding resource to your company. The rewards will follow.