"The traditional admonition of one generation to the next, 'Get a job,' has been replaced with the more complex and bewildering mandate, 'Go out and create a job for yourself.'"

George Gendron, Editor
Inc. Magazine

"The dependent society is dying, the independent society taking its place."

Mary Ann Sieghart, Reporter
The Times in London

"The climax of individuation is the shifting of the primary support from the external to the internal, from the environment to the self."

Dr. Nathaniel Branden
Psychologist, author, and expert on self-esteem

Good-bye to job security
Welcome to the new world of work. This is a world where loss of job security, brought about by social, technological and cultural changes, has created a crisis for many of us. It is a world where jobs are disappearing, and where rapid change has created a feeling of shifting sands beneath our feet. Part-time, temporary, freelance and contract work are replacing regular jobs. No longer can we be looking for security in the form of a lifetime employment opportunity.

Good-bye to the authoritarian organization
The new world of work values team players and those with an entrepreneurial spirit. We are moving from a hierarchical structure in organizations that focus on superior-subordinate relationships to a more team-oriented structure. Authoritarian organizations have stifled personal initiative, innovation, creativity and the entrepreneurial spirit. In the new work world, the self-interest of the individual will be aligned with the goals of the organization, and the entrepreneurial spirit will be encouraged and championed. The future will see more and more companies where people are paid, not for their positions, but for their performance. In "The Tom Peters Seminar", consultant Tom Peters advises managers: "I urge you to imagine not just empowering employees but turning them into full-fledged businesspersons. That's right, a company of 100% entrepreneurs."

Re-vitalizing the democratic ideal in the workplace
In the new work environment, team-centered work situations are hopeful for the re-vitalization of the democratic ideal. Organizational structures which encourage mutual respect, cooperation, personal responsibility, and contribution are now evolving. In order to accomplish a team task, people must set aside their differences in order to achieve the collective goal. A positive and rewarding team experience affirms the value of each member of the team.

Crisis equals opportunity
The loss of jobs and job security has created a crisis. In Chinese the word for crisis is a combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity. On one hand, the lack of job security can bring fear, anxiety and stress. On the other hand, it can bring opportunity for personal growth and achievement.

Being put to the test
In this dejobbed world, we are put to the test. This environment challenges us to be resourceful in finding new ways to create work opportunities. There are many contemporary examples of people, who, when forced to draw upon their own inner resources after having lost their jobs or a series of jobs, have gone on to great success in their work life. Some became self-employed, some became successful entrepreneurs, and some continued to work for others. However, the people who attained success were those who were not willing to settle for less. They were not set back by adversity. They persevered until they achieved their goals. I produced a television program about such people called The Legacy of Achievement which aired on PBS television stations throughout the United States in 1994.

Satisfaction in feeling independent
People who opt for external security often sacrifice personal growth and the satisfaction that comes from self-development and the achievement of independence. Many people are very unhappy in their work, but because of fear of risk and change, they choose to stagnate in their current environment. But the new work world is pulling the rug out from even the most die-hard security seekers. It appears that the lesson being taught is that ultimately we are all on our own and the only real security available is that security we build for ourselves through our own self-development. Dr. Maria Montessori, the great educator, stated "It is interesting to notice that even from the earliest age man finds the greatest satisfaction in feeling independent. The exalting feeling of being sufficient to oneself comes as a revelation."

It takes determination to succeed
To succeed in the new work world, you must have the will to overcome obstacles and adapt to the new environment. You must have determination to meet the challenge of uncertainty and to develop the characteristics and resources you need to create work opportunities, no matter what the circumstances.

How to ensure your employability
There is a saying at Apple Computer Corporation that "your sense of security will come from your employability." Obviously, to be employable, you must be able to perform a service that adds to the profitability of a company. Whether a computer programmer, sales clerk, receptionist, administrative assistant, or manager, you must have a bottom-line value to the company. Many companies are now turning to performance-based earnings, to employee participation in profits and to employee ownership. In the new work world, your contribution, not your job, will be the measure of your value as an employee, and will be the track record you establish which will help ensure your value in the marketplace.

For security, diversify
When investing, it is advisable not to have all of your eggs in one basket. The development of an avocation or multiple work activities can help you spread risk and keep open different options for income. Perhaps a second job, or a small home-based business or a hobby can bring some income. Many self-employed people manage several different clients at one time. Being able to manage several activities at once will be as asset in the new work world.

