We all want to be indispensable employees, to ensure job security. These days there no such thing as a truly secure job, but there are things you can do to increase the likelihood you’ll have the job as long as you want it. Enjoy Mary’s powerful advice for taking your career into your own hands. – InPower Editors
Is it possible to make yourself indispensable?
You often hear the word “indispensable” when it comes to distinguishing yourself at work. What does it mean? How do you make that happen?
Whether you are feeling the pinch of job insecurity or you want to boost your performance rating, it’s always worthwhile to enhance the value of your “currency” at work so your boss and co-workers wonder how they ever got along without you.
Three Tips to Increase Your Indispensability
1. Nail Down the Fundamentals.
Take steps to get clear on the baseline for what is expected of your position. Only then can you make realistic choices about how you are going to enhance your performance in a way that works for you and your employer both. Making this happen includes:
- Knowing what success looks like for your position —Ask your boss and others you trust what they think, and then deliver on what’s expected.
- Cleaning up your own messes. Know when to notify your boss and when to ask for help. Being a hero doesn’t always work out in your favor.
2. Make Your Relationship With Your Boss Work FOR You.
Whether you have a boss you can work with, or not, it is valuable to consider how to make the best of it. After all, despite the fact that you might not like or respect your boss, your boss’s opinion matters. His or her opinion has a significant impact on your earnings, your enjoyment of your work, and your future employment.
As you look at the list below, you may find yourself resisting some of the points. Before you totally reject any of them, consider what you might learn by discovering where your boss stands. Some key points to get clear on when navigating this working relationship include:
- Get agreement on your work objectives and how they will be measured.
- Know your boss’s hot buttons, e.g. what she always looks for, what he never asks about.
- Address any proposal/concern you have in terms that influences your boss to buy-in. In other words, make it clear what is it in for them and the organization.
Just because you get your boss’s opinion on any of these items, it doesn’t mean you have to agree. You may not like the conclusions you come to (new job? new company?), but knowledge IS power and you will be making more informed choices.
People like to work with people who are helpful and low-maintenance. Become the person that your manager and co-workers know they can count on to get things done, on time and well, without requiring them to give it another thought. Here are some suggestions to make this happen:
- Don’t complain about the non-negotiable. For example, if you don’t like the rule about submitting travel expense reports within 10 days, then comply, or work to change it, but don’t only complain.
- Don’t make people come after you about perfunctory requirements, like taking your turn to run the staff meeting.
- Quietly volunteer to do conventionally unattractive tasks, e.g. organizing a safety meeting, presenting work environment training, etc.
Yes, these points seem like common sense, and…
As you know, analyzing your behavior objectively and changing it is easier said than done. Try out some of the suggestions listed here and give yourself an edge.
Originally on: ReimagineWork
