Lessons from a Bucking Bronco

Have you seen the new Spielberg movie, ‘War Horse,’ yet?  In short, it’s the epic story of a courageous horse and a boy set against WWI.  There’s a scene right after Britainenters the War where the British cavalry are charging unsuspecting German troops in the French woods.  Typical of the British, they appear well-prepared in all their uniform finery with swords blazing charging at the enemy. The Germans are initially caught off guard and run into the woods where they pummel the Brits with a barrage of machine-gun fire.

In essence, the Brits are fighting a new war using old war strategies, tactics and weaponry. 

Unfortunately, this is the misguided approach many otherwise well-intentioned workers (employed and unemployed) are taking to manage their careers in today’s tumultuous work climate.  First, let’s take those who are currently seeking work. They draft and redraft their resumes, design their 30-second pitches, suit up and charge into battle with gusto.  Their gut may be telling them this isn’t correct, but they continue the charge because it’s what they know and have always done in the past.  In no time, the illusion of replacing what they had (security, seniority, benefits, status, etc.) evaporates and gives way to exhaustion.  I often hear them say ‘It’s like a war zone out there.’  Many will take something, anything, just to stop the emotional bleeding and escape the battlefield.  No surprise. 

Those who are employed are just as confounded and perplexed about maintaining or creating some sense of security.  The shrinking and ever-changing workforce within organizations has been relentless. Those survivors of reorganizations and downsizing are like the battlefield wounded, some barely clinging to life.  The work residue from corporate employee purging has made 60-to-80 hr+ work-weeks the norm for the survivors.  Economists have a term for this movement of people in and out of the workforce– job churn.  Picture those Pepto Bismol commercials, yuc! 

So, what can you do?  

1. Recognize the workforce is forever changed. There’s no amount of wishful thinking that will change this.  Companies are leaner and, yes, meaner.  They have to be to stay competitive.  No longer does security reside in a job or a company. How can there be when both are evolving and changing so rapidly.   It’s as though you started your career on a pony calmly trotting around the trail following the pony’s lead.  Now that pony has morphed into a bucking bronco and you’re holding the reins for dear life.  If you’re thrown off, you try to get back on.  Ask yourself, why would you want to do this to yourself?

 The key here is to focus dependence away from employers and onto you!  I’m not suggesting this is easy; it isn’t.  I know I’ve said it before, but you need to think of yourself as self-employed regardless of where your paycheck is coming from.   

2.  Learn how to manage your career as if it is a small business.  This means investing in courses, reading about or engaging in activities that focus on business development skills.  Think like a small business person does and match what you do best with the needs of the customer (employer).  This approach will always lead to more sustainable employment because you’ll not be continually riding that bronco but observing it.  In this way, you’ll be able to see more clearly how to best fit your skills and talents with the needs of your customer/employer.  You won’t be thinking of your career only when there is chaos, but all the time.  When clarifying his unique offering, Miguel, a client of mine, said that his co-worker thought he was the ‘best business owner’ he’d worked with.  That’s an incredibly powerful perspective to be seen by others in that light. 

3.  Know what you offer and be able to state it clearly and authentically.  This is critical and takes some focused self-evaluation – no shortcuts here, no jargonize. When you can authentically state the value you can deliver to solve a problem, whether for a current or potential employer, you put yourself in control and shine.  Don’t try to appease that horse!  This will help you stay focused, and in the end you’ll be able to demonstrate what is valuable for both parties.

See your work life like aHollywoodmovie production team.  They come together to work on one project, the movie, and when it’s over they move on.  They have built a reputable collection of work for different companies in different settings and times.  Their work might be called ‘contract’ but it doesn’t insinuate risk.  In fact, they have created more security, not less, as they have established collaborative partnerships which will sustain them. 

Although this might seem frightening at first, the outcome will definitely get you off that bucking bronco and give you what you want – a more controlled and secure future.  What have you got to lose?