If you’ve been in the workforce for the last 10 years, you’ve seen more scandal, mergers & acquisition, entirely new industries created, less loyalty – for employers and employees and more people opting out and developing their own businesses. Gone are the days of planning for retirement after 30 years, when you’re in your late 50s or 60s, now it’s moving on to your second career after retiring from your first!

While all of this can be overwhelming, can you imagine the future for those just entering the workforce? With all of this constant and unpredictable change how do you protect your skills, expertise and the investment made in YOU? To some degree, we have to go back to the days of the movie “Wall Street”. If you’re familiar with the movie, the tycoon played by Michael Douglas, was solely focused on himself and his success. Recall the famous line – “Greed […]is Good, Greed Works”. Now I’m not suggesting that everyone become like the character Gordon Gekko, but I am strongly suggesting that you take a more selfish and “greed-based” look at your career development. So, what does that look like?

Companies already have plans for how much profit they plan to make in the next year, next 5, and next 10 and so on. What plans do you have?

• Are you watching and forecasting where your “personal marketplace” is moving?
  
• Have you considered a particular skill or talent you want to develop that will help you continue in or stay close to the lifestyle you enjoy?
  
• Do you have the right people around you to help you be successful?
  
• What can you outsource or layoff to increase your efficiency and effectiveness?
  
• What’s your planned profit for the next year, 5 or 10?

I’m sure by now you’ve realized that these are the kinds of questions companies ask themselves when they are building their strategies. You can use the same strategy to focus on your life and career and how to protect it in the midst of change. You see, not only is the world of work changing, but so too is the way that you approach it, whether a new hire, 10-20 year mid career or moving toward that “second career” professional.

So I say, be selfish about your career and be greedy in getting all the tools, resources, training and development that is available to you to, like some companies are so skilled at, and make change work for you!