A 20-year veteran of the Bell system swelled with pride when describing himself as a "loyal corporate foot soldier." By that, he meant his employer could count on him to go wherever and do whatever he was asked. If his career path looked more like a potpourri of jobs than a logical progression of upward moves, he took comfort in knowing that he was needed. In exchange for that sacrifice, he expected them to find a place for him for as long as he wanted to work.
Divestiture didn't sit well with him, but he never dreamed it would affect him directly. When his name showed up on a list of people classified as "available for reassignment," he assumed he'd be picked up by another division immediately. Even after receiving his 60-day notice, he refused to look outside the company.
Only after he was actually forced off the payroll did the foolishness of his ways occur to him. Loyalty was supposed to be a two-way street, but he was the only one honoring the contract. When the company no longer needed him, he was discarded like yesterday's newspaper, without a second thought for his welfare.
It was a hard lesson, and he was ill-prepared to handle the emotional fallout. Had he recognized sooner that the changes in company structure signaled the end of their psychological employment contract, he could have taken more steps to protect himself. But by closing his eyes too long to reality, he ended up frightened and cynical-scrambling for his livelihood in a competitive workplace he couldn't begin to understand.
When you tell yourself you can't betray your company's loyalty by leaving, you abdicate responsibility for your own future and, some would say, betray yourself instead.
Trust me: If a company really needs you, it'll make every attempt to keep you should you decide to leave.
For example, a technical trainer who gave the traditional two weeks' notice was offered a consulting contract to complete the projects she still had pending. In another case, a hospital that didn't want to lose one of its most productive administrators made an exceptional counteroffer to entice him to stay.
Neither of these professionals confused their new agreements with loyalty oaths. But, for both, it was a recognition that the work they did was valued enough to motivate their employers to keep them on the payroll a while longer.
Lie 2. I Might Fail Somewhere Else
By the time she finally made the decision to quit, the technical trainer who'd been offered a consulting contract to stay had convinced herself that no employer would ever want to hire her. To her amazement, she was off the payroll less than one week when a former vendor extended her a job offer.
This isn't the only time I've seen perfectly capable professionals talk themselves into believing they're worthless and in competent. Low self-esteem and interpersonal conflicts with bosses or co-workers are often at the heart of this self-defeating scenario.
A little reality testing can go a long way toward checking such self-destructive fantasies (and they usually are fantasies). By networking with people who'd worked with her before, the technical trainer got some objective feedback on her performance that helped mitigate her anxieties.
If a lack of self-confidence is blocking your ability to seek out better opportunities, it may help to test the job market before reaching any final decisions. You can make a commitment to look around without making a commitment to leave. Should your first foray into the job market reveal that you are, in fact, missing a crucial skill or piece of experience, you can establish short-term goals for yourself that will fill that gap. Then, once you've built the necessary expertise, you'll be able to move on.
Should you discover (as many do) that no one has a lower opinion of you than yourself, you may want to consider professional counseling. A major self-esteem problem can really get in the way of your success.
Lie 3. I'll Never Make as Much Money Anywhere Else
Having worked your way up to a respectable salary level, it's understandable you'd resist giving up one cent of those hard-earned dollars.
Before you turn that self-defeating lie into a show stopper, though, you may want to examine your assumptions more closely. Odds are, you haven't investigated the job market thoroughly enough to know whether you'd earn less elsewhere. You may just be using money as an excuse to keep you from testing the waters. Again, you can make a commitment to look without making a commitment to leave. At least that way, you can base your decisions on logic and fact, not folklore.
Before the technical trainer left her large corporate employer for a smaller consulting firm, she, too, assumed that she'd have to take a significant hit on the money. In fact, the firm's offer did come in $5,000 short. She was so sure she'd have to take a pay cut, she didn't think about negotiating for more. After some coaching, though, she was able to convince her new employer to meet her salary demands. What's more, she was told they would have been disappointed in her if she hadn't counter offered.
So much for her assumptions!
As a professional, your first goal should be to build the most impressive skill set possible so you can command more money in the marketplace. Your second task is to research and target companies that can really capitalize on the things you have to offer.
During interviews, you must do your utmost to convince hiring managers of the value you bring with you. Once you show you can solve their organizational problems, you can explain how much it will cost them.
Then, come back and tell me no employer will match your current salary and (maybe) I'll believe you.
