How Much Loyal Should You Be to Your Employers?

Many people consider their company as their friend. For example, if you join a new company, you may also tend to think like this because during the process of interviewing and selecting you, everyone right from the HR manager of the company who may sound like an all-knowing Oracle to the manager of the department for working in which you have been chosen, may have talked to you sweetly. Thanks to such "a friendly treatment", you may think that you are special to the company. You may also assume that the company will be putting your career on the highway and so, you will be climbing your career rungs at hyper speed.

But only after the honeymoon period is over, the light bulb above your head will light up and you will realize that you have been terribly wrong in thinking that your company is your friend. Though it is wrong to assume that all companies will be like this, companies that really are empathetic towards their employees are becoming very rare.

The intention of most of the companies is to earn as much as possible with the help of their employees. If they think that you are not of any use to them or that you are not generating as much income for them as they want to have, they will not hesitate to throw you out.

You need not do a lot of research on the Internet or in the library to realize this bitter fact. But some elaboration may be worth its weight in gold.

A simple fact you should remember is that you, as an employee, is an asset or a resource to your company. This is perhaps the reason why you and all those who co-work with you are called "human resources." Any company will try to make the best use of its resources and assets so that they can generate the maximum profits. This means they will try to get the maximum out of you. This also means that wages and salaries your company pays to you are liabilities for them.

If you work hard and generate good profits for your company, the company keeps growing. But do not assume that since you are generating optimal profits for your company, you will be paid a higher salary. Even at the time of appraisal and even when you are due for a salary increase, you may be considered for a hike of only about 2 to 4% even if your company is earning 20, 30 or 40% or even more, thanks to your committed work.

That is the reason you are advised to reciprocate the same treatment to your company. THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD NOT DO YOUR WORK SINCERELY. But limit your output just to what is required. In other words, your main and foremost focus should be on your welfare and on the welfare of your family.

While carrying out your tasks, ensure that you do not do in excess of what is required. At the same time, you must always look for opportunities for networking, self-improvement and outside learning. "For me, it will be kaizen – constant and never-ending improvement – until my last breath” - These were the words an expert uttered at a business summit. Etch these words in your memory and keep improving yourself.

Simply put, it is not wise to attach a lot of value to your loyalty towards your company because the company is not loyal to you. Remember that employees like you are tiny pieces in the commercial galaxy where competition rules the roost. If you are not able to generate as much income as they expect, they will not hesitate to send you out.

Also, remember that the company will view you as their asset until you keep generating more revenue for them. But the moment they realize that the cost they incur on you is more than the income you generate for them, they will show you the door. To put it differently, if their liability towards your salaries or wages is more than the value you bring to them, they will not hesitate to ask you to leave the company.

So, you are always advised to keep looking for greener pastures. Keep expanding your network and have conversations with those who may have opportunities for you or who may guide you towards better opportunities. This type of "flirting for career growth" will certainly pay off at a later date.

But is there someone whom you can believe? Yes. But it is you and you alone whom you can believe. Never ignore the fact that your company or every other similar commercial enterprise adopts double standards. For instance, if you want to put in your papers, you have to give sufficient notice to your company. On the contrary, if the company decides to lay you off, they can ask you to leave immediately.

You may argue that the HR department of your company will protect your interests. But what does the HR department of companies do? They ensure to prepare the pay bills on time and make sure that the employees do their work efficiently.

If there are problems between one employee and another employee, the department may intervene and try to solve the problem. In other words, the HR department of any company will always be inclined to ensure that the interests of the company and not those of the employees are protected. Even the so-called HR policies are formulated in such a manner that they protect only the interests of the company and not your interest.

To summarize, know your company fully well and understand that your company is not your friend. This knowledge will help you tremendously in charting your own career course. In short, be sincere to your company but as far as loyalty is concerned, it should be more focused on yourself, your career, and your family than on your company.

Do You Need a Huge Amount to Start on Your Own?

Every person is unique. Some people may want to land in good jobs and earn. A few others may have entrepreneurial ambitions. If you belong to the latter group and if you want to start your own venture, do you need to invest heavily? Experts are of the firm opinion that it is enough if you have a small capital to begin your own venture. But they quickly add that you should have the skills that are required for launching the business, running it, and more importantly, sustaining in it. Simply put, lack of funds should not be and is not an impediment for starting on your own. On the contrary, the lack of skills required will prove to be a very big handicap. Let us delve a little deep into this.

Be a specialist.

