6 Sure-Fire Ways to Be Indispensable

Reliable good employees are a gem. Companies will surely treasure you.

No one is irreplacable. How many times have you heard this phrase, especially when it comes to work? To a certain extent, there’s some truth in this. One day you could be the flavour of the month; the next you may just fall out of favour with your boss.

But what if we told you that you could pave your way to be indispensable – that’s right, you can slowly build your reputation at work so that everybody knows you as the go-to person, the one who’s critical to a project’s success – basically, the one everyone should aspire to be.

Sounds impossible? Nothing’s impossible, even when it comes to making sure you’re indispensable. How? Check out these six tips on how to be that person.

#1 Master your strongest skill
You know what most elite athletes are known for? One specific skill that makes that stands out. Beckham and his Bend It, Usain Bolt and his lightning speed.

You can be the same at work. Say you’re really good at giving a convincing presentation. Now work even harder to get better at it. Or if you have superb sales skill (you can basically sell anything to anyone). Hone it and be even greater at it. Make sure the skill you decide to master is critical to your company’s success (nobody really cares if you’re good at juggling, unless you work at the circus). This way, you become an asset to the company when they need someone really good at the thing you do fabulously to represent them.

#2 Be reliable – always
Nobody likes a flaky employee whom they can’t rely on. If there’s a restructuring, that person is the first one out. But if you’ve built a reputation at being super reliable and getting the work done on time flawlessly, you’ll be someone the company will want to retain. Good employees are hard to come by. Reliable good employees are a gem. Companies will surely treasure you.

#3 Make life easy for your boss
We don’t mean buying lunch for your boss and bringing coffee to him every morning. Making life easy for your boss equates to making his work easier, which you can do by performing the tasks that will take some load off his back and allow him to concentrate on other more important things. Always check in with your boss to see if there’s anything you can do to help out. If there’s a particular task your boss hates doing monthly, why not volunteer to pick it up and do it for him? Not only will he be happier that you’re taking it off his plate but with time to come, he’ll start relying on you more and more to do that task.

#4 Do more
Speaking of helping your boss out, if you are able to take on more responsibilities, by all means do it! It’s easy for you to fall into a routine at work and when that happens, you become just another employee. But if you add value to the organisation by either being a super helpful executive or stepping out of your comfort zone to take on new challenges, upper management will soon see you as a reliable staff with the company’s best interest at heart. And definitely indispensable if you show potential!

#5 Fine-tune your people skills
Being indispensable basically means being in everyone’s good books. You want to be the person everyone thinks of first – whether it is to go for lunch or to head a project simply because you’re likeable and have proven yourself. It’s really all about campaigning – good PR skills, and being friendly with everyone, from the interns to the top guns. Plus points if you have connections outside that could bring value to the company.

#6 Have a boss mentality
You could either be a regular employee... or someone with leadership quality and ownership. Be proud of your work because it’s a true reflection of the kind of employee you are. Think of the bigger picture; apply entrepreneurship strategies on how to bring the business forward – your boss will appreciate great suggestions. Treat work like you own the company (but don’t boss others – that’s one way to be out!). Act in the company’s best interest to show that you’re an asset and not a liability.

Image by mohamed Hassan from Pixabay