Posts published in July 2016

3 out-dated beliefs about the corporate world[The Foolish Couple @Home Series]Do you believe that if your company performs well then your job is secure?Do you think that, if you work hard and do well at work, that you will be rewarded accordingly?These may be ‘beliefs’ that were passed down to us from our grandparents and our parents, however they are no longer true. Things have changed. But my company is different …Every company has their unique qualities and struggles. Every company has a different culture, a unique heartbeat. Every company has a differentiating personality and its own habits.Some are more energetic. Others are sleepy. Some are like lions that opens its mouth wide and eats its prey whole. Others chew in small bites and digest slowly.However, there are also commonalities amongst almost all corporations. Even for B-corps and non-profits. Every Corporations have ‘Comfort Zones’Like a thermostat. If the temperature drops below 70 degrees, it kicks on the Heater. If it goes above 72 degrees, it turns on the Air Conditioner. 70-72 degrees is your comfort zone.  When income drops below a certain level, companies panic. They quickly take actions to bring it back to the ‘Comfort Zone’.When profits skyrocket, companies would go on a shopping spree, buying smaller, more gullible companies. Or they would pass it out as dividends.Remember a company called Excite? Sun Microsystems? Even the most glamorous companies can fall hard and vanish.Over my years as an independent consultant, I came across so many people that are loyal to their companies. They work hard, they are proud of their jobs, and they put their heart and soul into their work. Only to be downsized / right-sized. People are trapped in their corporate jobs over and over again, because they have been ‘pre-conditioned’ to believe that they should dedicate their lives to their jobs. There are some beliefs that are especially deceiving: Belief #1: IPO’s are the way to goA few years ago, I was consulting in a pre-IPO company. And this company had the most successful IPO’s in history. On the first day, their stock price shot up from $30 to over $200. It was a joyful day for the employees.Since that day, those who have fully vested promptly left. Those who have not started counting the days until they would be vested.Turns out, most of them were miserable. The long, grueling hours, the work load, the pressure, the stress, neglecting their family and friends had made them unhappy, feeling under appreciated and over stressed.As success coaches, we teach our clients to value their time and to achieve whole life balance. Your value to your company is not determined by how many hours you put in. It’s not about how much time you put in. It’s about what you put into that time.Belief #2: My company is doing well therefore my job is safe.This belief may have been true 30 years ago, but not today.Today, mergers and acquisitions are common. When 2 companies become 1, many roles and responsibilities become redundant and therefore eliminated. Re-organizations, right-sizing…