Imagine that there are simple rules to bulletproof your job. Would you want to know about it?
There was a book I read in 2008 called Bulletproof Your Job. It was written by Stephen Viscusi and was a short book with common sense advice for people in employment.
Interested? Read on.
A 2008 Idea that Works for 2023 Too
First, some context behind the book. Bulletproof Your Job was a timely publication following the economic downtrend from the effect of the subprime mortgage crisis - mainly from the mortgage-backed securities tied to American real estate. It led to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2007-2008.
The subprime mortgage collapse affected many businesses and people and caused banking and investment failures. The ripple effects of the event affected every bank in the world. Every bank seems to have some form of investment in mortgage-backed securities then. Hence, the GFC.
Long story short, the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy triggered the financial crisis and cascaded to the global economy. Stock markets crashed, GDP declined, businesses started downsizing, and some closed. The downsizing and closure created redundancies across the sectors. There were government bailouts to save the banks and the financial institutions then.
The sentiment from 2008 feels eerily similar to what is happening now though not a banking crisis. The economic symptoms feel and look alike. Increasing unemployment, central banks are upping official cash rates, the rampant increase in inflation and depreciating NZD against the USD.
Enough said. Let us look at how I interpret the strategies. Why I use them, and when I will use them.
Bulletproof Your Job: What is it about?
The author shared four simple strategies to overcome the tough time and get on top of work. The four strategies are:
- Be Visible
- Be Easy
- Be Useful
- Be Ready
The context for the four strategies is that the workplace is a warzone. You are competing at work. There is no fairness and merit in an average organisation. You are facing a tight employment market where you need to survive.
The author asserted that applying the four strategies assures your career continuity to survive the situation. At the same time, you look for something better, something permanent, and something to hang on to until things return to normal.
How can I use it?
In hindsight, the four strategies are common sense approaches. You cannot take each strategy singularly. You have to use all four at the same time.
Be Visible
Take Be Visible as an example. You need to ensure your boss, colleagues, and stakeholders know what you are working on. I am not saying you need to blow your trumpet every day. Dressing up to attract. Power handshakes and working long hours so that people see you.
Just show the things you are doing and completing. Let people know what you are up to, what you need, and how you can help. Share with your boss, colleagues and stakeholders the outcome you are delivering.
Those that adopt Agile methods at work do well here. Their work and outcome are transparent. It is visible for all to see. Have showcases, progress charts and performance measures. Show how you are adding value to what you do to support your company's goals and objectives.
There is another way to be visible. It's called, Working Out Loud.
Working Out Loud is an approach to collaboration in which you form a virtual network to talk about your work and publish what you do. The goal is to allow others to communicate with you. To respond to your work, to learn from you and vice versa. Working Out Loud gets everyone better by applying new knowledge to their work.
Be Easy
Are you approachable? Are you helpful? Being easy and accessible is not about people walking all over you. Certainly not taking you for granted. Or you become a sycophant to survive.
It's about engagement with others. Can you build rapport with your colleagues, clients, and stakeholders? Can people depend on you? Are you reliable? Are you trustworthy? Do you feel entitled?
The opposite of being easy is being difficult. Stop doing anything that makes it difficult for others to work with you. You might have to reflect on your own shortcomings. Do you have behaviours, habits, and attitudes that make people avoid you, or do you irritate them? The question to ask yourself is, "Are you high maintenance?".
Better still, ask your friends, boss, and work colleagues for feedback.
Be Useful
This one sounds easy, but it isn't. You might think you are. Who doesn't think of themselves as useful? Everyone does.
It is relative to others' expectations of you. This strategy is about how you contribute your knowledge, experience, skills, and time to the betterment of others and the company.
What do you mean? Since I don't twiddle my thumbs at work and work my butt off, am I not useful?
Yes and no. You see, it's relative. Ask your boss, colleagues and others honestly about how useful you are at work. Sometimes the truth hurts. Better now than never.
Here are some tips to be useful.
Can you offer to run a workshop to solve a wicked problem?
Can you teach someone at work something new so they can use it?
What about mentoring?
Do you coach people to be successful?
Are there any activities you do that are outside the scope of your job description and responsibilities that create a better outcome for someone to be better?
When you do any of the tips mentioned, you are useful.
It's the same as what isn't written in your job description. There might be issues or problems outside your work boundary. Incidentally, you have the experience and skills to deal with them. You offer your help without being asked. You nailed it and proved you have what it takes to do more. That's useful for me as your leader.
Be Ready
This is on you. Be ready for any opportunities or events that are unexpected. Like the Scout's motto - Be Prepared.
There are two sides to this strategy. Be ready for opportunities and be prepared for setbacks. Let's take the first one.
Be ready for opportunities. Have you updated your CV? Have you recently learned something new? Are you doing any training or certification to improve your marketable and transferable skills? Have you taken any courses to boost your academic and technical qualifications? Are you actively searching for a new job?
Do you have any side gigs? Do you see an opportunity to be self-employed? Your side gigs might pay. Explore it too. You might stumble on a new startup and become your own boss.
Opportunities can appear out of nowhere. You have to be ready when they occur. Grab it and go!
Be ready for setbacks. This one needs planning, effort and time. The foremost thing to be prepared for job setbacks is your finances. To be ready for such an unfortunate event, make sure you have some savings saved up. Do you have six months of expenses saved up? That's what Financial Planners recommend people do.
Having cash in your savings account is a confidence booster. It frees you and does not put you under duress or stress or desperation, or feeling needy.
What about a backup plan if you are made redundant? A backup plan helps you make a rational decision while you follow your planned steps. You will approach the situation calmly while considering your situation.
What about your networks? Is there anyone you know you can call to connect you to other opportunities? Sometimes it helps because it can be a lifeline for continuity.
Are you prepared to do something else? Something outside of your industry? You might have transferable skills. It is how you connect the dots of your experience and skills to find something new that you have not thought about.
Why do I use it?
The four strategies reminded me that the unwritten workplace rules have not changed. It was the same thirty years ago. It remains the same now in 2022 and beyond.
When things are not okay, executive managers look for ways to sustain the business by cutting costs. The easiest way out is to reduce staff numbers. It's cost-effective in the short run and a knee-jerk reaction to the unknowns. The implication isn't favourable most of the time.
As a people leader and manager, I owe my team members that we are in the situation together. The more we adopt the four strategies, the more we give ourselves the breathing and working space to do good for others and the company.
Besides, the strategies are easy to remember and share with others. I share them in my coaching and mentoring graduates, new team members and colleagues. They are also good guidelines for creating KPIs for personal development.
When do you use the strategies?
Start now when you are ahead. Use it before things start to spiral downward. Use it when you start a new job.
It's too late to use the strategies when you are already in the moment of losing your job. They won't help you immediately when your company is undergoing restructuring or redundancy. You can't be visible, easy, useful and ready overnight.
The strategies are meant for a long game. Use them to coach yourself and also coach team members. Share them with graduates and support them in their careers.
The strategies are yours now. Go and help people prepare for the future and win their career game or you can choose to be stoic and ignore the whole thing. Over to you now to apply the four strategies for your career success and survival.
It's simple to use. Try it, and let me know your results.