Protected Interests

We all want to do well at work. We all want to also be rewarded for doing well. It is when we think we are doing well and we are not rewarded to our expectations that we tend to get antsy, upset, disheartened and worse yet, disenfranchised. We then make decisions on how long to stay at the same job and how hard we will work and how much we will or won’t put of ourselves into the job at hand.

We all have examples of when we think the rewards and recognition doesn’t match up to our expectations and how we feel when that happens. It is a very hard conversation to have with our employers and sometimes we don’t even know with who we should have the conversation. Should it be our boss directly or some intermediaries like an HR person? Regardless of who it is, it is still a difficult conversation to have and one that if you can avoid entirely, then all the better. But what are we to do in the situation where something has to change? Other than the leverage of leaving the company, which is not the purpose or the desired outcome, there is not much we can say to potentially change the results. 

On the other hand, there are rewards to be gained if know the game that is being played. The key to the rewards desired is in knowing, fulfilling and protecting the interests of our employers. This sounds so simple and should be easy to do. But, it is not as clear as it looks on the surface. What are sometimes hard to discern are the true interests of the company, the ones that when pressed and threatened that the company would be stopped in their tracks. Listen carefully to what you hear your boss and CEO saying about where the company is putting its resources (human and financial) and align your work to those goals and objectives. If you are seen as one who is committed to protecting those interests you will be rewarded.

(For a further faith-based application of this post you can visit here)