Companies today often see long-term employees as a liability. They want to figure out whether they can turn an employee into a contractor or replace them with someone younger who works cheaper, has less accrued vacation time and receives fewer benefits. Maybe they can even outsource that job overseas. Or better yet, replace them with one of those monkeys from Thailand.
1. Be dispensable
Conventional wisdom says you want to be indispensable. But if you’re indispensable, you’ll always be stuck in the same job at the same level, always be working toward another level up in terms of skill sets. If you reach a spot in your current company where you can’t go higher, someone else will always find a spot for you.
There are always openings for people who get things done. And if there isn’t, they are created.
2. Think like an entrepreneur
Even as an employee in the corporate world, to succeed at a high level, you must think like an entrepreneur. Make decisions as if it were your business and your money.
That doesn’t mean playing it safe. It means being bold and looking for opportunities. Think like Facebook and other tech startups. Move fast.
3. Become a lifelong student
The most sought-after currency in the new economy will be ideas—and the people who create them. The education system and even most company training tracks are hastening their own irrelevance. Why? Because they don’t develop critical thinking skills.
Take personal responsibility for your own learning. Develop your own abilities for lateral, creative and critical thinking, and you’ll never want for a job.
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