Owning your career in uncertain times

There has been a lot of news lately about inflation, a possible recession, and several companies doing layoffs. And that's just what we hear in the news. Most companies I talk with have some kind of hiring freeze or budget constraints in place while they figure out what's going on in the economy and brace for a possible recession.

This is normal for large companies and we've seen it before but it can still be quite stressful for employees, especially those who might be laid off.

So what can you do?

I believe that there is no better time to own your career than in times like these.

What does that mean?

Owning your career means you take full responsibility for everything that is happening in your career and life. You treat it like a business and try not to blame others for your problems.

This requires that you adopt an ownership mindset and focus on things that are in your control and try not to worry so much about things outside of your control.

And there are a lot of things outside of your control: Politics, the world economy, the stock market, company leadership, whether layoffs happen or not, and even your boss and other people around you. You can try to influence but you can't really control these things and I suggest you try not to spend too much time thinking or worrying about them.

Instead, try to focus your energy on the things you can control: How you spend your time, how you show up, how hard you work, how you treat yourself and others, and how you respond to these events. Another big one is the value you provide to your organization and the people around you.

Providing Value

This is a big one. And while you should always be looking for ways to provide value to your employer or clients as well as others around you, this becomes even more important during uncertain times when companies are pulling back on expenses and possibly cutting staff.

Start by asking yourself what tasks and projects would be most valuable to your boss and other leaders and then try to figure out which KPIs and metrics they care about the most. What is the overall strategy and what actions or tactics would make the biggest impact? Is there anything you can do to set yourself apart from others (without sabotaging or hurting others)?

Instead of just doing your job or what has been asked of you, try to anticipate what would be most valuable or what would provide the most value or impact to your organization and see if you can take on extra responsibility to get those things done. The point is that you want to show that you are a really valuable part of the business and not just an employee collecting a paycheck.

One book I really like (besides my own) for inspiration on how to be seen as a really valuable asset to the business is Impact Players by my friend Liz Wiseman (author of Multipliers).

Set yourself up for future success

Ok so you are working hard and focused on providing value to your clients or organization. What else can you do to mitigate risk and set yourself up for future success?

Well if you've read my book, you know that I believe there are three things you can always be doing to set yourself up for future success and I believe these things become even more critical during uncertain times when you think you might have a chance of losing your job or clients.

Invest in Continuous Learning

Regardless of what's going on in the economy, I think it's always important to be investing in continuous learning. This means that you are always looking for resources and making time for learning outside of your normal day-to-day work. This could include reading books, listening to podcasts, taking online courses, attending conferences or webinars, and of course, scrolling through LinkeIn.

Why is this critical?

Well, the world is changing fast as we know. New trends are starting and jobs are changing. In fact, many jobs that existed 10-20 years ago are now gone and new jobs have been created. Meanwhile, industries and jobs are morphing and changing and you want to be not only ready for these changes, but ahead of them if possible. You want to be able to show up to a job interview or for a conversation with a new client with knowledge about what's going on.

So they see you as an expert or someone who can adapt and learn and help them do the same.

One example is that the use of AI and platforms like ChatGPT are growing fast and many companies are trying to figure out how they can leverage this technology. Maybe you learn about how it can be used in your industry or niche and then show that you can teach others too.

Build Your Network

Nothing can be more essential to your future success than building your network. This means building relationships with people in mutually beneficial ways. Ideally, you build relationships with many people in your field or the field you want to work in and find ways to learn from them while also giving them value.

You never know what might happen in the future but one thing that I think won't change is that the best job and business opportunities come through relationships. I know that has always been true for me.

So you want to make sure you dig your well before you are thirsty as they say and don't wait until you are desperate. Start building those relationships now and looking for ways to provide value to others before you might need anything from them.

Then if and when the worst does happen and you find yourself looking for a new job (or new clients), you have people you can reach out to and start conversations with. There is obviously no guarantee it would lead to anything but you vastly increase your chances of finding new opportunities later by meeting and building relationships with more people.

And you can start right here on LinkedIn.

Build Your Personal Brand

People in corporate often don't think about this but your personal brand is really helpful for your future job prospects. Your personal brand is essentially your reputation. What people think and say about you. And you are making those impressions often through how you work and interact with others as well as how you show up online.

It starts with the work you are doing and the value you provide to others (as we said earlier) and extends to the things you talk about and content you put out.

Remember that example of learning as much as you can about AI and ChatGPT to provide value in a new role, well you could be posting about in on LinkedIn along the way (you could probably even get ChatGPT to write your posts for you), which would build your brand as an expert in this space.

Summary

There is no way to predict the future and if you have already been laid off or think you will be soon, I'm sorry. Either way, I hope you'll take this time to focus your energy on the things you can control, and start taking action today to set yourself up for future success. That includes continuous learning, networking, and building your personal brand.

If you want more guidance, check out my book, Own Your Career Own Your Life, which is available on Amazon.

And if you want someone to speak in your organization to teach your people how to own their careers during uncertain times, reach out and let's talk.

My mission is to teach and inspire more people to own their careers so that they feel more in control and more fulfilled doing work that they love. Let me know if I can help.