The global economy and shrinking margins have given organizations a lot to think about in recent times. Employers need to make the tough decisions of who to let go and who to retain. Some employees need to decide what their value is and if they are the best fit for where they are at the moment; and yet more employees are biting their nails, wondering if they are going to be the next person to be laid off.
As an employee, you have a key role to play in determining how important you are to an organization. You should know what your organizational impact is, which in turn guide you in having an idea of where you stand in a time of budget cuts and retrenchment. How do you do this?
How to Know if You Stand Out in your Organization
Ask yourself these questions,
- How difficult are you to replace?
Employers regularly have to make the choice of who to let go and who to keep as the profit margins continue to shrink. The trade war between China and the USA, the trouble in Iran, and the Brexit events all affect the Nigerian economy because Nigeria is a part of the global economy. So be honest with yourself: if your organization was reviewing your role and your performance within that role, how difficult would it be to replace you?
- What value are you bringing to the table?
How does your work in the organization help that organization? How important is the work you do for your organization? Is it so important that they can’t risk letting you go? Are you one of the few who consistently adds value or one of the many who complain and do just enough not to get fired?
- How committed are you?
Do you work overtime just to make sure that a deadline is met ahead of schedule? Do you exceed expectations in the tasks assigned to you? Do you know the values, vision, and mission of your organization, and strive to make them a part of everything you do?
How you answer these questions will tell you just how important you are to your organization. And if your answers bordered on lukewarm to cold, then you will need to sit up or risk being out of a job.
Ways to Stand Out in Your Organization
When you stand out in your organization, it is difficult for employers to replace you. To stand out, you need to be of great value and be committed to your work. You need to be known for something in your organization. You need to be consistent:
- Solution provider – Be known as that person who gets things done, who always has the answer. And even if you don’t immediately have a solution, you always find a way to get it.
- Innovator – Sometimes the status quo is what is hindering an organization’s growth. Challenge it in a diplomatic manner. Bring up new ideas on how to get things done efficiently and effectively. Network in your organization so that you can get enough momentum to support your ideas across levels and make those changes happen.
- Dependable team member – Everyone should know you as the person they can count on to be punctual, diligent, a great contributor to team dynamics. There should be a comfort that whatever is given to you to handle will get done and done well.
- Proactive contributor – Be known as the person who always has a valuable contribution – don’t just make suggestions just for the sake of it, you need to think them through. While you may not want to come across as passive and forgettable. you need to strike the balance between being thoughtful and just filling the air with noise.
You also stand out when you add value to your organization by:
- Knowing your organization’s goals – Understand what work challenges keep your bosses up at night and start working on ways to solve them.
- Knowing your industry – Do your homework. Know what is going on in your industry, who the top competitors are, what is going on in the market, projections for the next 5 years, and so on. Stay abreast of what is happening in your industry, and you will be ready to tackle anything that comes.
- Understanding the 3 types of people – They are:
- Those who make things happen
- Those who watch things happen
- Those who wonder: “what happened”?
Which type of person are YOU?
The key here isn’t to be perfect in all these areas, but to be consistent enough to make the organizational impact that will make you stand out.
