What is job security worth?
As much as we all love to have job security in whatever organization we are employed in, it’s healthier also not to be secured on one’s job. This may sound crazy to someone reading this but trust me you don’t want to be having the mindset that the job you are doing is the best life has to offer.
Talking about job security a little bit, what comes to mind are the words Guarantee, Safety, Assurance etc. Words usually associated with insurance cover. Now every individual working in a business environment would want to have some tangible level of assurance about his status on the job. Trust me you don’t want to have people tip toeing all over the place, afraid to make mistakes and not apply initiative when required. What such scenery breeds is a hostile working environment where people are just functional on their jobs and not intuitive and innovative.
If you brew a working environment where people are scared of whose going next with no assurance of their place in the firm, you may get some good out of them but not the best. The best always comes from within.
Self- willingness to go the extra mile, the inner drive to push the boundaries and do the perceived impossible. Simply put when people are secured on their job it creates an atmosphere for experiments. And trust me you’d love your employees to experiment cos it is in those mind labs that the best is produced. Take gold for example, it does not come out from the ground looking fine and radiant but after punning and fine tuning it’s lovely to behold. GIVE YOUR EMPLOYEES ROOM TO EXPERIMENT!! Believe me you’ll be grateful they did.
More importantly to the employees, even if you get the job security you dearly seek, don’t be secured on the job. Don’t ever think for a second that you have arrived because that will begin the reign of mediocrity. Life is full of opportunities and even more so in the toughest of circumstances. Circumstances bring instances for growth, newness and development. Don’t ever be comfortable where you are!
There’s something better out there for you. A higher level where you are, an opportunity to climb up the ladder and make a better person of yourself. Whatever you're earning now is not the best life has to offer. There's more for you out there but it won’t fall on your laps. You’ve got to demand it and that starts from the mentality of what’s the Next Big Thing. After reaching a milestone you should ask yourself ‘what’s the next big thing for you to achieve. Always wake up in the morning and challenge yourself that there is something better out there for you and you're going to get it.
In conclusion, leave the job of security to the organization, they are the employers, and focus on the next step. When athletes run a 100m sprint, they run with their toes not flat footed. Running on your toes shows the intention to get the best out of every leap, going flat footed shows complacency. Be the sprinter on his toes and avoid complacency. Ken Blanchard said 'the only job security you have today is your commitment to continuous personal improvement'.