THE EMPLOYEE'S JOURNEY

 

 

As part of the activities to acknowledge workers in the month of May, we want to celebrate every purposeful and hardworking employee by casting your mind back to the history of your journey and helping you reassure yourself that the apex is your limit, and until you arrive, let nothing deter you. There are so many people in every firm but only a few are known. The extraordinary class is not attained by chance - none of these employees stopped at obstacles where many did or where others are now, but they overcame and outperformed what was expected of them at their level.

The stages discussed below have been identified as major stages of the career of an employee which must be recognized and approached intentionally in order to gain the best of it even as you advance to greater heights. The discussion has been structured to reflect the experiences of an employee in an organization from entry to exit so some of you who have worked in more than one enterprise will have the opportunity to reflect on how you traveled through these stages while there and to note specific areas you should improve upon in your next place of work. If you are still in your first employment, there are wonderful stuff for you as well. Students are not left out either. Let’s get into it.  

 

SCHOOL DAYS

For many people, education forms the foundation of their career because that is where they were taught almost all they know and practice to earn a living. There were many things you suffered as a student that you would have changed if you had the opportunity but you adjusted to meet the rudiments of your program until the institution recognized you as one who deserves to be rewarded with the ultimate proof of training which no one can take from you. In school you:

·         First gained admission – this is one of the indications that you have been successful in a competition on the grounds of your qualification and merit. Many more people apply than those who get admitted.

·         Were assigned a program – you were trained in a specific field.

·         Progressed from one level to a higher one – your success in examination and other forms of assessments ensured your progress.

·         Developed relationships with colleagues, professors, and other academic stakeholders – you got along with different people at different levels.

·         Were supervised and assisted in proffering solutions to an identified problem (thesis) – you were successful in working under an authority.

·         Were rewarded and celebrated by all for demonstrating resolve, grit, discipline, hard work, teamwork, continuous learning, and consistency – you got value for your long hard work and you still have these values.   

 

JOB HUNTING

Though not all, many employees today hunted and, in some cases, fought to secure a place to labor and to receive a decent reward regardless of the condition. We are not told but the process of job search is the first engagement and demonstration of the quality of our academic training and how we went about our education – these things make the process either lighter or tougher for some people. In the end, you secured a job, others got a good job, and others got something they can ‘manage’ with. Let us look at your successes here:

·         You demonstrated nobility – others choose other ignoble means of living.

·         You chose productivity – some engage in destructive ventures to make money but you decided to utilize your knowledge and acquired skills to contribute to societies welfare.

·         You were decisive – a lot of people walk about not knowing exactly what they want to do with their lives so they fall victim to the decision of others.

·         You showed courage – seeking for a good job is not a bread-and-butter affair and so many fearful people don’t venture it, reason for which some remain unemployed.

·         You endured many things and people – there are harsh conditions and unkind people in the job market.

·         You learned, relearnt, and unlearnt – you improved upon your initial failures

 

LANDING A JOB

The reward of a job no matter the conditions at the entry level brought some excitement and a sense of success and achievement. To get employed is to have another person recognize your value and pay for it, otherwise, you will have to engineer your knowledge and skills into a profitable venture – the labor of entrepreneurs. In your new space you:

·         Showed gratitude for being employed – you accepted the offer.

·         Committed to proving you are worth the role – you worked hard until you got the needed results.

·         Demonstrated passion – if though the job was not your dream job, you showed you were interested in seeing the business grow.

·         Appreciated and respected everyone – as a new entrant, because you needed to get along with every team member you opened up to all kinds of people you may not have in a different environment.

·         Overlooked unwilful and intentional offenses – you laid low for those who wanted to ride high around you as a new staff.

·         Were results-driven – as a newbie, all you were only interested in was to be successful at your work.

 

FINDING YOUR FEET

Only the extraordinary few stay to find where they fit when they realize their new environment is not anything like what they perceived from outside. Deciding to stay to adjust and cope with the new demands on your services is crucial in the journey of an employee but it often get ignored. Every other thing will only make meaning and come alive after the resolve to accept the realities of change. In your decision to stay you:

·         Demonstrated resolve – you kept to your intention of staying employed despite the challenges.

·         Showed maturity – you handled situations constructively and dealt with people in wisdom.

·         Demonstrated adaptability to change – you managed to do away with your old ways for efficiency.

·         Chose to let go of your ego – knowing what you needed to achieve, you did not allow ‘self’ to get in your way.

·         Chose to go the extra mile – in reaching your goal, you chose hard work over comfort.

