Never Lose Your Job Become A More Valuable Player And IMPROVE YOUR BOTTOM LINE DEVELOP MVPs TODAY by Jim Rohrer © 2011 The Loyalty Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic recording or photocopying without written permission of the publisher. The exception would be in the case of brief quotations. Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within. Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Books may be purchased in quantity and/ or special sales by contacting the publisher: Bi-Book Press PO Box 1023 Evergreen Colorado, 80439 or e-mail at Bi-bookpress.com Table of Contents Forward Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Acknowledgments Jim Rohrer Speaks Why You Should Listen Sample of: Improve Your Bottom Line Develop Mvps Today FOREWORD Never Lose Your Job Become a More Valuable Player is a bi-book; that is, you get two books in one. Its format, which addresses employers under one cover and employees under the other, is my attempt to get both to exchange points of view. I believe exchanging perspectives is the most powerful way under the sun to facilitate progress in anything. To make significant progress, we must change our frame of reference. If you have a job and are valuable enough to your employer, you can probably be secure in your employment. This half of the book will give you some real-life ways to become The other half of the book is directed to employers, suggesting to them some simple ways they can develop the MVPs (More Valuable Players) who will improve the profitability of their business. If I can help even in a small way to reduce layoffs and improve some businesses’ viability, it’s worth the effort. I believe the economic crisis we’ve been enduring since late in 2008 has brought us to a crossroads. Businesses need to be more creative than ever to succeed. They need to rethink much of what they At the same time, employees are experiencing unprecedented numbers of job losses. Those who are employed are asking themselves, The most valuable asset any business has is its people. You and your fellow workers largely determine the success of the business you’re in, yet you may not be feeling so valuable in these turbulent times. Your boss wants top performing employees, yet he or she may not have taken the time to understand what you and your fellow workers most seek in your job, beyond your paycheck. We know that, like air, a paycheck is necessary for life, but once you have it, there are many other factors which affect how you feel about your job. As an employee, you can virtually insure your own job security if you become valuable enough to the long term success of the company. If you could walk in your bosses’ shoes, and he or she could walk in yours, you would greatly increase your probability of getting what’s really important to each of you. We all live in our own frames of reference. Our personal perspectives largely define how we see the world. It’s no surprise that our astronauts come back from outer space changed individuals. They see the world in a way that’s impossible to see while their feet are on the ground. Anyone who has travelled abroad learns that the world does not revolve around the USA. Unfortunately, most Americans assume it does. I was about to graduate from Air Force Officer Training School, as a Second Lieutenant, otherwise known as a My last stop was a visit with a tough, old Sergeant. Among our instructors, he gave us the very best training we received during the entire course. Sarge pointed out that today we were trainees, but tomorrow we’d be junior officers, and, as was the tradition, if we passed, he’d be saluting us! He further pointed out that the salute was out of respect for the gold bars we wore, not necessarily for the wearer. He further explained that non-commissioned officers like himself, who earned their rank by experience, actually ran the Air Force. They largely determined the success or failure of each day’s mission. The old sergeant went on to tell us that our individual effectiveness as officers would be determined by our ability to work with those who had the experience. If we insisted on believing and acting as if we knew everything, we would fail. We’d never earn the respect of those whom we outranked. If, on the other hand, we were able to respect the experience represented by those who had been there and actually done the work, we’d become successful leaders. Our careers and the Air Force would benefit from that leadership. On graduation day, as we filed past the reviewing stand, there was the old Sergeant saluting every one of us. I never forgot his message and his salute. I’ve tried to earn that salute by honoring the lesson he taught me. In the second half of this book, I hope to influence your boss so he’ll listen more keenly to you and your ideas. I’m hoping your boss will stop and consider what’s important to you and your fellow workers. By the same token, I want you to think about what it’s like to be responsible for the livelihoods of many who count on the success of the business to provide the jobs so necessary to survive in today’s job-shrinking economic times. Trying harder won’t improve results nearly