Lessons before they kick you out of your job

I’m a regular junior supervisor in a private organization. Due to my low pay and benefits, I’m thinking of having a second job that could augment my income. Is that possible? Please advise. — Leap Frog.

You’re not a key player in the National Basketball Association where team owners and management would allow some of its players to agree on a two-way contract. That’s only possible in the NBA because it benefits team owners and potential young players to play for a regular team and its G League affiliates.

NBA’s two-way contracts allow young players to gain experience and be exposed to professional basketball without committing to a full-time contract.

It’s different in the corporate world. If you pursue your plan, you’ll face a lot of opposition, mainly from your current employer. Their objections are grounded on many issues, including lack of work-life balance, physical exhaustion and loss of trade secrets.

That’s assuming you will be working only for a part-time job of four hours per shift or full-time for the night shift. Imagine the possible conflict in work scheduling alone. Surely, your main employer would object to a double job when you show signs of lethargy. But that’s not all.

Even if your boss agrees with you having a second job, what’s the assurance that you’ll get lucrative pay? I bet there’s almost none. So, what’s your best option? There’s no other way but to explore better opportunities with your current employer. You’ll get a better chance of receiving the right pay and perks that you deserve if you stay.

LESSONS TO LEARN
In my 2010 book entitled Lessons to Learn Before They Kick You Out of Your Job, I listed down 101 tips that I learned from both enjoyable and painful experiences while working for different bosses with contrasting management styles. Here are the top 10�� tips that may apply to you and other people with different personalities.

One, ask and you’ll receive. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know the answer. It’s the Alladin Factor popularized by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen. It has its biblical origin in the powerful message from Matthew 7:7 – “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

Two, be growth-oriented. And not a cost-oriented person. Create more innovative ideas than what your colleagues could accomplish. Make it part of your key performance objectives. Empower yourself with the boss’s support. Grab every opportunity to solve problems.

Three, be an administrative champion. Work like a Toyota manager. Create an army of workers who will help you achieve your goals in solving problems. Be a proactive listener of employee ideas. Reciprocate with your unqualified commitment in helping them achieve their career goal.

Four, count your cashless motivational blessings. In the meantime, if you can’t get a pay increase, be positive by listing down all the good things about your current employer. They include positive work relations with your boss, the chance to work on challenging tasks or simply being trusted.

Five, exceed the expectations of people. Know and understand the work standards and the goals. Work hard enough to achieve your career goals. Don’t allow the status quo to lull you into oblivion. Do a better job than before. You will never run out of things to do if you try to exceed doing your best.

Six, get organized and do things in proper order. Keep a daily to-do list. Prioritize each item starting from high-value tasks. Handle a task not more than once. Act on it, send it to a colleague, file it or ditch it. Make it a daily habit before leaving the office. That would give you a sense of satisfaction.

Seven, be a risk taker and don’t be afraid to commit mistakes. Break your daily routine. Don’t settle for creating out-of-the-box ideas. Instead, build another box full of ideas. Apologize and seek the forgiveness of people who may have been affected by your mistakes. Accept imperfection.

Eight, negotiate for a win-win option. Set a friendly and cooperative approach with people. Clarify the issues. Ask a lot of questions to know the answers. Stay calm and rational during a negotiation. If a discussion becomes emotional, ask for a break. Then leave the door open.

Nine, resist the temptation to be an average person. Promise reasonable work standards. Then, overdeliver them. When working on something, always strive to improve on your previous record. Note the clear definition between “exceeding” and “meeting” the minimum work standards.

Ten, give full credit to the boss. Make your boss look good in the eyes of other people. That way, you will also look good in the eyes of your boss. At times, you may feel cheated for giving away all the credit, but a good boss would always know how to reciprocate. You can’t win them if you don’t win your boss.

Join Rey Elbo’s Japan Kaizen Study Mission on April 20-26, 2025. Reward your hardworking managers with a trip designed to further motivate them. E-mail [email protected] or via