Wondering how to Become An Indispensable Employee?
We’re here to help you develop a strategy, and then help you implement it.
STRATEGIES TO PROTECT EMPLOYMENT
There are several strategies that you can take to try to protect your job. This is assuming that your job continues to have value to your employer. The strategies vary in their impact and the effort required to implement them. Their effectiveness depends on your employer’s organization and culture – and your own capabilities.
EXAMPLES OF STRATEGIES
The best employee
The effectiveness of a manager is a reflection of the quality of the team the manager leads. The best employee in a team is one the manager will want to keep. ‘Best’ may reflect competence, flexibility, and/or knowledge. One approach to make an employee stand out is to be trained in an essential skill currently outsourced.
The most popular employee
Having strong personal ties within a team or with its manager makes an employee integral to the cohesion of a team. This is really another dimension of ‘best’. But it is only possible if it fits the personality of the employee.
The most valuable employee
You can align yourself with one of your organization’s essential employees within or outside your department. This may make you indispensable because of the relationship you’ve built. For example, you will survive job cuts if you are regarded as essential to the success of the top salesperson! (This strategy is fleshed out below.)
CHOOSINGÂ A STRATEGY
These examples may or may not be applicable to your situation. They are listed to present some possible strategies, and to get creative juices flowing.
The process of choosing a strategy is difficult to do on your own. It is challenging to be objective about your place in your organization.
A STRATEGY TO BECOME INDISPENSABLE
The underlying concept for this strategy is to develop one or more champions for you in your organization, choosing those who are already seen as indispensable.
Here is a (very general) 5-step strategy to become an indispensable employee:
1. Identify the most critical operational functions for your employer.
2. Consider how you can make one of them operate more efficiently.
3. Choose a manager (or employee) who is highly regarded and with whom you can work effectively.
4. Take your ideas to that person, and suggest that you can help implement the changes in your spare time.
5. Implement the changes.
Of course, the specifics and internal politics are different in every organization.