The other day I learned that a friend of mine had been terminated from his job. It wasn't anything he had done...it's what he wasn't doing. Oh, he was working...hard. I know, I saw him at his work place early in the morning and late in the evening. It was not uncommon to see him at special events hosted or promoted by his company. There is no doubt he was contributing to the overall effort.
But what he was doing wasn't making money, or enough of it, for the accountants who run the operation. In a flash...he was gone.
So, are you actually making money for the company or sucking money out of the company? In your heart of hearts you know. If, no matter how hard working and dedicated you are, what you are doing can be sucked up by others...you are in trouble.
In these times how can you create real value? Here are a couple ideas:
- Be proactive and FIND ways to help your company save money. Remember, the best dollar saved is the one not spent. How can you embrace technology to increase savings and still not drop the ball?
- If you don't sell your company brand...find a way to do it. If you don't know what the company brand is...ask.
- If you are not responsible for actually "selling" or actually bringing in some dollars find out if you can. Or if there is no way...look for ways you can become a key player among those who are actually selling. Take some of their load so they can spend more time in the trenches.
I think the word here is PRO-ACTIVE. Find ways to help increase the bottom line by, at least, your salary. Otherwise the company may do it for you.
Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advertising, Marketing & Communications