Are There Ways to Survive Tough Times?

By Robert Knowling, Chairman, Eagles Landing Partners

Economic cycles come and go, and when times are good and companies are hiring, life is good for people in the company. The same cannot be said for the tough recessionary times we are in today. Expense reduction and downsizing is all too familiar in businesses across the globe. The last three to four years have been especially challenging as markets eroded and serious economic turmoil hit the financial services industry, which had a trickle effect on other industries. Fear and uncertainty among employees consumes the workplace, as even the best employees wonder if they will have a job going forward.

I have never personally been downsized, but I have been in the corner suite when those tough decisions have been made, and these are some of the most difficult days in a company. So what advice would I give someone on how to deal with the uncertainty and to survive? I don’t like paint-by-number advice and like I mentioned, I have never been downsized, so I cannot speak from experience. What I can offer is what I have stressed to my children regardless of whether a company is hiring or going through some right sizing. “Make your performance speak so loudly that they have no choice but to talk about you.” What the heck does that mean?

Having a job is not a birthright unless your family owns the business, so what I am about to share applies to 99 percent of us out there. How you perform in your job is truly a personal option for all of us. You can follow orders and comply with the expectations set for you; or you can approach your job believing that the expectations are merely table stakes; that they are a basic requirement and, therefore, have a belief that the job entails and demands much more.

I’ve been in meetings where my executive team and I are discussing talent, and exceptional performance is always discussed. Always. This term, “exceptional performer,” spooks some people, but I believe there are some simple things you can do to position yourself to excel as an employee.

1. Dress for success. It is cliché, but it is the truth. You only have one chance for a first impression, and you do not want your first impression to be all about your attire. I once met a young female intern we had hired into our public relations/corporate communications group. Her boss brought her down to meet me. I could not get past the blue jeans she was wearing. Yes, we were working in a technology company and it was a Friday, but you never know who you are going to meet, and in her role, she represented our company to employees and the public, and on this Friday, she was meeting the CEO for the first time. This story has a great ending because this young lady impressed every senior executive in the company, so we were always discussing her in talent reviews. And, she has never worn a pair of jeans to work again. In another example, we had a network technician who wore a tie to work every day. When I encountered him for the first time, I didn’t know he was a technician. His boss later informed me that this technician always dressed that way and he did so because he was dressing for the job he desired to have next in the business and that was to be the supervisor.
2. There are no throwaway comments. Just as you only have one chance to make a first impression, you also must remember that you cannot retract something once you have said it. Be mindful of your language and your tone. It can be the only thing people remember about you.
3. Don’t hesitate to put the time in. Be early; stay late. It is not just about working long hours; rather, you can and should establish your workday routine. And, commit yourself to something better than an 8 to 5 employee tour of duty. I am not advocating that you show up early and leave late just to be in the office or doing it to impress your boss. I think it is important that people know you are dedicated to your work and that you are willing to put in the hours necessary to get your work done. Management would like to clone employees with a great work ethic.
4. Know your stuff. No matter what your work is, you have to know the details. Throughout my career, I have taken pride in the fact that when given a job I had very little knowledge of, I would find the people in my organization who could teach me the details. There is nothing better than being so intimate with the details of your work that the rest of your colleagues know you can be counted on; that you will have the answers to their questions; or that you will know how to find the answer.
5. Always be on. Be available and attentive to the needs of your work. With the advent of iPhones and Blackberries, your responsiveness to your work responsibilities can be a differentiator between you and the next person being considered.

Now, these are not ironclad rules; rather, this is simple advice I have instilled in my children.

At the end of the day, the reality is that everyone is replaceable. What you are trying to do is make it such that when your leaders sit around a table going through the tough process of determining whom in their organization they can do without, your name is the one they put on the list as the kind of talent they have to find more of.

Robert Knowling is the chairman of Eagles Landing Partners, a consulting firm, and the former CEO of Telwares, SimDesk Technologies, and COVAD Communications. Earlier he had a long career in telecommunications, starting at Indiana Bell and including senior executive positions with Ameritech and US West. He was the first CEO of the NYC Leadership Academy, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to improving the leadership skills of public school principals. He is the author of “You Can Get There from Here: My Journey from Struggle to Success” (by arrangement with Portfolio/Penguin, 2011).