as much as exchanging perspectives with your boss. Truly, you have to walk in each other’s shoes to understand how working for mutual goals can insure that the company will not only survive but thrive. In turn, you’ll have a much better chance of staying employed. The current economy may have you scared to death. If you’re like many Americans, you couldn’t survive long without your monthly paycheck. I know exactly how you feel. I once had a job that was critical to my financial well-being. But I also knew I was overpaid for the job I’d been given! Due to a complicated set of circumstances, the job responsibilities had been lessened after the pay level was set. In other words, I was being paid more than my contributions were worth to the organization. It gets worse. Because of this fear, I became less aggressive about doing the job. For the first time in my career, I was timid and unwilling to give the tasks at hand all I had. I’m not saying I didn’t work hard and put in the time, but I just didn’t give it the benefit of my many years of experience. I could have performed better, but fear of losing the job caused me to underperform. As soon as the first opportunity for a downsizing occurred, I was part of the downsizing. I feel particularly bad about the result of my less than stellar performance, because others who worked for me were also downsized. Every job, whether it’s sweeping the floor or being the CEO, has two levels of compensation appropriate for that job. The first is whatever the company would have to pay to get someone else to perform the job at a satisfactory level. The second level is the economic worth the organization gets from outstanding performance by the jobholder. Let’s say you’re driving a truck and servicing the company’s customers. If you’re making the expected number of service calls and successfully completing the calls, your pay should be at the level the company would have to pay to replace you. If, on the other hand, you’re not only making your expected calls, but you’re also creating a positive experience in the minds of your customers; you’re going above what’s expected. By creating a favorable view of your company, you’ve actually raised your value to the company. Your employer might decide to raise your pay, either by some merit pay based on the performance plan, or just by recognizing you with a base increase. In either case, you need to continue to perform at that current level or higher. If you’re following this example, you may say, Isn’t there a pay benefit for longevity on the job? In our current competitive environment, the answer is no, unless that extra experience translates into performance that helps your company compete more successfully. One only has to look at the American automotive companies whose pay practices, from the plant floor to the boardroom, were not supported by the same level of economic value to the companies. Companies who overpay their employees will not be able to stay in business. There’s no doubt the one significant factor in the millions of lost jobs is that, as in the case of me in the job I lost, the pay was greater than the benefit received by the company. If you want job security, you should strive to be underpaid, not overpaid! This book was written to help you gain practical ways to increase your value to your employer. If you become a MVP, you’ll have greater job security, and you may even have the boss tap you for a tougher, higher-paying job. I hope you’re excited to read my ideas about how you can become a MVP. If your employer gave you this book, it says he or she is looking for a new level of partnership with you. One which will benefit you and make the company better able to sail through this tough economy and whatever competitive challenges it may face in the future. Be sure to read the employer side of this book as well. This is meant to be a partnership between employee and employer. CHAPTER ONE I’m sure you’ve heard someone say You may not like hearing that, but it's true that what's running through your mind has a lot to do with how you’ll perform. Your attitude can be either a limiting or a positive factor; however, attitude adjustment is not a simple matter. We’re all familiar with the idea of the glass half full or half empty. It’s true that we all see things in different ways. I know I’m a person who always anticipates achieving a positive goal or focuses on an upcoming pleasant experience. My wife Nancy is quite different. She has a tendency to look for ways to avoid unpleasant events. If I were to propose purchasing a new car, I’d have a difficult time getting her excited about the shiny new vehicle because she’d see the cost more clearly than the enjoyment factor. If, on the other hand, I pointed out that our current vehicle is old and we’re facing future high maintenance costs, she’d be inclined to want to avoid those costs and favor the purchase. Neither of these views is correct or incorrect, they’re just different. Some of us hear a set of facts and automatically try to validate these facts in our mind. Others of us immediately try to invalidate the facts in our mind. One of us hears their inner voice saying Others hear