employee survival lies in creating mastery

A revolution is taking place in the way work is structured within organizations. Radical change is occurring in how people are engaged in work tasks. Jobs perse are disappearing, and job descriptions are becoming an antiquity. People are being engaged as members of a contingent workforce sometimes working in the employer's office, other times at home. More people are working as revolving members of project teams in multi-task roles.

As a result, employees are feeling more unsettled and wary of the future. But there are steps people can take to control of their careers in this increasingly unstable job market.

Mastery: An Advantage

Employees must accept what employers are telling them: "You are now in charge of your own career." To take control employees cannot adopt a shortsighted view- believing that job-hopping is the key to success. Developing depth and breadth in a profession, and the discipline that goes along with it, is the key to long-term career success and stability.

As employees of all age map out their career strategies, they would be wise to consider that:

· Becoming a master in your profession gives you the insight to see how changes in other fields, industries and organizations affect your career. You learn how best to adjust career goals to take advantage of these trends.

· Mastery builds confidence.  Being good at something is an instinctive need in all of us. The longer it takes to find a professional or trade and become accomplished in it; the lower is our self-esteem and confidence.

· Becoming a master in your profession makes you more valuable to an organization that needs your skills. You can sell yourself to companies, as easily as you could a product or service.

· Masters make natural leaders. Autonomous work teams need masters they can turn to quickly for guidance and expertise - as do organizations on the whole. In fact, many organizations have people in key positions that are said to be good generalist but with little mastery of the core professions. There are many examples of organization that do not have the leadership depth to tackle the complex, serious problems, where the leader is a master in the industry's core profession.

. Organizations realize that masters in a profession or trade are valuable, adaptable resources. Individuals who have become expert in a specialty can handle a wide range of tasks and problems outside their specialty. Jobs are simply the first step to full-time employability. Mastery is clearly the foundation for a stable career. People who achieve mastery create a professional identity that transcends their current job and professional responsibilities. Although the road to mastery is long and rigorous (ten to seventeen year), developing depth and breadth in a profession enables you to respond quickly and intelligently to changes in rapidly changing work world. Mastering any craft or profession requires continuous learning. So, on matter how turbulent the job market may seem, it is important to determine whether or not your position provides an opportunity for continuous learning.

Organisations that understand the value of continual employees learning find many ways of teaching their workers or supporting their efforts to learn on their won. Self-direct learning, development assignments and projects, benchmarking best practices, shadowing 'the best,' and reimbursing employees for job-related course fees are popular methods.

For many companies, learning new competencies and developing new approaches or new products are also tied to reward systems.

For long-term career stability and advancement, look for an organization that values learning, both by its people and but its systems and practices.

When investigating the attitude a current or prospective organization has toward learning, the following questions should be answered;

Ø How is individual learning recognized and rewarded?

Ø What practices are in place to encourage organizational learning?

Ø What are the tuition aid policies and practices?

Ø What structures and systems are in place to pass on wisdom and know-how, so that people in other parts of the organization profit from learning everywhere?

As individuals face uncertainties in to day's job market, they would be wise to map out a strategy that will enable them to master their profession. Masters confront turbulence with confidence. They realize their expertise and can more effectively convince others to see them in this same light.