We Are All Self-Employed

Move Beyond the Ostrich Position

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The current economic uncertainty is a perfect breeding ground for indecision and paralysis. And it has never been more important to be decisive then now! If you’ve been imitating the ostrich, here are a few action steps you can implement today …

––Adopt the “self–employed” mindset

If you haven’t read the great book by Cliff Hakim, “We Are All Self–Employed,” I highly recommend it. Log onto Amazon and order it or stroll into your local Barnes & Noble and begin reading. Those folks who embrace the “self–employed” rather than “other–employed” mindset will proactively control their careers rather then reactively respond to someone else’s control, whether that someone else is a CEO, Board of Directors, or investor group.

As finance executives, you understand the concept of managing your career the way you manage your company. Understanding though is different then doing. Create a 3–5 year career management plan and then work daily to execute your plan.

––Get visible

Linked In, Facebook, Naymz, Ziggs, Zoom Info, Twitter … to name a few of the “must” places you can create and maintain visibility. Begin today! If you would like a copy of my article, “5 Easy Ways to Beef Up Your Linked In Profile,” send me an email with “Linked In article request” in the subject line.

A quote pulled from the 2008 Recruiting Landscape report published by Zoom Info says, “Savvy recruiters know that the best hires come from candidates whose web presence speaks to their contributions to their companies’ success – not those who are likely to respond to a job ad.”

To be viewed as the “best,” creating a branded, visible presence is critically important. The people who need to know about you are already visible on the Internet and they are hunting passive, top–talent!

––Begin networking

Networking is time–consuming … and one of the most effective things you can do for your career. If you have been so busy working in your job to the exclusion of working on managing your career, today is the day to re–connect with at least one person and then add 10–15 minutes of networking time to your calendar as a daily appointment. With all of the online social networking outlets available, squeezing in 10–15 minutes can happen before dawn or at 11:30 at night … from the comfort of your home. The ROI will be well worth the effort.

So tell me, now that you’ve made the decision to read this post, what action step will you take today?

Fireproof Your Career

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Anne Baber, of “Make Your Contacts Count” fame, joined us in the CFO–Career–Forum on Tuesday to discuss strategies for creating a personal protection plan for your career … i.e., a strategic business plan for your career.

She had so much great information I actually took five pages of notes!

Her basic premise is, “be eager to stay and prepared to go.” The bottom line is that each individual is responsible for his or her own career. Anne refers to this as being “the champion of your own career.” I love that visual. It is not the responsibility of your boss, your company, or anyone else … the responsibility for your career lies with you. As a side note, Cliff Hakim authored a great book around this very topic called, “We Are All Self–Employed.” It’s a great read for anyone who is in the workforce.

One of the key strategies she mentioned was “liberate your mind.” In other words, be open to who you are outside of what you do. She noted an interesting statistic … the degree to which you identify with your company (i.e., introduce yourself as the CFO of ABC Company) is a strong indicator of the joy you get from your association with the company.

For example, when you introduce yourself is it as, Joe Smith, CFO of ABC Company? Or, do you lead with one unique and interesting statement about you that is memorable and promotes a continuing dialogue?

Do you have your own identity or is your identity woven into the company who provides your paycheck? If it is the latter, how long are you hoping that identity will last?