Mistakes— fatal and otherwise
HERE TODAY, gone tomorrow---and no we are not talking of our crowning glory that has a tendency to do the disappearing act after every stressful event. We are thinking of jobs that have a similar tendency. Got one today, and out on one's ear, the following day. So never make the fatal mistake of believing that you will have a job forever... ask anyone who has been out on his luck lately.
Falling foul of the boss and thus losing your job is pretty much common, what is not so common is losing your job because his pet has taken a dislike to you. Though this has been known to happen...
This article however is an attempt to point out five fatal mistakes that people commit while working.
You are what you were: You have not learnt anything new in the last few years that you were slogging away at the job. You clearly forgot the fact that sharpening skills only produces better results. Forget about looking for a mentor, you are not even looking at a book to boost your reading.
Have you ever thought of how much more you can do (and make money too) with your skills enhanced and up to date? That should be motivation enough and also keep you away from being jobless in near future. Stephen Covey talks of `sharpen(ing) the saw' ---if you sharpen your skills periodically you may not have to face the axe any time soon.
Saving is not for you: You do not believe in the `saving for a rainy day' concept. You are the kind who spends a couple of thousands more than you earn. When you no longer have a job or its attendant perks you will realise how useful saving can be.
Have some savings while you are still getting a pay check. Don't wait until it is too late. It is relatively easier to cope when you have some finances to fall back on during lean times.
People. People? : We are guessing that you do not maintain relationships and contacts that you can leverage during a crisis? As long as you have a job, your colleagues, clients and customers will be your valuable assets.
Do not fail to develop your people as your assets. Your strategy should be converting your contacts into assets-- people who will help you when you are down. Form a healthy relationship with them, so that you can count on them.
Wasted time: Are you aware of how much time you spend on unproductive activities? Remember all the hours you wasted in long drawn out lunches, the never ending chat sessions, the mindlessly spent learning and training hours?
You do not have to forgo the pleasures of life but make sure your hours at work are well spent too. What you do with these hours while you still have a job could impact your life when you do not have one.
Parallel career: One cannot be faulted here for as long as one has a job one rarely, if at all, thinks of a parallel career. We are not talking of a part time job, or something that you do on the side to earn some extra money; a parallel career is something that you can pursue with the goal that one day you will be doing something in that field. Many people do regret not taking this step, later on. Remember it is easy to make the transition from an employee to an entrepreneur when one still has the security of a pay check
As long as one has the security of a job, it is easy to dismiss the fears of a job loss. But, once in a while it is good to remember that (adage) `an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure ... '
PADMA
padma.hyd@cnkonline.com
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