Many years ago, I collaborated with a colleague we’ll refer to as Martha. She erupted in a small fury upon discovering that a peer from a different department received a promotion that she believed should have been hers.
I was astonished by her outburst—not just because we were in the midst of a full team meeting, but because she was hardly the epitome of a diligent employee—she maintained a minimal effort, quarreled with management, and secretly indulged in rum from a bottle tucked away in her desk (just for special occasions, of course).
Martha believed she deserved that promotion due to her tenure. Unfortunately, the idea that, “I deserve a salary,” is a common misconception that clashes with actual circumstances.
Of course, I’m addressing not a Martha, but a refined achiever who understands that your returns aren’t linked to the length of time spent in an office cubicle.
The true measure of success is: Are you effective?
If your answer is, “Yes,” then you’ll find lifelong job security, regardless of economic conditions, and I’ll raise a toast to you as you enjoy a cognac on your patio overlooking your sprawling 50-acre private island in Fiji.
However, if you can’t respond affirmatively, here are ways to make yourself more resilient.
1. View yourself as a business.
“The only real security comes from what you cultivate within yourself.” —Gilda Radner
Whether you own a business or not, you are fundamentally an entrepreneur, so start to perceive yourself as the CEO of your own personal services entity.
Be it flipping burgers or spearheading a 100-person product team at a tech giant, every day you engage with work, you offer a service to a client (your employer) who dictates your compensation level.
“Think of yourself as an independent contractor marketing your skills back to your company at an hourly rate,” suggests self-help icon Brian Tracy. “Consider your current employer to be your primary client, for the time being.”
A company that fails to satisfy its clients will be out of business in no time. So how can you guarantee that, as the head of your enterprise, you become a provider of satisfaction?
You achieve this by delivering exceptional value.
2. Master the art of value creation.
“The only genuine security in existence comes from improving yourself every single day… being valuable to your employer, friends, and family.” —Tony Robbins
At some point in high school, amidst cafeteria lunches and grades, we are presented with a neatly packaged perspective that, if you just exert enough effort, you can attain everything you desire in life.
However, if this were true, high school dropouts balancing three minimum wage roles would enjoy the same comfort as CEOs, and every startup would IPO just because the founders put in 90-hour work weeks.
The truth is, we are rewarded for the value we generate, whether that involves creating life-saving medication or designing the ultimate fidget spinner.
When you comprehend how to create value, you’ll become indispensable regardless of who signs your paycheck. This requires grasping what others value (remember: it’s often different from what you value), so start by asking numerous questions.
If your audience consists of your ideal client, consider issuing a survey or conducting user interviews. If it’s your manager, inquire about her primary objective.
In either scenario, you may not receive a direct response—people tend to struggle when articulating their genuine needs—so continue to observe like a researcher in the field.
Here’s a clue: Above all, every individual seeks to feel a certain emotion—love, respect, security—so perhaps your client wants to write a book not for monetary gain but to be heard? Maybe your boss’s main ambition is to glide into retirement rather than change the world?
3. Be a leader in everything you undertake.
“Initiative is doing the right thing without being directed.” – Victor Hugo
Too many employees wait for guidance. We all know that person who meticulously followed every guideline but was still laid off. More often than not, this happens because managers prefer not to micromanage; they value individuals who can take the initiative without needing constant nudging.
Initiative belongs to the realm of leadership. You might tell yourself, “But I’m not a leader; no one has assigned me that duty!” Leadership is not merely a title; it’s a mentality and a choice—to step up, even if the path diverges from your job description.
Maybe you are stationed in the mailroom and observe a way to enhance a process, or you’re sitting in a cubicle and can propose a strategy for the company to operate without paper. A leader approaches management with solutions. A follower misses the opportunities altogether. Which type do you believe is more shielded from layoffs?
4. Cultivate relationships. (Skip “networking.”)
“Improve every single person you encounter—leave them better, happier, and more engaged than you found them.” —Robin Sharma
As much as we appreciate individual brilliance, thriving occurs through connections. No one accumulates riches from their secluded cave; even remote workers benefit from socializing with peers occasionally.
As many successful individuals contend, your network equals your net worth.
However, two contrasting strategies exist for establishing a safety net of supportive relationships around you. The first is a negative term: networking. This involves attending “networking events” where individuals spend minimal time with as many attendees as possible, vying to hand out the most business cards. (I’m exaggerating, but you catch my drift.)
Networkers enter a gathering with the mindset, “What can I gain from these individuals?”
The superior method is to cultivate a network based on genuine relationships—fewer, but more substantial connections; prioritizing quality over quantity. Relationship builders approach each interaction with the question, “What can I offer?”
Does this sound familiar to how friendships are formed? Exactly. If you choose to collaborate with enjoyable colleagues, your work will feel more like camaraderie than toil. Focus on nurturing true friendships rather than merely accumulating business cards.
5. Exceed expectations by just 5%.
“There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.” —Zig Ziglar
We gravitate towards those who provide us with more than what we anticipated. Supervisors are pleasantly surprised when projects are completed early and under budget. Customers rave to their friends about exceptional service. And your partner will always remember when you orchestrated that scavenger hunt that concluded with a surprise dinner at your favorite restaurant surrounded by friends.