The point here is to encourage the realization we can’t always just turn on a positive attitude when faced with a set of facts. While such an attitude is universally sought, we have to work hard to train our minds to be open to process facts in a positive manner, one which moves us forward rather than being a burden to success. Let’s look at the four key ingredients of a positive attitude: confidence, adaptability, innovation and personal growth. CONFIDENCE EQUALS PREPARATION PLUS BELIEF TIMES PASSION Just like the classic children’s book, The Little Engine That Could, knowing you have it in yourself to do something makes it much more possible to accomplish. This thing called confidence is important. Oh, you might say that just believing doesn't make it happen. You’re right, of course, but if you actually prepare for whatever you’re trying to do, and then give it everything you have, it's much more likely to come true. When I was a twelve year old boy, I played on a little league baseball team. I was a pretty good ballplayer because my dad had spent many, many hours teaching me to hit, throw and catch a baseball. We had a rock in the front bushes that we’d pull out and use as an imaginary first base. Since I wasn’t a fast runner and didn’t have a very strong throwing arm, we decided I’d be a first baseman. We spent many hours with Dad throwing me the ball so I had to reach for it and stretch to keep my foot on that rock. In addition to working on fielding, we’d go up to the schoolyard, and he’d pitch dozens of balls to me to improve my hitting. He knew hitting was about timing and timing required that you swing early. Most kids swing late, but Dad taught me to swing early and hard. That lesson enabled me to hit the ball most of the time. It was this preparation that made it possible for me to make the baseball team. In those days there weren't enough teams to accommodate every kid who wanted to play. You had to be good enough to get picked for the team. I’m sure that without the hard work and preparation with my Dad, I wouldn’t have made the team. About half way through the season, I had a bad streak with my hitting. I was striking out a lot. I hated to strike out, so I stopped swinging and hoped to get a walk. It wasn't that hard to do because many pitchers didn't have good control. They could throw hard, but they might not get the ball over the plate. I got to the place where I was walking once or twice a game, but getting called out on strikes the other times. When that happened, I blamed it on a bad call by the umpire. This was my way of avoiding swing-and-miss strikeouts. One week right before we were to play a good team with the best pitcher in the league, my mother announced we wouldn't be going to the game that week. “What do you mean,” I asked? “Of course, we have to go to the game.” “No,” Mom said, “your Dad and I decided since you’re afraid to swing and Westfall is pitching in this one, it doesn’t make sense to even go. He won’t walk you and you won’t swing, so what’s the point?” I was horrified. I couldn’t believe we’d just not show up. What would my coach and teammates think? This was a big game and not going was like giving up and being a bad teammate. I begged them to change their mind, but there was no budging their decision. I thought about the whole thing of not swinging, and realized it was what would be called at the time, a “sissy way” out of my batting slump. I mentioned to Dad that maybe we should take some extra time practicing hitting at school. Then I’d be better prepared to face Westfall. “No, it's too late for that,” he said. “You’ve made up your mind you can’t hit, so let's just forget the whole thing.” I couldn't sleep at night; I was totally filled with the thoughts of what my teammates would say about my not coming to face Westfall. They’d say I was “chicken.” I guess in a way, I was. Anyway, it was an awful week. The game was on Thursday, and on that morning, I made one more attempt to get the decision changed. I told my parents I’d swing at any pitch over the plate. I promised there would be no walks. They listened to me and they softened their stance a little. Dad said he’d think about it at work, and if he changed his mind, he’d call in time for us to go to the game. I had an awful day because I was convinced we weren’t going to the game. I kept asking Mom if Dad had called. He hadn't, and the reality that I was too “chicken” to face Westfall hung over me all day. The game was to start at four o'clock. About 3:15, the call came. Mom put me on the phone. Dad said he’d allow me to play if I kept my promise to swing at strikes. I promised and hurried to get my uniform on and head out to the ball park. When we got there, I noticed my Dad was just pulling up, but I hardly acknowledged him. I was still plenty upset by what had happened that week. I saw Westfall warming up on the sideline, but didn't allow myself to watch how hard he threw. Since I batted third, I knew I’d be facing him in the first inning. I can still remember standing in the on-deck circle. I wasn't thinking about striking out. I wasn't thinking about how hard Westfall was pitching. My only thought was that he’d throw