A book Review of Stephen Viscusi’s (2008) book, Bulletproof your job
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- Viscusi, S. (2008). Bulletproof your job: 4 simple strategies to ride out the rough times and come out on top at work. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Book Review By: Danny Pettry
Politicians often say, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu” to argue the importance of being involved. Those people who are not at the table and not involved risk having their services being “cut” and discontinued by those people that are involved.
Recreational therapists need to be involved and have a seat at the table to bulletproof their job. However, the focus of the profession is not about saving our own jobs. It is about the people that receive recreational therapy services. Our job in being involved consists of making sure people (consumers of recreational therapy) are getting the greatest outcomes. The focus is on ensuring and advocating that consumers are getting access to these cost-efficient recreational therapy services that are bringing about functional outcomes.
Health care services cost a lot of money. Those services that are not bringing about measurable outcomes are deemed not necessary. Those services risk being cut and discontinued. Recreational therapy has evidenced-based research that supports what we do. It is vital that recreational therapists are involved, having a seat at the table, and active in advocating for the consumers of recreational therapy services.
Stephen Viscusi (2008) points out four strategies people can use to keep their job. This book review outlines Viscusi’s four simple strategies and provides additional focus for those people who are professional Recreational Therapists to be involved (at a national public policylevel)
Viscusi’s (2008) four simple strategies to bulletproofing a job consist of being:
- Visible;
- Easy;
- Useful; and
- Ready
Recreational therapists could apply Viscusi’s (2008) four simple strategies in order to advocate for our professional services and the outcomes that they help achieve.
Being Visible
Viscusi (2008) points out the importance of being seen. Viscsi argues that this means seen doing the right things. Appearance must be professional. Employee must show up on time for work (or early) and do extra. The employee must be consistently hardworking, providing real value to the company. The employee is seen as going the extra mile to volunteer to lead special projects.
Recreational therapists do a lot of these already. They are passionate, genuine, enthusiastic, positive, polite, considerate, good listeners.
Some tips for Recreational Therapists to be visible:
Get involved in public policy with the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). Be a leader and volunteer to take initiative to organize efforts (at a state level for your own state and on a national level). Be present (by having a seat at the table) by participating in public policy. Send ATRA an email and ask how you can help with public policy in your state and at a national level.
Being Easy
Viscusi (2008) points out the importance of being easy. This concept is based on being easy to get along with opposed to being the difficult employee. Difficult employees whine, complain, and make things miserable for others. Employers are more likely to get rid of difficult employees.
Recreational therapists as a whole often demonstrate the characteristics of being easy-going. These concepts consist of being calm and collect, having a positive attitude, being flexible, and agreeable.
Some tips for Recreational Therapists on being easy:
Get involved in your professional organization: The American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). Apply your easy-going skills towards making new connections and networking with other professionals. Demonstrate a positive attitude and volunteer to help the professional association with tasks.
Being Useful
Viscusi (2008) argues that being useful is a key to keeping a job. This consists of doing more than what you’re expected to do. Sometimes they call it “going the extra mile.” It is doing “extra credit” work when you already have a solid A+ grade. Being useful is about helping the company reach goals. It is the opposite of blaming and making excuses when job responsibilities are not completed. It is quite easy for a company to le employees like this go.
Some tips for Recreational Therapists on being useful:
Become a specialist. Go above and beyond your entry-level Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist (CTRS) credential. The National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC) offers five specialty certifications, including: behavioral health, physical medicine and rehab, developmental disabilities, geriatrics, and community. Specialists provide additional value to the company. A person with the specialization could be sought out for advice in their area of expertise. They could assist with training others in the company.
Being Ready
Viscusi (2008) argues the importance of being prepared and ready. Changes happen all the time. Anything can happen. People that are prepared are the ones who are going to come out on top. Those people that are not prepared are going to be the ones that are left behind or let go.
Some tips for Recreational Therapists to be ready:
Our world is changing. Health care is changing as well. Recreational therapists need to be knowledgably of what is happening in the world, in health care, and in their own profession. Consider going the extra mile to earn a graduate degree or a doctorate. One change our profession is facing is the shortage of qualified people to teach undergraduates and graduate students.
Conclusion
There are things a single individual person can do to bulletproof her (or his) own job. Viscusi (2008) did an excellent job arguing how being visible, easy-going, useful, and prepared can be beneficial.
Recreational therapists as a whole could apply Viscusi’s (2008) concepts to bulletproof the profession. There is an old story about four bulls and one hungry tiger. The tiger could easily take out any one single bull. However, the four bulls put their back tails together. They form a circle and watch out for each other. The tiger is not able to get any one single bull when they have their horns out and form a circle. The tiger gets them when they are alone.
Recreational therapists are more vulnerable when they are alone. However, they do not need to be alone. We have a professional association that forms a circle. However, recreational therapists must join the circle (the association) in order to be involved.
Recreational therapists can be:
- Visible when they are part of a group association
- Easy-going by working with others in the profession and building a network of professional friends.
- Useful by volunteering to work on the many roles and responsibilities of the national association.
- Ready for what changes happen next. The association will spread the knowledge through their email network to those involved.
Bibliography
- Viscusi, S. (2008). Bulletproof your job: 4 simple strategies to ride out the rough times and come out on top at work. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
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Danny Pettry is a full-time practitioner. He has provided services for children with abuse-reactive needs at a psychiatric residential treatment facility since 2002. Pettry has graduate degrees in Mental Health Counseling (Linsey Wilson College, Columbia, Kentucky, 2012) and Recreational Therapy (Indianan University, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006). Pettry is a lifetime member of the American Therapeutic Recreation Association (ATRA). Pettry is not a hired representative, elected member, or spokesperson for the association. This blog is written by Danny Pettry (an individual).
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