·         Chose to be vulnerable in asking for help and assistance – you decided asking for help on the job had nothing to do with weakness as a person.

·         Chose patience over immediate gratification – you stayed away from what was most impactful in the long-term.

 

 

THE BOSS EXPERIENCE

Who was your boss? He or she is that one person who determines whether you stay or leave and when and how you are paid without feeling obliged to consult you. That person who thinks about the business before you and does not accept any other explanation if it is not how the job got done. This is the person I am referring to, irrespective of your age in comparison to his or hers, you need to get the work done his or her way. In many cases, we endure our bosses because we need the paycheck and particularly if this job is a good one you have ever dreamt of having, you learn to win your boss in every good and shrewd manner you can garner. In winning your boss, you:

·         Acknowledged he or she is your boss.

·         Studied his or her ways.

·         Overlooked his or her excesses.

·         Learned never to tell his errors to his or face.

·         Chose rationality over emotions.

·         Got involved only in what will grow the business.

 

 

OVERCOMING THE HURDLES

Besides the boss’ debacle, other institutional challenges raised their ugly heads at the time you thought you were just starting a cruise control. They came in the forms of organizational cultural expectations, work ethics, systems of communication, workloads, interpersonal conflicts, and recognition among a few others. All ‘crème de la crème’ professionals chose to go past this stage with a lot of wisdom. If you were successful here it means you:

·         Chose to be consistent.

·         Demonstrated you were in to win in the end.

·         Showed dynamism with situations and people.

·         Were a problem solver not one who overlooked them.

·         Showed greater human relations skills.

·         Showed proactiveness against laying back.

 

ASCENSION

If you have been following us from the very start in the pages above, I know you would have been expecting the rewards of all the above if anyone kept to them, yes, it is time to ascend higher above your entry level. It may be immediate or delayed, but it will surely happen because by this stage, God and the devil both agree that nothing should hold you at the ground floor. If you won, it means you:

·         Applied your learnings to your daily tasks.

·         Were recognized for your work.

·         Played your card well – you knew and understood the political climate of your firm.

·         Your value to the organization was appreciated.

·         Your voice meant a lot in management and leadership discourses because you knew what and when to speak.

·         Attained your vision – that which influenced your steps from the beginning of your days in that office saw the light of day.

 

LEAVING

You might not be expecting this part of the story but yes, it is a real part of it. This is synonymous with the product life cycle – there is a decline stage and then in some instances reinvention. What does it mean to leave an organization? This is when you have demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that you are the right person for the job and it has translated into the growth of the firm from where you met it – this is predicated on timing and other important factors. You leave when there is first applause and second when it is high. Depending on the stage of your career as an individual, the cycle may start for you all over again. You left:

·         When your professional goals for the firm were achieved.

·         When the firm had seen significant growth.

·         When the firm could replicate and manage the successes you have assisted them chalk.

·         When you had secured a certain, confirmed, and more secured job opportunity.

·         After giving appropriate notice and handed over properly.

·         After offering to assist with the transition.

·         Maintaining a healthy and continuous relationship with all levels of staff.

 

 

Dear lady or gentleman, if you have managed to be successful at a minimum of one the above stages, what makes you think this current stage of your career in this firm is an impossibility? Look back at your journey, reflect on how hard you thought the hurdles were at the time you were experiencing them and recall how you went past each of them, yes, you may still have scars of those experiences but at least you can now call them success scars.

Now tell yourself repeatedly and assuredly that if you succeeded at the dead ends of the past, you will surely surmount the current ones although these may seem more complicated and stressful. The higher the altitude, the less oxygen is available, but if you endure to reach the apex and stay, it will become your new normal.

We will not fail to mention at this juncture and in no uncertain terms that in our quest as employees to climb high the ladder of our career with all the hard work and motivation we can garner, we should be very mindful of our physical and mental health. Anything, be it a boss, colleague or even subordinate or work condition and work demand or target that is consistently becoming a threat to our physical and mental health, we should take them into serious consideration and make well-informed decisions on them. The steps we take when such things are irregular is different from when they become the order of the day. It is the quitting of certain jobs that brings about a true win. You need your life and good health to prove to yourself that your previous job environment was where the toxin was and not within you.

If you are at the beginning of your journey, the above successes are to be your guidelines on what you should do and how to travel through that very stage so that you will excel into your next stage. We are hopeful these thoughts will be a catalyst for greater exploits in your journey. Thank you for joining us this week too, look out for our next piece.

 

Paul Anang Amasah

THE COLLEGE BUSINESS CONSULT

thecollegebc@gmail.com

3^RD MAY 2024.