"All successful employers are stalking people who will do the unusual, people who think, people who attract attention by performing more than is expected of them." — Charles M. Schwab

Paid Employment Is No Longer What It Used To Be.

Time are changing – and rapidly too. The dream of getting a degree and then going on to work in a good company for the rest of your active years no longer works like that.

These days no company can afford to keep you around for that long. Especially when it’s very survival can be threatened by sudden changes in the market it serves due to unexpected technology driven developments.

Despite the above gloomy scenario, the truth is that just as we are being told jobs are fewer, head hunters and recruitment agencies continue to remain in business.

Admittedly, many of them have had to adapt to changing times. But isn’t that the reality of life itself? Don’t we all mouth the fact that “The only thing constant about life is change?’

If that is the case, why do we keep making such a big deal of the fact that there “seem” to be fewer conventional job opportunities available for job seekers?

Should we not be challenging them and/or ourselves to develop skills sets that make us employable by the new kind of employers now emerging?

But Some People Still Prosper In Full Time Paid Employment

Many people are choosing to start some kind of business on the side, even as they take on paid employment. That’s something I consider a smart move in light of the massive transformation that the concept of paid employment has undergone in many parts of the world – both developing and developed.

It makes it easier to take on lower paying jobs that would probably not normally offer enough financial rewards to sustain you (and your family if you’re married). In other words, today’s realities make it essential that most people develop their entrepreneurial sides a little, if they are to make ends meet, or have something left over.

But we must accept that some people still get paid handsomely to work full time – in spite of the above mentioned changes. And this happens across industries, from the high paying to the modestly rewarding ones.

What Do Such Resilient Career People Have, That Others Who Struggle Do Not?

 The answer  – – where hiring is done mainly based on competence and merit – is that such people know how to give employers that hire them what they want.

And what employers want is an employee who will help them achieve their company’s most valued goals. To make money profitably. To be widely known in the market place. To enjoy great public relations so that operations go on smoothly. Indeed anything that helps the company progress.

Once an employee can demonstrate the ability to consistently deliver results along those lines the employer (except one that’s prone to self-destruction) will likely do everything possible to hold on to THAT employee.

Would You Like To Be That Kind Of Employee?

Do you want to work and get constantly courted by your employer for your ability to deliver desired results? If yes, here are three timeless strategies that can get you well on the way to becoming what some call a SUPER employee:

1. Do The Unusual

Sometimes it takes someone with fresh eyes or a critical mind to bring about badly needed changes or improvement in the workplace. Like the saying goes, in a place where everyone thinks alike, very little thinking is actually going on.

So, when you are at work, form the habit of trying to look at what you (and others) do from as many different perspectives as possible. E.g. It could be how you prepare your reports, with respect to the time it takes.

Then use the insights you gain to initiate new ways of doing things that could boost workplace productivity e.g. by reducing waste, minimizing delays etc. That will get you noticed.

But it’s just one way. You can think up many others. Just remember: be driven only by a sincere and honest desire to move the company forward towards its goals. Once you do that, the rewards you seek will come of their own accord.

2. Think Creatively

Every time you have to be at work, never settle for a mediocre outing. Challenge yourself to constantly apply critical thinking to every task you perform. There will be times when an oversight on your part could threaten to cause a major delay in operations for instance.

Don’t let the mistake you made terrify you so much that you stop trying to turn that particular situation around. Don’t give up until it’s actually too late. Keep trying to find a way to remedy the situation. Creative thinking applied with persistence can yield amazing rewards.

Sometimes it may even have been someone else – indeed your boss – who made the mistake. The average employee would mentally fold his/her hands under such situations, and wait for the disaster to unfold.

If you want to become a super employee try to make a difference at times like this – regardless of who is at fault. People will love you and talk favorably about you for this. And your employer will take note of it.

3. Do More Than Is Expected Of You

If you want to become a super employee who enjoys top of mind attention from the decision maker or owner of the company, then go the extra mile when necessary.

Here’s a true story that illustrates this.

One day, a young line manager was handing over to his night duty colleague at 9pm. Just then an old couple was brought in by the factory’s security personnel. They came to report that someone had an accident near their home in one of the company’s branded cars – and was badly injured.

The night duty senior colleague refused to go with the couple, saying he needed to attend to pressing factory production processes to avoid losses that could be in the millions.

The younger manager knew the company was paying them all to do the job. He also knew he could safely announce that he had closed, and instruct the security personnel to follow up the matter while liaising with the night shift manager.

However, his conscience made him choose to go the extra mile – especially because the life of a colleague could be at stake if timely action was not taken.

There was an initial painstaking process of finding a police station willing to assign a security patrol team to escort him and the company driver around till all was done. He ended up spending over six hours (right into the next morning) altogether.

Before leaving for home, he wrote a detailed incident report about all that transpired, for the factory manager to read on resumption.

Imagine how relieved the factory manager was to learn that the car and its occupant had been removed from the accident scene before day break. He was even further impressed to discover the detailed written report he could quickly study to prepare himself for questions from the headquaters, the victim’s family, and possibly reporters.

Summary

The above story is actually based on a real life series of events that took place in 1999.

It should also interest you to know that this singular act of dedication above and beyond the call of duty, got that young manger noticed by top management.

For instance, his incident report was widely circulated to senior managers in the company’s headquarters: The injured manager turned out to be a senior manager in the company, who managed the company’s branding and marketing efforts!

Less than one year later, the young manager began getting senior management secondments. Then there was a promotion, followed by more secondments. And in between those, came nominations to attend high profile international learning events.

One could argue that the above would still have happened even if he had not done what he did on that night.

The reality however is that some of his co-workers and senior colleagues actually complained about getting over looked for the opportunities given this young manager!

That spoke volumes about how the company’s decision makers were thinking. And it supports the message contained in the quote with which I started this post:

"All successful employers are stalking people who will do the unusual, people who think, people who attract attention by performing more than is expected of them." — Charles M. Schwab

If you want to become a super employee, follow the guidelines spelt out in this post, which were actually drawn from the above quote!