getary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, em

Reorganizing, downsizing, consolidating, and streamlining are more than just a few fashionable buzzwords that describe today‘s job market. For millions of people, they have meant just one thing: loss of their jobs.

Yet there still plenty of good positions open for those people who are prepared. Only many of these jobs aren’t the same as before. They reflect a changing world of work, a world in which companies are flatter and less bureaucratic, knowledge is more valued than longevity, and global competitive pressure has broken down the lifelong-employment contract of yesterday.

For people who want to find a new job, or keep the job they have, this new world of work demands new attitudes, new skills, and new responsibilities

There is no longer any such thing as job security. No employer is going to guarantee you a job for life. Companies are trying to survive in a world in which change is constant, in which new competitors suddenly appear, and demanding customers are always clamoring for new products and services.

The first priority of companies is to counteract the competition and fulfill the demands of their customers. Keeping employees is not a priority. But before you become disillusioned by this, you also need to know that there is still plenty of work to be done and people needed to do that work.

In today’s world of work, you will not be given job security automatically. But you can earn it. How? By making yourself valuable to the company. But it’s your responsibility and not the company’s to manage your career. You are in charge of that.

To really take charge of your career you first have to understand how companies are changing, and how to choose the company for your future. Then you have to identify and develop the knowledge and skills that these new companies require from their employees.

Faced with mounting competitive pressures and budgetary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, emp

than longevity, and global competitive pressure has broken down the lifelong-employment contract of yesterday.

For people who want to find a new job, or keep the job they have, this new world of work demands new attitudes, new skills, and new responsibilities

There is no longer any such thing as job security. No employer is going to guarantee you a job for life. Companies are trying to survive in a world in which change is constant, in which new competitors suddenly appear, and demanding customers are always clamoring for new products and services.

The first priority of companies is to counteract the competition and fulfill the demands of their customers. Keeping employees is not a priority. But before you become disillusioned by this, you also need to know that there is still plenty of work to be done and people needed to do that work.

In today’s world of work, you will not be given job security automatically. But you can earn it. How? By making yourself valuable to the company. But it’s your responsibility and not the company’s to manage your career. You are in charge of that.

To really take charge of your career you first have to understand how companies are changing, and how to choose the company for your future. Then you have to identify and develop the knowledge and skills that these new companies require from their employees.

Faced with mounting competitive pressures and budgetary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, em

ly appear, and demanding customers are always clamoring for new products and services.

The first priority of companies is to counteract the competition and fulfill the demands of their customers. Keeping employees is not a priority. But before you become disillusioned by this, you also need to know that there is still plenty of work to be done and people needed to do that work.

In today’s world of work, you will not be given job security automatically. But you can earn it. How? By making yourself valuable to the company. But it’s your responsibility and not the company’s to manage your career. You are in charge of that.

To really take charge of your career you first have to understand how companies are changing, and how to choose the company for your future. Then you have to identify and develop the knowledge and skills that these new companies require from their employees.

Faced with mounting competitive pressures and budgetary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, em

earn it. How? By making yourself valuable to the company. But it’s your responsibility and not the company’s to manage your career. You are in charge of that.

To really take charge of your career you first have to understand how companies are changing, and how to choose the company for your future. Then you have to identify and develop the knowledge and skills that these new companies require from their employees.

Faced with mounting competitive pressures and budgetary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, em

getary constraints, companies are trying to eliminate the “fat” to increase efficiency and productivity. They want to be lean. And one way to become lean is to decrease the number of bureaucratic layers, becoming, in other words, flatter. By becoming lean and flat, companies then become tough enough to fend off competitors and dominate their markets.

Companies today are reducing bureaucratic hierarchies to become leaner and more competitive. In these new structures, employees must take on more action-oriented, customer-focused responsibilities, and be able to lead people. They must do more than just put in an eight-hour day and go through bureaucratic routines.

Whatever your current situation, whether you are well placed within your company, just starting out, or looking to make a career change, there is one thing that you must do to ensure a successful future: You must constantly be learning.

Today, more than at any time in history, you must take control of your life. And being in control is the key to successfully navigating today’s turbulent world of career shifts and job changes. The more you learn, the more competitive you are, the more valuable you become to current and future employers. Your knowledge is the lifeblood of your employer. In fact, in the Information Age it is more accurate to say that you work with, not for, a company. That is the power of being in control of your life.

What should you learn to increase your competitiveness and employability? You must increase your skills in people management, your ability to work in teams, and learn to work well in ambiguous, complex, and uncertain situations. You must develop the ability to make effective decisions when there is no right answer. You must have the ability to solve problems and deliver results. And you must become an excellent communicator, by developing powers of persuasion and influencing.

People who can lead, function well as team players, and who can actually do the work as opposed to just manage it are the ones who will always be employed. As you’re learning and gaining new skills it is important to keep your primary focus on being flexible, open to change, and being tolerant in the workplace.

Whether you have been let go or you decided to leave on your own, they way in which you look at it will make all the difference. Instead of looking at it a