New loyalty: "What have you done for me today?" is current corporate mantra. Not because companies are bad places to work but most are struggling to respond to demands of global competition. Mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and bankruptcies tell us we can’t out run name on door. Regardless of employer, accept that "employment contract" operates daily. The sooner one shifts from a paradigm of corporate loyalty to "profession" loyalty closer job security becomes. Building depth and currency in your chosen field, regardless of company, is new definition of loyalty. Understand role of reputation: Regardless position everyone has an unofficial "book". This is reputation created through one’s manner of relating to management, colleagues, subordinates, customers, etc. It often has very little to do with an employee’s official performance rating. It is how others view you—team player, maverick, cynic, statesperson, employee advocate, etc. Often, it is reputation that determines opportunities. Change your reputation if it is prohibiting advancement or move. Politics is not a dirty word: Careers reach a point where merit becomes a given. It is assumed results will be delivered and factor of corporate politics comes into play. Understanding others’ motivations is critical. Disdain versus acceptance of "political" influences in workplace is naiveté. Acquire skills of transition: Transitioning to a new job requires skills that can be learned. It starts with knowing what one has to offer, determining what market (employer) needs, developing a plan and executing it. The how-to of these steps is at heart of an entire industry and available through corporate sponsors and private purchase. You are your own master: Banish any thoughts that government, union or your company is responsible for you being employed. Career management is about understanding total employment environment, building market-valued skills and having a portable portfolio. When done properly, career management enables you to walk from one company to next with little likelihood of ever visiting unemployment line.