There was a time when having a job meant having a job. Today, having a job is more like a temporary assignment.
I'm not saying this is good or bad. My point is that in order to buttress your ability to make a living you need to see yourself as an entrepreneur -- YOU, INC. -- an entity that is self-dependent and always looking to add value to its "product line."
In this rapidly changing and increasingly demanding world, the only real safety net you have underneath you is what YOU, INC. can supply the marketplace. Your ability to survive and prosper depends upon your singular skill set, your knowledge and information, your network and access, and how you are perceived and believed.
After watching survivors and succeeders for twenty-five years, and reading everything on the subject I could find, I have made a list of ten ways to add value to YOU, INC. I will address each one in future e-letters. For now, here is the list:
1. Mobility - an ability to respond to a demand for your skills
2. Liquidity - staying power during times of adversity
3. Personality - an ability to get people comfortable buying from you
4. Access-ability - who you have access to, i.e., the depth/breadth of your network
5. Curiosity - a willingness to learn and accumulate information that can help you
6. Physicality - physical health that can carry you during times of challenge
7. Intensity - a work ethic that will fuel your persistence
8. Visibility - a willingness to self-promote so that buyers know what you are selling
9. Adaptability - a facility for and fearlessness about change
10. Integrity - a long-term perspective
All you really have is YOU, INC. Get comfortable with that fact and now move on to do everything you can to make YOU, INC. as valuable as possible.
Jim Randel is the founder and co-author of the Skinny On series. His most recent book The Skinny On Credit Cards: How to Master the Credit Card Game is available at www.theskinnyon.com.