How to Stand Out at Work (And Keep Your Job!)

As the year draws to a close, job losses quietly increase across many organizations.
For some families, December brings anxiety instead of celebration.
Layoffs have become a routine business decision, not an exception.
In many firms, removing the so-called “bottom 10 percent” is now standard practice.

This approach dates back to the 1980s at General Electric under Jack Welch’s leadership.
By the early 2000s, Nigerian companies—especially banks—had fully embraced the idea.
Performance reviews became survival tests, not development tools.
And once the numbers were drawn, emotions no longer mattered.

Sometimes, the outcome is even more brutal.
When Accenture exited Nigeria in 2013, every employee lost their job.
There was no public drama and almost no media coverage.
One of the world’s largest consulting firms simply disappeared without a whimper.

Insiders at the top knew what was coming.
They were informed well in advance and compensated generously.
The bottom third, however, received nothing close to fair treatment.
Many were not even told the firm was shutting down.
It was heartbreaking to watch professionals blindsided overnight.

In countries like Nigeria, employment still carries significant advantages.
Government controls large parts of the economy.
Infrastructure challenges make entrepreneurship harder than it looks online.
For many people, a steady job remains safer than the solopreneur route.

I know this from experience.
I spent over two decades working across banking, agribusiness, and consulting.
I have also sat on hundreds of interview panels for corporate clients.
Sometimes we interviewed twenty candidates and couldn’t recommend a single one.

The troubling pattern was always the same.
Every candidate claimed deep expertise.
Many carried impressive certifications and international credentials.
Yet practical competence was often missing.

This reality reveals a hard truth.
The person who knows what will usually get hired.
The person who understands why will eventually lead.
Certifications without practice are empty.
Practice without structure is equally dangerous.

Nigeria’s problem is worsened by certificate worship.
People climb quickly on paper qualifications alone.
Titles come fast when organizations are growing.
Weak performers often hide when momentum carries everyone forward.

But momentum does not last forever.
When organizations slow down, reality catches up.
That is when layoffs happen.
And that is when only real value survives.

So how do you stand out at work—and keep your job?

Here are seven strategies that consistently work.

Build your personal brand
You must be known for something clear and valuable.
Platforms like LinkedIn make this easier than ever.
A personal brand is not bragging.
It is how people describe you when you are not in the room.
Have a teachable point of view others can learn from.

Elevate your public speaking skills
Clear communication separates leaders from the crowd.
Public speaking builds visibility, confidence, and influence.
Those who can articulate ideas well rise faster than silent experts.

Reinvent yourself continually
Change now happens faster than most job descriptions.
Reinvention is not about chasing certificates endlessly.
It is about staying grounded and informed.
Understand adjacent industries.
Read deeply.
Be broad, but remain strategic.

Become a lynchpin
A lynchpin creates value when no rulebook exists.
They solve problems others avoid.
They go beyond job descriptions to deliver results.
You do not need rare intelligence – just ownership and initiative.

Build bridges intentionally
At senior levels, relationships influence decisions.
Visibility matters more than many people admit.
Be known by your boss, your boss’s boss, and key decision makers.
When pressure comes, familiarity often protects.

Practice humility daily
Many so-called high flyers lack humility.
Humility is not weakness or timidity.
It is knowing your limits and learning constantly.
Treat everyone with respect, especially when no one is watching.

Guard your character
Character goes beyond surface integrity.
It is who you are under pressure.
Character builds trust over time.
Without it, no one will speak for you when it matters most.

These seven traits reinforce one another.
Together, they make you resilient in uncertain times.

These ideas have worked for me.
I was once a credit risk manager, toiling away in the back office.
I had few contacts outside the bank.
I did not socialize much.
My world was small and predictable.

But today, things look very different.
The core of the people I relate with are founders and C-suite executives.
That shift did not happen by accident.
It happened by applying these principles consistently over time.

Follow these seven strategies, and they will also work for you.
They will not only help you keep your job.
They will help you remain relevant, visible, and valuable—no matter what changes.