strikes, and I’d be swinging. If I struck out; so what! I wouldn’t go down without a swing. I stepped into the batter’s box without looking around to see if my Dad was watching. I heard him say, “Come on Jimmy, you can' do it.” The first pitch was way over my head. I didn't swing because it was so far up, I couldn't have hit it if I wanted to. The next pitch looked like a strike. I swung as hard and fast as I could. I hit it in fact, I hit it hard. As I looked up, I saw it clear the right center field fence. Actually, I wasn't all that surprised. I thought I’d be able to make contact somehow. It wasn't until later, it actually sunk in that I’d hit a home run off Westfall. I can't remember hitting too many home runs in my baseball career. I wasn’t a great power hitter, but I did manage to hit the ball somewhere most of the time. I know now what the reasons were: we prepared by practicing and because I swung. I’ve never forgotten the old idea that “You can’t get a hit if you don’t swing.” My parents added the element of passion. They got my attention and taught me to always try my very best. They let me know they could live with me striking out, but not with me not trying. I got that message. What does my boyhood story have to do with you becoming a MVP at work? Like the lessons I learned, your boss will have little patience for those who don't “take a swing,” even when the odds of “getting a hit” are a long shot. AN EXERCISE FOR DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE First, think carefully about the task ahead. Break it down and try to figure out how you can prepare yourself for what's to come. If it's a conversation with a customer, think about what that customer is likely to want. Figure out how you can make the desired result happen, or at least how you can come close to making it happen. Next, think carefully about what's at stake. What will happen to the organization when you succeed? Don't think about “striking out.” Focus on the desired outcome with your entire mind. Think about how much you’ll enjoy telling your boss about the great outcome. Focus on how proud you’ll be to have done your part. Then, think about the other person, the customer or whomever you had to work with to accomplish the goal. Think about how much they’ll appreciate your effort. Confidence is one of those things that grows with each success. Every time you accomplish something important, you become that much more certain you’re a valuable person with unusual skills. Of course, there’ll be times when you’re not 100 percent successful, but like my baseball experience; you’ll have more confidence than if you failed to take a swing. YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ADAPT Isaac Asimov, the author of over 500 books, wrote The only constant is change. He certainly was correct. I can remember before there was TV; I can remember my first plane ride, my first computer and my first very large cell phone. Today, I tweet! Today’s college students entirely missed Johnny Carson, the OJ Trial, dress codes anywhere, the Beatles, and many other iconic people and events that are part of my history. Change comes upon us daily. For this reason, adaptability must be on everyone’s list of required attitudes to become a MVP at anything. Have you ever been frustrated with someone who won’t change their approach or attitude because they just can’t drop the old way of thinking? We may have unpleasant names for these folks, like “fuddy-duddies” or “old school” or just plain “out of touch.” When there’s a lack of adaptability by someone, it becomes a significant barrier to success. In too many companies, “back to the basics” means doing the same unsuccessful things again, but trying harder. Trying harder doesn’t work when you have the wrong frame of reference. We must change our frame of reference or the way we see things, before we can demonstrate adaptability. I’m proposing that you adapt to new circumstances by embracing new ideas, new approaches and new ways of thinking about things. Change is inevitable. Without it, you stagnate. Otherwise, you should accept the fact that differences require different approaches. I’ve never fully understood the old saying “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” Since I lack “cat-skinning” experience or interest, I can’t validate that, but it sounds right. My adaptability story happened many years ago. I had just been made the Regional Personnel Manager of a group of retail stores in Detroit. The stores were not doing well. In fact, their profitability ranking was among the worst in the entire company. When I arrived, I was told the stores had too many people, and they were too highly paid. In addition, the pay levels, numbers, and general poor performance had us last in productivity and profit. The good news was there was a plan. It included a massive layoff. Surely this would be the answer. Every facet of the plan had been developed to the smallest detail. This had clearly been in the works a long time. The company had never experienced layoffs, but it had been explained that Detroit understands layoffs. That’s the way the car companies do it, and everyone understands this