You could have merely adhered to your job description, complied with refund policies, or prepared simple meals for your significant other. However, no one recalls when you merely meet expectations because that’s the common standard many of us settle for: “good enough.”
This is why going the extra mile is so simple—very few are traveling that freshly paved, six-lane road! It doesn’t mean surpassing everyone else; that pursuit often leads to burnout.
Just strive to surpass your personal benchmarks. This doesn’t imply doubled efforts to be exceptional; a slight 5% increase in effort can yield remarkable praise. What might that entail?
Perhaps at home, you tackle the dishes… AND clean out the toaster. At work, you complete that research your supervisor requested… AND add a page of insights that reveals how to save $50k annually. For your clients, you might enroll them in a seminar while also adding six complimentary coaching sessions and sharing your book.
When you go above and beyond, you build a reputation for delivering more value than you receive compensation for. Your own worth increases accordingly, making you much harder to let go.
6. Be the most knowledgeable person in the room… just about one thing.
“The only genuine security a person can possess in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and skill.” —Henry Ford
Do you strive to excel in everything at your workplace? The ultimate salesperson, marketer, coder, and writer? If this is your approach, the quality of your output will likely be average.
There’s nothing wrong with being a jack-of-all-trades (many entrepreneurial spirits wear this badge with pride), but there exists also great power in specialization.
Consider how you can become a crucial linchpin within the organization. How can you accumulate knowledge, forge connections, or generate ideas that no colleague can, at least in one specific area?
Are you in the marketing sector and notice that your email campaigns get opened as often as canned anchovies? Then invest in an email marketing course and bring fresh insights and strategies—ones that none of your coworkers possess—to the next team discussion.
You don’t have to score a 5-star performance across every dimension of your job. If you specialize in just one attribute that your employer or client highly values and cannot do without, how could they ever afford to lose you?
7. Showcase your achievements.
“Leaders are not humble… these traits and actions are essential for securing employment, promotions, stability, and higher pay.” —Jeffrey Pfeffer
Society’s dominant ethics suggest that a good deed is more commendable if you downplay it. “Set the table without your parents needing to ask,” is one piece of wisdom from Catholic school that has lingered with me.
Even better if your good deed is known only to you. We feel a delightful satisfaction from stories of generous strangers covering the bill for the car behind them in the drive-thru.
While there’s merit in anonymous kindness, sharing your actions amplifies the benefits. It not only encourages others to perform good deeds, but it also reveals your true character.
This is invaluable in the workplace, especially when job security is in question. Too many individuals do outstanding work that goes entirely unnoticed or taken for granted. To retain your role or clients, you must occasionally prove your worth.
This doesn’t imply you should incessantly brag about your noble deeds; excessive self-promotion is off-putting and can backfire.
However, you should strategically share key pieces of information with those who have influence over your career—your boss, for instance. Want to be discreet? Relay the information through a third party, like your boss’s assistant, whom you know will convey your message.
8. Embrace change. (It’s thrilling!)
“Security is largely a superstition… Evading danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.” —Helen Keller
Here’s a fascinating contradiction: those who are least attached to stability often experience it abundantly. This is because the truly “secure individuals” are adaptable in their methods of generating wealth and prosperity.
A fixed mindset person may see only one path to earn a living right now: desperately clinging to their present job, likely thinking: work harder. But regardless of how vigorously you rearrange deck chairs on a sinking ship, it will still drown.
The economy fluctuates. Industries evolve, and companies collapse. Clinging to the hope that manufacturing will return to your locality, that your restaurant will be bustling again by the holidays, or that individuals genuinely enjoy driving to a video rental shop for a DVD with accompanying late fees can lead to disaster.
Wishing for everything to remain constant, including the job you dread losing, is futile. Change is inevitable, so you might as well develop a fondness for it.
“You are already unhoused,” remarked Steve Jobs. Embrace change and welcome the tumultuous shifts. Without change, there would be no new beginnings, no growth, no opportunities, no surprises, and no thrill in your life.
The Future Belongs to Freelancers
Even prior to COVID-19, believing that a single company would ensure lifelong employment was an illusion.
Manufacturing has already migrated south, automation is replacing $80k annual jobs, and disruptive startups are reshaping entire sectors while you sleep. Should we simply resign ourselves to whatever minimum-waged occupation the economy provides? Absolutely not!
This sector holds more prospects than ever for those possessing an entrepreneurial mindset.
A 2019 study indicated that more than 35% of the U.S. workforce, or exceeding 57 million individuals, are freelancers, and the pandemic surely escalated that figure.
These freelancers aren’t solely dog walkers and Etsy hobbyists; many represent the elite in their fields.
This is not an endorsement to abandon your salary and venture out alone. Rather, it’s a call to adopt the freelancer/consultant/entrepreneur mentality, as it is the most effective means of establishing invulnerable job security in any economic climate, regardless of how many crises unfold around you.
