Become a "Go-To" Worker

Many pundits believe that the economy is at or near its low point and is beginning to recover. The stock market historically has been a leading indicator of economic recoveries. One of the bellwether indexes, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, recently has increased about 25 percent. This is one of the major reasons that economists are becoming more sanguine about the economic outlook.

Notwithstanding the optimism, unemployment is still around 10 percent and will probably decline slowly. Keep in mind that unemployment is a lagging economic indicator. This means that employment does not anticipate the economic recovery, it trails the recovery. Organizations will add new workers slowly as management gains confidence in the reality of the recovery.

As unemployed workers find new work opportunities in the near future, it would be wise to consider the lessons to be learned from this recession. Indeed there are lessons for all of us, so consider the following thoughts on how to become a more valuable worker.

There are many reasons for a person to be unemployed. Some of these reasons involve factors outside of the worker’s control, such as, management mistakes, industry changes, advances in technology, competitive forces, and unexpected events. But there are many unemployed workers who were released because of factors that they could have controlled. How can a person proactively minimize the risk of becoming unemployed in the future?

When the economy begins to slow, management typically moves to cut costs associated with the largest line item on the P&L, which for most organizations is the cost of their workers.

When management is faced with reducing the number of workers, generally those who are the least valuable to the organization are released first. The least valuable workers are those whose performance and/or character is subpar. A major reason workers perform below standard is their motivation for working. Most people are working for one reason—money.

There are three levels of workers. The lowest level of worker, which I call level three, is a person whose primary reason for working is to make money. Workers whose agenda is money really have no significant interest in the welfare of their organizations. They will compromise principle to make the work easy for themselves. They will only do enough to get by and will never go the extra mile to learn and/or practice their profession or trade. Their work product is generally poor. These workers tend to be untrustworthy, undependable, and unhappy. To be able to utilize such workers requires close management. Scripture describes these workers in Proverbs 16:26: “The laborer's appetite works for him; his hunger drives him on” (NIV). God’s common grace enables these workers to have at least a modicum of success, but an organization full of level three workers will be inefficient and ineffective.

The second level of worker is a principled worker. While a second level worker may still be working largely for money, this worker does have an ethical foundation. This ethical foundation drives second level workers to think and act beyond the motive of money. They seek to do their work according to principles, such as, excellence, diligence, faithfulness, and efficiency. In my experience I have found many level two workers—even many who don’t know Christ—who have adopted biblical values. Clearly, these workers are much more effective than level three workers, but there is yet more potential to be realized.

The highest level of worker, which I call level one, is a person who is working in accordance with his or her calling and in the power of the Holy Spirit. A level one worker believes that he or she was created for a divinely ordained purpose and it is their responsibility to find and fulfill that purpose (see Ephesians 2:10).

Furthermore, and contrary to the belief of most workers, level one workers realize that the universe is an open system—meaning that God is actively engaged in His Creation. And since God is spirit and the most fundamental reality in the universe, physical reality is built on God. Therefore to do anything well in God’s universe requires understanding God and His rules, including His rules for the workplace.

Level one workers understand that they are called to specific assignments in the workplace and that to perform well they must discover and obey God’s rules. These workers meet high standards. They are passionate, knowledgeable, wise, faithful, dependable, honest, trustworthy, tenacious, efficient, and excellent. They go the extra mile and are highly valued by employers. World-class organizations are built with level one workers—"go-to" workers—who find and fulfill their divinely ordained purpose in the workplace, operating in the power of the Holy Spirit according to God’s principles.

Clearly, given the three levels of workers, any management team faced with the need to trim their workforce will work from the bottom up. The last people they release would be level one workers. So becoming a level one worker is a great way to develop job security—at least as much as humans can secure anything.

May I suggest that one of the great lessons to glean from the current recession is the power of being a level one worker? Level one workers thoroughly enjoy their work and produce world-class results. By virtue of their alignment with the will of God for their lives, they experience peace, joy, and satisfaction in their workplace assignments. They also minimize their risk of being released in the future. So before the next economic recession comes, and it will, you can recession-proof your work, as much as any person can, by becoming a level one worker—one of the most valuable assets of your organization.

One of the great tools to help you become a level one worker is the biblical principle known as C4, which stands for calling, character, capability, and commissioning. Understanding what you have C4 to do and developing your C4 potential will enable you to become a level one worker—one of the "go-to" people that every organization must have in order to perform well in God’s universe.

To learn more about C4, please attend the Strategic Life Alignment Seminar or Webinar sponsored by Strategies@Work, LLC. This will give you in-depth training in how to discover your life purpose and will help you take a giant step toward becoming an indispensable "go-to," level one worker.