The ultimate security
Perhaps the ultimate security is to work for oneself. As President Truman said, "The buck stops here." There is no one else to blame but yourself. But when you succeed, you know that it is you who has achieved this. This can bring a great feeling of inner security in one's abilities.

Character or personality?
In his best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, author Steven Covey summarizes the results of his research on the success literature published in the United States since 1776. In the first 150 years he found that the literature focused on the Character Ethic as foundational to success. People were encouraged to develop such qualities as modesty, simplicity, honesty, fidelity, courage, and humility. After World War I, Covey says that the emphasis shifted to the Personality Ethic which encouraged the development of personality, a public image and interpersonal skills. Covey believes that although elements of the Personality Ethic contribute to success, character building is the primary foundation for success. Covey says "The Character Ethic is based on the fundamental idea that there are principles that govern human effectiveness - natural laws in the human dimension that are just as real, just as unchanging and unarguably 'there' as laws such as gravity in the physical dimension." Covey believes that by following these principles, individuals can not only achieve success, but also happiness.

It's what you know and who you know
In addition to character and personality development, you will greatly benefit by expanding and updating your skills. It is important to focus on skills which add to your long-term market value. Do research on what skills are most valued in the current workplace. Attend seminars and conferences, take classes, read, join professional associations, talk to people who are knowledgeable about your field(s) of interest. It has been said that "it is not what you know, but who you know." Of course, what you know is important, but who you know can make a tremendous difference in the level and choice of career opportunities in your life. Developing and maintaining a network of contacts takes time and effort. But it should be given top priority in your efforts to create job security. Ken Kragen, in Life Is A Contact Sport, says, "In a way, contacts are like the building blocks of a career. You start with relatively few and keep adding and multiplying until you have a strong, interlocking web of people whose talents and reputations help boost your career."

Self-management
The new ideal for workers is self-management. "We are shifting the ideal of the model employee from one who carries out orders correctly to one who takes responsibility and initiative, monitors his or her own work, and uses managers and supervisors in their new role of facilitators, teachers and consultants...Self-management presumes independence, self-confidence and competence, values which are increasingly important in the new worker," according to John Naisbitt and Patricia Aburdene in Re-inventing the Corporation .

The old paradigm in work relationships
Historically, people have operated on a vertical plane in all interpersonal relationships, including work relationships. This is an autocratic paradigm where people relate to each other in a superior-inferior mode. When a person perceives himself as less than, or inferior to, someone else, he feels compelled to express his superiority to compensate for his feeling of inferiority. All attempts at power and control over others result from these inferiority feelings. Self-elevation to a perceived position of superiority is the end result however it manifests. True cooperation and community spirit cannot exist in such an environment.

The new paradigm in work relationships
The other way to operate in interpersonal relationships is on the horizontal plane. Horizontal movement is task-centered, egalitarian and problem-solving. The focus is on contribution, not status, and all individual members of the group have equal value in the group. To operate successfully in the new world of work, the best thing someone can do is to develop a sense of intrinsic personal value. This will move him out of the autocratic paradigm, and into the true spirit of cooperation. Although individuals may differ in their talents and abilities, all individuals can make a contribution. Tom Peters says "Any job can be great." Peters quotes Bob Argabright of Chesapeake Packaging, a firm which is turning all of its employees into professional businesspeople, who asks "What's wrong with the idea of a professional janitor?"

In summary
Job security must now come from within the individual, not from his employer. Individuals can take many steps to develop their job security. Character development is essential. Marketable skills are crucial. So is a track record of bringing value to organizations. Those with entrepreneurial qualities will be sought after by more and more organizations, and those with these skills can also succeed in their own businesses. Diversification with your skills and business activities can help provide alternative or multiple sources of income. It is important to keep in mind also that those who succeed are those who can tolerate the repeated failures one endures on the way to success.

The greatest sense of security, however, will come from the genuine experiencing of one's own intrinsic value. This feeling of self-worth is a wellspring of strength upon which to draw. It is the foundational support for succeeding in the world of work. "Get a life" is a popular saying I have heard repeated many times. I do not know who originally said this, but I would suggest that you "Create a life."

We are moving to a new epoch on Planet Earth, an age of independence, self-responsibility, and self-reliance. Taking personal responsibility for the creation of one's life can be frightening, but it is also empowering. Taking personal responsibility is a sign of coming of age, of moving from the dependent life of a child to the independent life of an adult. Individual freedom and self-responsibility are inseparable. An Age of Freedom will shift the responsibility for security from external sources to the individual himself. It will also create an atmosphere where creativity and human potential can flourish.

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