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Chapter 82
Workplace 2000: Top Career Strategies for the Professional

Sally Crawford

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the number of executives, managers, and administrative professionals who have lost their jobs in the last five years because of downsizing and corporate restructuring is double the number of those laid off between 1981 and 1988. The resultant feelings of uncertainty for today’s professionals can be paralyzing. This chapter offers managers four different strategies to help determine a plan of action to improve their career longevity.

A COMMON THREAD

If Bill Sheppard, formerly the systems training manager of Waste Management, is asked how he spends his time these days, he will say pursuing things he loves. One week Bill may lead an expedition for the Sierra Club in northern Michigan, or he may attend a week-long course in wilderness medicine in Minnesota, or sharpen his outdoor leadership skills at a conference in California. In between adventures, Bill teaches PC classes on a contract basis.

When Tim Steele, currently a senior consultant with Baxter Healthcare, is asked what he is doing these days, he is quick to respond with one word: more! When two Baxter divisions merged to reduce costs, Tim retained the IS training responsibilities for both groups. Although Tim’s internal customer base doubled in size, his responsibilities have increased exponentially.

Cynthia Rogers, formerly the manager of training organizational development for the U.S. Headquarters of Kraft General Foods, will say she is weighing the options. Kraft General Foods went through a major reorganization in 1993. According to Cynthia, it was like a game of musical chairs. When the music stopped, many people were left standing without a job. One of them was Cynthia. As she pursues a new career, Cynthia evaluates the benefits of independent consulting over another secure job with corporate America.

What do these workers have in common? All have been affected by downsizing, corporate America’s euphemism for eliminating jobs. Ten years ago, the term downsizing did not exist. In 1994, it is part of people’s everyday vocabulary and can even be found in the 1994 edition of Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, a record 1.5 million executives, managers, and administrative professionals have lost their jobs in the last five years — double the number of those laid off between 1981 and 1988. The consequences can be devastating, not only to the newly unemployed, but also to the currently employed who come to work each day wondering, What will happen to me? One IS manager for a large Midwestern manufacturing firm says the uncertainty is paralyzing. Focus used to be on moving products forward. Now, time is spent talking about personal situations and trying to predict the outcome.

In these uncertain times, what can middle managers do to find a job, keep a job, and even move ahead in their job? This chapter presents four strategies to help managers determine a plan of action to improve their career longevity. These strategies are based on numerous interviews with middle and senior managers from IS organizations across the country, leading books and periodicals, and the author’s experience within corporate America (at Xerox Corp.)and as an independent consultant who grew her business into a staff of 40.

STRATEGY NO. 1: PROVING ADDED VALUE

In the 1950s, managers could rely on seniority for ensuring their longevity with a firm; in the 1980s, they could count on performance as a key to their success. In the 1990s, however, it simply is not enough to go to work every day and do an acceptable job. Employees must constantly analyze and prove how they add value to the corporation. Unfortunately, most middle managers are so entrenched in a quagmire of day-to-day activities, that they do not take time to analyze their value and wrongly assume that their management will. Perhaps that was true a decade ago, but in the 1990s it is vital to make time and take responsibility for understanding and proving a manager’s value. The following suggestions can help achieve this goal.

Finding Out from People at the Top How They Define Value

It is difficult to prove value unless it is defined by an employer. Similarly, one person’s definition may be different from that of the people making the big-picture decisions. Managers should start with their immediate superior and work their way up in the organization. Connecting with a broad range of contacts from a variety of business areas will improve a middle manager’s understanding of the company’s value chain.1 They should consider asking senior managers how their department can help the company make money or save money. In other words, middle managers should focus on the same thing senior managers do: the bottom line.

Skeptics may not believe they will get financial information just by asking, but the experience of the author can be considered. Crawford Associates’ employees recognized the firm’s increased emphasis on profitability, but they did not have the specific information they needed to help affect the bottom line. Through their suggestions (more than once, from several people), the company implemented Report Card Day. This is a monthly meeting where senior management shares pertinent financial information (except individual salaries) with all employees. Report Card Day did not happen because of a stroke of genius, it came from employees repeatedly voicing their need for information that helps them make the company more successful.

If the employee’s company is large and networking proves difficult, getting information from a vendor can be considered — especially if the contact is well connected within the organization. Vendors often call on a wide range of clients, including people in key management positions. If they have done their homework, vendors can provide a big picture viewpoint about various business groups, people, and projects.


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