Hard Work Is Not Enough - You are Your Own HR Department

The Solution

You may say, “So, what do you mean hard work isn’t enough? You mean that I can’t do my job the best way I know how, using the latest techniques and expect to have a good career?”

I would contend that your statements are exactly correct. You must assume responsibility for your career, and be willing to learn and perform the tasks associated with a successful, long-term career.

Piloting Your Own Ship

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending upon your perspective) working hard – even working SMART and working hard are not enough to ensure a long term solid career within an industry – much less within a company. (Examples of industries would be information technology, auto mechanic, dentistry, nursing, administrative assistanting, and most other fields where people change companies as almost as frequently as changing their clothes.

Within these industries or professions are the companies that hire and fire employees. These times and for the preceding 20 or 25 years, many people have foregone loyalty to a company in favor of loyalty to an industry or profession.

[The reasons for this and how it happened will be the topic of another article.]

There are many examples of how working hard and/or smart will not provide longevity with a given company. You probably know of someone or maybe you have experienced being “laid off,” or otherwise discharged from a company – even though you and others could not understand it. You were a “good employee” you worked hard, you worked smart, you did what was asked of you, and still it happened.

But did you take responsibility for your career? It’s possible that you didn’t know how, or it’s also possible that you knew how and did not think it was necessary, or you refused to acknowledge that it applied to you.

There are at least two major reasons that cause otherwise great careers to end unexpectedly. These are in no particular order… either can be eventually fatal to a career – Both together will kill your career even more abruptly.

An Example – Being a Victim of Your Own Hard Work

A friend and business associate worked in an organization that although fairly small was part of a multi-national corporation. A total of about 25 persons from the VP down to the last technician were in this organization. This individual started in the organization as a technician and was quickly promoted to the position of manager.

His new responsibilities included 7 or 8 personnel, and the technical aspects of several mainframe computers that were used by corporate clients worldwide. As he was promoted to the job of manager of this group, the previous manager was promoted to data center manager, and the previous data center manager was promoted to director, etc.

These three individuals were in various meetings with clients, and with senior corporate management. These meetings included decisions that our friend was responsible to implement. He worked very hard to implement these decisions as quickly as they were handed down. In one meeting, all appropriate folks decided that new software was required for these computers, but the date for the implementation had not yet been set.

My friend, being a hard working fellow, and wanting to be ready for the implementation, ordered all of the applicable software, and had preparatory meetings with his staff. Nothing wrong yet – correct?
WRONG!!!

As with most individuals that work hard and smart, he committed the greatest sin – he had not “played” office politics! Now before you shake your heads and turn off the computer… read what must be said.

First, what is “office politics?”

Office politics is nothing more than working relationships with people relevant to your company or business. (This can include employees, customers, consultants and contractors, anyone who has influence on your job, company and industry.) “Playing politics” therefore is nothing more than maintaining good working relationships. (See How to be “Politics Proof”)

A fairly well known phrase through out the corporate world goes something like this… “… The only losers in office politics, are those that refuse to play…” Refusing to play can be an overt statement “I don’t play those games,” But it can be a subtle oversight, such as what happened to my friend. In his haste to do an outstanding job and be ready for what was to come, he overlooked coordination with the data center manager, and the director.

Thus, being people and fallible, and probably slightly insecure, they thought he had “evil” intent. That is, they thought he wanted to make himself look good at their expense in the eyes of senior management, and therefore enhance his promotion possibilities.

Knowing my friend as I do, I knew nothing could be further from the truth. He wanted to make his “boss” look good. But by the time he had figured out the mistake, it was (as is usual in these matters) irreparable.

This first example happened to a technician promoted to manager, but yet another problem exists for technicians as well! It is all too common, and the resolution can be distasteful to most technicians.

Another Example – A “Knowledge Miser”

An individual that has worked several years in a machine shop has learned to produce a higher quality product in a shorter amount of time than his peers, yet he refuses to tell them how to do what he does. Why does he do this? The typical response is that if he is better and faster, he will get a better merit raise or bonus for working “hard and smart.” All well and good you say? Maybe, but lets look at the “big picture” and the long term well being of this individual as well as his peers.

As in most situations, the answer to this is not easy or straightforward, because many people get involved from the technicians all the way up through senior management. But, let’s discuss some issues that may not be as easy to see…

From the technicians point of view, the first blush answer is “yeah, I would not tell anyone either.” But, what are the possible ramifications of such action (or inaction?)

1st – The company will lose sales, because all of its employees are not producing quality products as quickly and efficiently as they could.

2nd – it is obvious to management that if one individual can produce higher quality product faster, then the other technicians could and should be trained to this capability. And since the individual refuses to document, show, teach or otherwise inform the others of his methods, he is not “playing politics” and management would be wise to replace him with someone that can do as well as he, but is willing to train others.

So, working hard and smart, but not playing politics even at the technical level can still kill a good career.

But – all is not as it seems yet… and what follows can be a conundrum, with only one way for the technician to resolve it.

Now suppose that this hard and smart working technician is also a good corporate citizen, and is “playing politics.” That is, he is willing to teach the others how he produces products of higher quality and faster… and further assume that management recognizes what he has done with a bonus, or merit raise or promotion… all is well with the world, right? Not necessarily…

Because of technology and other economic pressures to produce higher quality products more inexpensively, management will probably try to automate some or all of the processes that have been taught by the hard and smart working individual. By automating, the company can produce higher quality products faster, but at the expense of employees that they no longer need.

Of course, the company will still need employees, but these employees must have different skills and education. They now need to know how to program and maintain the automation environment.

The technician then has two choices. He can go work for another firm that has not yet automated their processes and reiterate his experience, or he/she might take night courses (hopefully on the advice of his manager, who has his best interest – as well as the company’s – at heart) to learn new skills to obtain a different job that in all probability would have a higher pay rate.

Companies will usually help retrain the hard and smart working employees that have helped improve processes through good communication and helping other workers – quite frankly because they have an investment in these people, and they know they will continue to help with the new environment.

Conclusion

Working hard and smart is only the first step in a rewarding career. One has to “play politics,” [as defined above] be willing to help improve processes, as well as engage in continuing education. A last note: in an economy that is performing less than sterling, this approach is even more important just to KEEP a job, much less progress in a career.