Be the One Left Standing

"What's most important to my company right now and how do I make sure I'm contributing to that, and that my achievement is visible to my boss?" Sarah Grayson, an executive search consultant, is quoted as asking in a Wall Street Journal article:  Does Avoiding the 9-to-5 Grind Make You a Target for Layoffs?

Although the article is primarily about telecommuters and people with flexible schedules and how they have to be careful so as not to be subject to layoffs, there are implications for all workers.

It doesn't matter - in terms of whether you lose your job or not - if you are making fantastic contributions, but your boss isn't fully aware of them and how they impact the organization. Not only do you need to be involved in critical work, but you also have to make hiring authorities aware that what you are working on really is critical to the organizational mission.

It's all about your brand and how you express it. Make sure you know and your bosses know what your value proposition is, what your value-adds are, and what makes you unique. And then find ways to communicate those to them. Maybe send a brief update memo about a project you just successfully completed and how it benefited the company. Or you could get the message across in a brief meeting you ask for to discuss what the critical activities are that you could become involved in next. 

This kind of reflection, analysis, and communication will prove invaluable not only in your bosses' appreciation of your important contributions, but also in building your personal brand and enhancing the content of your resume. It goes back to the conundrum: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, can it be said to fall? So, as modestly as possible, get the word out about how the work you do is important to the company going forward!

Comments

[Alan Collins]

Great article!

I couldn't agree with you more. In tough times, you absolutely have to sell yourself and your accomplishments. Unless your boss knows you’re exceptional - and so does her boss - and frankly anyone else who could potentially be your next boss, you might as well be invisible. And you have absolutely no shot at advancing your career or keeping your job when times get tough. I've often told the HR clients I consult with that: "Just working hard and expecting that your results alone will be recognized, noticed, or will be appreciated guarantees one thing and one thing only: old age."

Best
Alan Collins
Success In HR
http://www.successinhr.com

[John Moore]

Agreed, you must ensure that you stand out above the crowd and be your own marketer. If you do not, there is no guarantee that anyone else will either.

I wrote a post not long ago about the importance of doing all that you can to become indispensible, I hope others find this useful:

http://johnfmoore.wordpress.com/2009/04/01/take-charge-of-your-career-and-become-indespensible/

John
http://twitter.com/JohnFMoore

[Account Deleted]

Alan and John, you both bring to the fore the need for employees to be their own self-marketers. This is an extension of Tom Peters' emphasis on Brand You. Brands get to be that way by advertising. To those who hesitate, there are ways that they can express their brands and make a record of their accomplishments for bosses and their bosses to see that aren't blatant self-promotion. Brand expression can and should be about contributing collaboratively to achieve corporate objectives. It's the difference between toiling in the dark and coming into the light and spreading your brand throughout your internal and external networks.

[Scot Herrick]

While being visible and communicating accomplishments is necessary, it won't stop you from being laid off. There are three different types of layoffs -- companies eliminate a site, eliminate a function, or trim the size of something. You can be a fabulous employee, communicating your accomplishments and if the company is eliminating a site or function, it won't mean a hill of beans -- you will be gone if you are part of the site or the function.

Where your performance makes the difference is when the size of the group is downsized and some people stay.

It's important to self-market your work. But let's not confuse that with preventing layoffs. What self-marketing does is help a person in one layoff situation stay or, if laid off, helps the person with the next hiring manager decide to hire.

[Account Deleted]

Scot, you make a good point. No matter how well you've communicated your brand, if your function is going away you will too. Many companies, though, are downsizing in this market, and I see my clients remain on the job even while major changes are going on such as M&A. What the individual does have control over is his/her brand and expression of that brand.