“Permanent Position”: An Oxymoron

Tonight I received a phone call from and old friend & colleague who wanted to ask me some questions about my business coaching services. He is with a good firm, one of the smartest people I know, loyal, successful, can build relationships and sell! He has worked with financial advisors and in the financial services distribution industry for 15 years, but he wanted some coaching on his “Plan B.” This involves training in social media, selling, as well other skills and techniques in which he needs help.

You see, while he is valuable to his firm, the company he works for is in the in the process of “seeking inefficiencies” (read this as firing people) due to gains in technology. Today companies often see people as overhead and machines as profit centers instead of the other way around. Go figure.

Do “Permanent Positions” still exist? Are there companies that still look for “Career People”? What can you do to always be a value and in demand in the marketplace? Consider the following seven skills to make yourself more valuable to clients and companies alike.

1. Develop, Build, And Maintain Relationships: It is not enough to meet people as you cross paths. Proactively seek to meet people – the right people – and learn all you can about their goals, challenges, obstacles, and resources. Get to know what they know, their values and beliefs, and what drives them. And stay in touch. With smartphones and social media there is no excuse for “drifting apart.”
2. Bring Value To Others In Every Interaction: The most interesting people are the interested people. Constantly learn what’s important to others and help them get what they want. Always offer to help in any way possible.
3. Know Who You Are: Catalog your belief systems, values, and motivations just as you do your professional resume. Take every assessment possible from cognitive aptitude tests to affective personality profiles to a conative instrument which measure what drives you and how you attack problem solving. The better you know yourself, the better you can address your learning needs.
4. Practice Vertical & Horizontal Learning: Become a subject matter expert, but also be open to learning about new ideas and skills that relate to your primary discipline. The cassette tape experts lost out to the digital music experts.
5. Develop Extreme Communication Skills: Be able to communicate eloquently both in written communications as well as verbally.
6. Practice Win-Win Persuasion: Become a master of persuasion. Everyone is in sales, if nothing else in selling yourself! And always seek mutually beneficial ideas and solutions.
7. Always Have A “Plan B.” Regardless of your expertise, tenure, and position, always be prepared to have an answer to the following question; “What would I do if my position or company went away tomorrow?”

While “Permanent Positions” may be a thing of the past, there is always room in business for valuable, creative people with exceptional knowledge, training, experience, and values. People who know who they are, what makes them valuable, and can sell themselves. Prepare yourself, and be confident in your future.

Work Hard & Have Fun™