***People As Assets

Two houses, both thirty years-old stand side by side on a neighborhood street. Both houses are for sale. Both houses have exactly the same design and were built at the same time. One house is valued thirty percent higher than the other because the real estate agent has determined that one is more valuable. The reasons? The more valuable house has undergone a series of fresh renovations including new floors, new paint, new kitchen cabinets, new appliances, new energy efficient furnace and water heater, well kept gardens and lawn and general organization and lack of clutter in the higher-valued house. The other house was allowed to deteriorate without any improvements. One homeowner chose to invest some money into refurbishing a deteriorating property while the other homeowner did little. Now, one house is worth an extra thirty percent.

That is the same philosophy we each need to bring with us to our professions. The person who continually upgrades, learns, reads, attends the seminars and does research will be inherently more valuable than the one who does nothing more than the job. If it came down to choosing one of two employees who began a job on the same date, had the same job and performed the same duties, my guess would be that the edge in a race for promotion would go to the person who has self-improved, renovated his or her brain, raised their personal stock and improved their personal value.

If you are an employer, you are likely to get a better return on investment from the employee who self-improves over the one who does nothing to improve. That self-improving employee will become a more valuable asset to the company. Any employee who is willing to continually learn will be a much better "engaged" employee and far more likely to impact the organization in a positive way.

If people are assets, then those same assets should have a return on investment. It is incumbent upon employees to self-improve so that their results improve as well. When results improve, the paycheck will improve. Raises and promotions rarely come to those who don't care about keeping ahead of the curve. You don't get the promotion just because you've outlived most of the other employees. You get a promotion (with a raise) because you have shown increased value to not only your bosses, but to your fellow employees as well.

Attitude Adjustment: Assets, over time, can devalue, depreciate, go stale and can also erode their own value. Most of us are willing to dump our assets when they become redundant or the moment those same assets stop delivering benefits. Are you one of these type of assets? If so, prepare to be dumped. If you want to have good job-security, learn what the others are not willing to learn. You will become so valuable, your employer wouldn't dare let you go. And if you are still laid-off, there will be another organization prepared to snap you up right away. Your future security is in your hands.