Our Greatest Source of Security

The only real source of security any of us have in this time of change and downsizing and merging and new business models and all the other stuff we see, read and hear - is what? The only real security any of us have comes from our own accomplishments. Top performers - the people who will prosper even in the toughest of times - believe that. For others it's a frightening thought - or a frustrating thought - or just plain not true.

Victims will ask "How can it be true if I work in a situation where I'm not recognized for what I do? " "How can it be true if I work in a situation where nothing ever changes?" "How can it be true if I really don't want to change?" Well it is true - regardless of personal circumstances, and to ignore that fact is to put the future in jeopardy.

Let's take the case of two new graduates, both hired at the same business, both given similar assignments.

Graduate A goes to work every day, does his job as it's assigned to him, meets the requirements of his job, gets married and starts a family. After work our graduate spends time golfing with his old buddies, socializing with his college friends, watching TV - and generally enjoying the fruits of his labor. Graduate B goes to work every day, does the work he is assigned, meets the requirements of his job, and asks his boss if there are any things he can do to prepare himself for future assignments. He gets married, starts a family, He's also a golfer, and gets to know some other golfers that work for the same business, as well as some of the customers and suppliers for the the company. He plays golf weekly with these people, and socializes with his old friends and his wife's friends on a regular basis. He takes his bosses advice, and takes company sponsored courses that provide him with knowledge in areas that he did not study in college. He sets goals at work and shares them with his boss - and negotiates them so they support the bosses requirements. When a goal is met, he shares that milestone with the people that contributed to it, and with his boss.

After two years, the business is sold, and the new owner, a multinational organization, moves the business to a new location, and terminates all the existing employees, including our two graduates.

Who do you bet on to come out of this setback in better shape? I bet on Graduate B - who didn't do that much different - but in venturing out of his comfort zone for knowledge, contacts, and accomplishments, put himself way ahead in the race to succeed - and to have security through his own accomplishments. Accomplishments are available for everyone, but they need to be sought after - and the most important individual quality anyone can have is the ability and capacity to seek out and embrace change. Top performers don't wait for change to be imposed - too often imposed change is change arising out of crisis.

A story from my own experience to illustrate that point: A company had a large immigrant workforce - from a number of different countries and cultures - and all were struggling with the language requirements of the work they were doing. They worked for a large aerospace company, and their jobs had high value - good pay, good benefits and excellent working conditions. The inability to communicate in English was a major stumbling block to getting ahead, or even surviving. The company offered English Second Language programs to all who were interested - even setting up classes, on a split between company paid time and personal time, It was a voluntary program - and only 15% of the people who were eligible and who needed to improve their English skills signed up. And of the 15% who signed up, only 20% of that group successfully completed the course and gained a better competence in English.

Two years later that company consolidated operations in another state during a downturn in the economy - and terminated all the existing employees. For the top few who had taken advantage of the English Second Language classes, new jobs were found in no time - many of them found new jobs before the business shut down. For the others who had passed up the opportunity to gain a critical skill, new jobs came at a slow pace.

So when do you start this process of acquiring accomplishments as the means to providing security in your life? The answer is - today! Regardless of where you currently find yourself in your life, now is the time to start - or to continue - or to change the direction of where you are going. And the single most important thing you can do today is to set your own goals and then act to see them come true - and then make new goals - and then act to see them come true. And then make new goals, and then make them come true. When you do that you create your own life of expectations - and not simply allow whatever happens to force change.

Taking the route of seeking personal accomplishment as the way to security puts you in the top 10% of all people. When you do that, you create tremendous competitive advantage in this time of change.

And if you've had a record of accomplishment in the past, now is not the time to rest on your laurels. Recent accomplishments have a higher value than older ones, and with the pace of change, what happened five years ago - or even a year ago - may have lost some of its value in the marketplace. It's like Satchel Paige, the famous baseball pitcher, used to say " Don't look back, they might be gaining on you."

And don't dwell on lost opportunities for accomplishment - I guarantee there are opportunities available right now. If there is a bright side to today's economy and change, it's that identifying positive change and going for it is more important than it has been for some time. Take advantage of that fact to grow personally and professionally and avoid the status quo.