Elaine Fortier

...and secure your job for the future.

We're in a severe downturn which, in turn, creates a fear-based economy.  And in a fear-based economy, our thoughts are continually directed toward negative conditions and dire predictions. Social conversations tend to revolve around what's going wrong and how much worse it might get. We get phone calls from friends and relatives who are struggling to pay the mortgage, find a job, or keep the kids in college.

You, however, are still employed, and we want to help you stay that way. While we cannot guarantee that your job won't be eliminated, we can help keep YOU from being eliminated.

When companies lay people off, the party line is generally that it's based on the position, not the individual, and that it's not personal. This is a fine but important distinction. The selection criteria are based on such things as: redundancy (too many employees performing the same function), product or service cut-backs (product or service not making enough money), reduction of layers (inverted pyramid-too many managers over too few workers), shutting down a geographic site or an entire business unit, and so forth.

These are the stated business reasons that also meet certain employment law requirements. They are legitimate and real. And if you fall into any of those selection criteria areas and you are underperforming, talented but in the wrong job, have a difficult personality, or don't fit withe the organization's culture, you might find yourself on the list.

How can you make yourself lay-off proof? In a professional nutshell, you must ensure that you are contributing the greatest possible value in your job, while operating as a consistently positive force in your corporate environment.

There are four top ways to increase your value and become the employee that your boss will fight to keep under any conditions:

• Make your boss look better than ever
• Become indispensable
• If you're bitching about anything, STOP now
• Build an egoless personal brand