If you think that superficial knowledge in your field is enough for launching your business, you cannot be more wrong. Apart from failing in the venture, you may land in various types of troubles that may include falling into a debt-trap, earning a bad reputation, not being able to fulfill promises and mental anguish due to the disappointments you will be experiencing in your venture. 

There is a distinct advantage of being a specialist. The world will certainly and very soon come to know of a specialist. Of course, you can take a few steps as well for letting the world know that you are a specialist. Once this happens, you will not face issues for mobilizing funds for launching your business. In fact, investors will flock to you and lure you by offering very attractive terms. In short, the problem of dearth for funds will not be there if you are a specialist.

You can earn more.

As a specialist, you can dictate your own terms including those that pertain to your income. In fact, your clients will be ready to pay you much more than what they will pay for generalists or non-specialists.  

Becoming a specialist is easier than being a jack of all trades.

Some people think that they should have all-round knowledge. They should realize the fact that by being informed or by having all-round knowledge, they are not going to derive any benefit at all. The only benefit, if you can call it so, is they can be good conversationalists and with their limited knowledge, they can talk superficially on any subject. Of course, their lack of in-depth knowledge will be exposed very soon. 

On the other hand, there are a few others who delve deep into their favorite subject. You are advised to emulate them and become a specialist in your field. In fact, making efforts to become a specialist is easy because you will be more focused than those folks who want to gain all-round knowledge. Such a strong focus will help you remain determined. You will, therefore, keep persevering to quench your thirst for specialized knowledge. 

In view of the foregoing, you are advised to become a specialist in your field. This alone is enough for starting on your own. There is no need for you to worry that you do not have huge funds for launching your business.

Never Underestimate Yourself

That there are a number of people who do not realize their own potential is a bitter fact. You may also belong to this group. Though there may be many reasons for this, the foremost among them is that you are afraid of failure. Ironically, there are people who are afraid of success as well. But regardless of these reasons, the fact remains that you are not able to realize your potential because you do not try anything new and you do not want to take risks. Read this sentence once again. YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO REALIZE YOUR POTENTIAL BECAUSE YOU DO NOT TRY ANYTHING NEW AND DO NOT WANT TO TAKE RISKS. You tread along the same path day in and day out. You are neither willing nor ready to break your stereotyped mindset, effect a change in what you do, how you think, or how you look at things. That is the reason you are not able to spot your potential, not to speak of putting your skills to use optimally. What does this situation lead to? Obviously, the biggest "Catch 22" is you will be underestimating yourself. But how to overcome this attitude of underestimating yourself? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Remember that you have been hired by your employers because you have some of the skills they require. But since you have been using these skills as a routine, you tend to forget that you have them with you. Therefore, while putting your skills to use, do not act like a "robot." Put your heart and soul into the tasks. Try to find if there are smarter ways to work. Provide insights to your peers and supervisors. This is how those with self-confidence act.

2. Read a lot. It is not that you should read whatever you lay hands on. Remember that some of the most successful titans like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are voracious readers. It is said that Warren Buffett reads 600 plus pages daily and he is choosy about what he reads. He reads only those books that can make him better in his field. This means you should also be more focused while choosing what you read. You must read only those materials and books that are related to your field. This habit alone will make you an expert and boost your confidence. There are two other distinct advantages by developing the habit of reading. In the present-day context, every bit of information is rapidly getting obsolete. By keeping abreast of the latest information in your field, you can defy what is known as the process of being pushed into the "old-timers group." Secondly, reading will expand your horizons and help you in performing better than others. You can run the race with the new generation as well. The result is you will be revered by your employers, supervisors, peers, and subordinates. 

3. Stress and anxiety are two important factors that lower your performance and productivity. This can happen despite your knowledge and expertise in your field. When your performance and productivity dip, you automatically start denigrating yourself. You will slowly begin underestimating your potential. But why will you experience stress and anxiety in spite of your expertise? It is mainly because you try to do all the tasks yourself. You do not delegate. Even if you delegate, you try to micro-manage and hand-hold those to whom you have entrusted the tasks. This approach is certain to increase your stress levels. Further, micro-managing the tasks of others kills their creativity. The only way to overcome this issue is to choose the right people, repose faith in them, and entrust the tasks that can be delegated to them. This will ultimately improve your performance and boost your confidence. 

To summarize, underestimating yourself is certainly an issue that can hamper the process of realizing your potential. You should, therefore, take steps to surmount this issue by pushing boundaries in order to grow in your career and progress in your life.