We’re seeing more migration to temporary work. A recent study indicated that up to one-third of the companies reported using professional temporaries as managerial, professional, and technical specialists.
Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, predicted recently that “in the future, the balance of employment power will change. We’ll witness the revenge of the downsized.” Well, guess what? In today’s hi-tech companies, it’s not unusual to find 30 or 40% of the employees are high paid temps or contractors. Temporaries with specialized knowledge and skills can earn a lot of money.
Reengineering forced companies to institutionalize the notion that organizational processes must be flexible and periodically must be transformed. Much in the same way, we all must assess our work choices and if necessary reengineer our careers. Just as any business, we must understand our present core proficiencies, understand what’s valued in the marketplace, and if necessary tweak our existing competencies or develop new ones.
Tom Peters, the guru’s guru, knows a good thing when he sees one. He picked up on the theme that we’re all going to be self-employed professionals and trademarked the expression: ‘The Brand Called You.’TM Great idea and great timing! Peters said it succinctly: “We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the Brand called You.”
Life Lesson Earned: What do you need to do to develop The Brand You? Deliver on special projects. Satisfy diverse customer requirements. Develop self-discipline. Be resilient. Be able to balance peaks in work activity.