method of cost reduction. Just follow the union procedure, even though these were not union stores. Everyone will understand and accept the process. I remember thinking that letting go of the youngest, the lowest paid, and often the ones highest in individual productivity, while keeping the high seniority, higher paid, often less productive individuals seemed wrong. But I was the new guy and so, I didn’t challenge the “well developed plan.” The day before the layoff was to occur; we got a call from the new company president. I remember it like it was yesterday. He got all our staff on the speaker phone and the conversation went something like this: Fellas, I just was informed about the layoff plan. I apologize for calling at the very last moment. I can’t approve this plan. First, we have never done layoffs. I think it rips the company fabric. I know you’re a new team and you feel badly about the poor profit performance of the Detroit Group, and you want to change that. I’m sure you will. The folks who you would let go are not the reason the group is doing so poorly. The reason is actually years and years of poor decision making by the leaders in Detroit. We should not take away employee jobs because we’ve failed. Again, I’m sorry for the last minute call, but I want you to come up with a new plan. I’m sure your new plan will take longer and that’s okay. Let’s do the right thing. Let me know about the new plan as soon as you have one. Have a good day. You could have heard a pin drop in the room. It took some time to develop the alternative plan. Before any new plan was even possible, the group had to understand the change that had happened and to accept that, they had to deal with that change. At first, there was a lot of complaining and general wailing about the president, who just didn’t understand that “Detroit is different.” No one even began to think about a new plan until it became clear that the old culture was being called into question by the new president. This culture dictated how we thought about our people. For many years, the Detroit stores believed Detroit was, indeed, different because of the highly unionize environment. Conventional wisdom said, the way to stay non-union, was to do things and act as the unions would dictate. In other words, follow the rules union operations had in place. The heart of this mentality was, “Seniority is the most important element in a person’s status.” What they produced was not important, or in many cases, not even noted or tracked. The new president was telling Detroit its people were much more than their collective seniority. He felt that laying them off was dehumanizing and unfair. Detroit believed as long as the union rules defined the lay-off, it was okay. This distinct difference was at the heart of the need for a new strategy. The new strategy was to count on the employees to deliver the turnaround by achieving greater results. If each could somehow improve their individual productivity, even a little bit, it would raise the total performance of all the stores. The new way of thinking about people and what they could contribute didn’t come easily. The old thinking was deeply entrenched. New job standards had to be defined and written for all jobs. The new standards had to be communicated to everyone. Some people had a hard time understanding that the change would protect those who produced at or above the standard of their job. That was like speaking an entirely new language. Some managers couldn’t implement the new plan. They had to be replaced with those who understood and believed in the new way. Some employees couldn’t adapt to the new way of thinking either. Many of them didn’t even try. They submitted their resignations or retired. Most welcomed and accepted the new ideas. Slowly, productivity began to rise, based on the improved individual results of many of the employees. The economy was very bad, especially in Detroit. Layoffs were common at many companies in the area. Managers talked about the layoffs and announced there would be no layoffs here. We just have to make our numbers, and then we’ll be okay. Training and support were stepped up. Those who tried hard, but just needed a little more help, received that necessary assistance to improve their performance. This transformation was not a quick one, as the president had forecast. It took about two years before the stores’ performances were approaching satisfactory levels. Once the change started to happen, it came more swiftly. After another two years, the stores were among the most profitable in the entire company. They were now setting standards instead of bringing up the rear. The focus on results was a source of pride among all the employees. The point here is that the ability to change and adapt to a new set of circumstances caused the success. Without that change of heart and focus, the same dismal results would have surely followed. The other point is, change wouldn’t have been made without the intervention of an outside force, in this case the new president. Current tough economic conditions will undoubtedly mean dealing with change. Your ability to recognize the need for change and to adapt and embrace it will go a long way toward making you a MVP. One who delivers winning results. GET THAT INNOVATIVE SPIRIT YOU CAN LEARN FROM MOMS THEY’RE INNOVATIVE! It has been said, the ability of America to be successful for well over 200 years is a testimony to the innovative spirit of our people. We’re in a desperate fight to retain our leadership in the worlds of business and science. Despite the cynics who honestly believe our run as world leader is coming to an end, I don’t believe that. We’ve faced many [...]