No one in our government is officially calling our current economic conditions a recession, but I'll bet you've heard the word a few times lately.

This year has started rough and turbulent.  CEOs and leaders in all industries are talking about “headwinds” coming their way, and they have all been actively battening down the hatches. The economy, the biggest unknown, will dictate their next course of action. For them, the quickest and most effective way of trimming expenses is laying off employees.

Over the past three years, there have been 7 million to 8 million unemployed workers in our country, which is nearly 5 percent of our work force at any given time.  But of course, this isn't any given time — this may be the "R" time. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average unemployment time has been 17.5 weeks, but these days who knows?

It's a common management mind-set that mid-career executives who have been at the same company for a while, can become complacent. No matter how secure you think you are, you must stay on top of trends and do what it takes to stay competitive in your job and your company.  It is called "career currency," because it's really all about staying current.

Here are tips on how to do that.

Inventory your professional skills
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Rub elbows with people within and outside your company
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Maintain your personal list of clear goals for your career
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At the end of the day, it's about you
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