LOYALTY IS DEAD, LONG LIVE LOYALTY

Loyalty on the job today is a slippery concept.

When I started with Megatel Corp. in the early '60s, loyalty came up in conversation about as much as the term "political correctness." If pressed for a definition of loyalty in the "old days," we would have described loyalty as: "You come to work on time, don't lie cheat or steal, do eight hours work, don't bad mouth the company and only take sick days when you're sick."

The loyalty we expected from the company was a decent wage in a safe environment and life time employment if we performed and kept our end of the loyalty pact.

Even more basically -- "You don't hurt me, I won't hurt you."

Organizations flinched. In the 1980s when the economy went south (figuratively and literally), we got to see the true organizational definition of loyalty.

Workers have good memories. The worker of tomorrow will never have the same loyalty as the worker of yesterday, and that's good. Today's loyalty is more truthful. I won't hurt me and you won't hurt you. It's every man, and woman for him, her and themselves (enter political correctness).

This seemingly self-centered approach will work just fine. What will keep us productive is the realization that working together is in the best interest of each of us separately.

But how you relate to others will change at a very gut level. For example, I contend that you should have an updated résumé or its equivalent. You should be answering want ads, talking to headhunters, attending job fairs and networking -- not so you will leave your current employer, but so you can leave.

When I was speaking and training and I mentioned this giant step toward independence to audiences inevitably someone would say, "Isn't it disloyal to take company time to work on a résumé or to go on interviews?"

My response is, "Do you believe management is waiting until after business hours to decide to get rid of you?"

I won't hurt me and you won't hurt you.

Loyalty on the job today is a slippery concept.


Lesson: Organizational loyalty is still alive; it's the old definition that's dead.