... are no menial jobs, only menial attitudes.” That means whatever your job; you’ll do it better if you consider your attitude as an important part of what you contribute to your job CHAPTER TWO YOUR PERSONAL CHARACTER TRAITS DEFINE WHO YOU ARE Before a newborn ever leaves the hospital, there are those who see a likeness to one or both of the parents It’s clear that physical appearance characteristics... 2nd, and 3rd bases, left and right field No one else has ever been selected as an All-Star at more than two positions He won a gold glove award and six batting titles He won three championship rings He played in the major leagues for 24 seasons, making the All-Star team 17 times He won Rookie of the year and two Most Valuable Player awards His lifetime batting average is 303 Here’s the important thing... organization, may contain many such distractions You have to deal with them because they’re real, but the more you can stay focused on what’s important to moving your department or the organization forward, the better you’ll do Being that person who everyone characterizes as hardworking will dramatically improve your stature in your organization and move you ever closer to being a MVP TO SUMMARIZE THE HARDWORKING... who can’t read Until Alzheimer’s disease took away his mental capability at age 90, he remained committed to the idea that learning was a neverending, lifetime endeavor In his later years, he often criticized his contemporaries because they had become hardened to many ideas made years earlier, when the circumstances were much different He’d laugh and say, “Things change, but my friend’s opinions never. .. may not know about Pete Rose His natural ability didn’t come close to matching the hard work and desire that made him a champion in baseball His father taught him to work harder than everyone else and to always hustle It’s no coincidence his nickname was “Charlie Hustle.” His neversaydie attitude made him the one fans wanted to see come up to bat when the game was on the line I bring up his baseball... service and save money, perhaps you can negotiate a way to save half the money, while still meeting your service standards An alternative approach might be if you can’t save any money, with the proposed process, maybe you can save it somewhere else All these ideas can be good negotiating techniques You are acknowledging your bosses’ need to save money, while not giving up on what’s important to you You may... longer alive She reasoned that if someone could provide a snapshot of their home, she could do a miniature oil painting of it Mom packaged each with an easel and small, but handsome frame She was able to do them relatively quickly so the price she had to charge was moderate, allowing virtually everyone to own one of her house paintings She laughed about her new career as a “house painter.” Some artists... extra preamble I was in charge of a large inbound call center network taking telephone sales calls for the famous Sears Catalog This was a huge network with centers in ten cities linked together with an inbound call system The network employed thousands of part-time employees who took great pride in their jobs as “Catalog Consultants.” We had a small headquarters staff who oversaw the network As you... happens every day, but MVPs like Peyton Manning don’t fail to prepare He’s considered the best quarterback in the National Football League, both for his physical skills and mental strategy skills No other quarterback can match his “audible skills” and instinctive ability to call the right play SUMMARY As this chapter on attitude concludes, consider how important attitude is to your becoming a MVP at... example, a hardworking ethic was driven by the notion that what I do counts, and someone else is relying on me to do my part well The other element in organizations that defines whether the climate is right for hardworking individuals is the elimination of distractions This was a new organization and there wasn’t any “We have always done it this way.” Your situation, working for a more mature organization, . you have, it's much more likely to come true. When I was a twelve year old boy, I played on a little league baseball team. I was a pretty good ballplayer because my dad had spent many, many. hours teaching me to hit, throw and catch a baseball. We had a rock in the front bushes that we’d pull out and use as an imaginary first base. Since I wasn’t a fast runner and didn’t have a very. Never Lose Your Job Become A More Valuable Player And IMPROVE YOUR BOTTOM LINE DEVELOP MVPs TODAY by Jim Rohrer © 2011 The Loyalty Partners, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this book may