You Only Give Me Your Funny Papers

Now that we have completed the Show Me The Money series, lets focus on you, my minions. How can you get paid more? How can you avoid getting laid off? How can you get promoted? In troubling economic times sometimes mere survival is the name of the game. To receive positive answers to those questions we must identify what management values (additional reading - Show Me The Money: Economics of Exchange) in order to increase your value. Answer these questions:

• Do you add directly to the companies bottom line? How much?
• Do you directly make (or save) them money? How much?
• How good are you at what you do?
• If you quit today…
○ how long will it take to find a suitable replacement?
○ how long will it take to train this replacement?
○ how much would the company lose in profits in that time?
• How often do you actively use your brain while at work?
• Are your job tasks easy to learn?
• Are the requirements for the job in great supply (high school diploma)?
• Do you consider your tasks easy or difficult? Note: time consuming is not difficult.
• Does management think that every time they hear from you that they are going to have to put out a fire for you? OR, do they know that you have already put out the fire and redecorated while you were at it? Management wants solutions, not problems.
• Are you an asset or liability to the company as a whole? To your management? To your customers/clients? To those you manage?
• Do you make your management look good?
• Are you good for your word?
• Are your managers aware of your abilities and accomplishments (work related)? Note: Tread lightly on this issue, it could backfire.
• Do you play well with others?
• Are you indispensable to your manager as a person? Employee? Contributor?

These questions will help you determine your value within the corporation. If you feel that your value is low, increase it! Ask for more responsibility, seek out problems and solve them, be the best [insert job position here] in the company, and make your manager look good. Do what it takes to get the better position, increase your pay, or avoid the chopping block.

One final question for you to stew on:
Think of a top paid professional athlete (Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, etc.). Why are/were they so successful? How would they answer those earlier questions? How can they do better?