Met another great guy who went to work one day to find someone else sitting in his office chair. Hand over the keys, the laptop, the cell phone – here’s your hat, what’s your hurry?

This is the second story Barb and I have heard in one week about folks suddenly finding themselves jobless – and in some respects, clueless.

In 1996, two years before the final buy-out of my corporation, 17 years after I started work with them, I was handed a small book that said (in a nutshell), “Hey we don’t OWE you a job! It’s YOUR responsibility to make yourself useful to us!”  Frankly, I was shocked and quite a bit angry when I read that book. What it seemed to be saying was longevity meant nothing and loyalty – fugetaboutit!!  But then, I read it a second time and realized, What if they are right?

I looked at the way I was doing my job and frankly, I was on autopilot. Sure I suited up and showed up every day, I did my job. I never cheated or short-changed anyone. But the fire was definitely tampered. My job had basically become automated – sales reps in the automotive field were becoming replaced by inventory-ordering systems and buyers were trading discount for personal service.  The world was a’changin’ and what was I going to do about it?

Right then, I decided the writing was on the wall and I was going to make my mark along with it! I was not going to be another middle-aged guy standing in unemployment hoping for a job just like the job that handed me my hat!  I was going to expand my horizons.

What can you do to make yourself either more appealing to your employer or prepared in case you come face to face with forced change? What can you do to keep your skills updated, your horizons wide and your options open?  Here’s what I did:

1.  I always knew how to type but I became really good at basic computer programs such as ACT!, Word, Excel, QuickBooks and the like. I learned not only how to surf the ‘Net but to dive INTO it, discovering the nuances and the shortcuts. I would never compare myself to the younger kids who grew up on computers – but my skills were not hand-eye game coordination.  They were tangible business savvy skills that became more visible and more useful with technology.

2.  I became proficient at hardware and learned that computer parts are similar to auto parts. I could buy – and sell – both. In essence, I honed skills that were transferrable and became proficient at current market trends.

3.  I took the time to mourn the loss of an era, and then I got over it. I was lucky in that my wife, Barbara, had started Synthesis in 1994; and in 1998, I came into her business after I took my buy-out. But I opened my own division. What Barb is great at, I am good at – and vice versa. I did not try to become what I wasn’t – I just took my corporate skills and transferred them to small business. I found that business is business and sales is sales and talent always is a commodity. 

4.  Finally, I tried new things. Synthesis was offered the opportunity to train on the ACT! program nationwide – I became a trainer in three weeks. If I hadn’t spent those two years prior discovering the nuances of that program, it would not have been possible. That little book became my greatest springboard for change and success.

Was it tough? You bet it was. I was at the top of my field when I became redundant to the corporate world. But my greatest strength was and still is – resiliency.

If you have become complacent, or even comfortable – take the New Year to shake things up a bit and make something new happen for yourself. There really are priceless opportunities out there – no matter what your current skill set.

By learning something new every week and stretching your abilities, you’ll be more confident, a better employee and most of all, ready for any challenge if it happens to come your way.