Welcome to the Stop Sabotaging Your Success Podcast, episode fifty-seven. I’m your host, Cindy Esliger. This is the podcast focusing on what we can do today to take control of our careers and overcome the inevitable barriers to success that we encounter along the way. 

There are many ways to impress your boss. You might be diligent, meticulous, efficient, respectful, cheerful, quick to take initiative and minimize errors, and exceed expectations. While all these things are great, the key to getting your efforts noticed and rewarded is to figure out what your boss’s priorities are and make them your own. Every team needs that person who removes obstacles and gets things done, knows where to find things, and knows what to do in those challenging situations with clients. These people are indispensable employees. More than likely you’ve met them, benefited from their knowledge, and now you want to be like them. 

In this episode, you’ll learn the difference between simply being valuable and becoming indispensable, by recognizing what your boss needs from you and delivering that. You’ll still need to develop the kind of professional work ethic that earns you the reputation as the most reliable person around, and by being the problem solver companies are looking for. This all goes hand in hand. 

Linchpins deliver unique value. One way to become indispensable is to be a top performer in your industry. Many other ways include developing unique yet adjacent skills that are quicker to learn and deliver more bang for the buck, and they are a great step toward diversifying your overall skill base.

Become a problem solver. Become a type of assistant to your boss by tracking their deliverables and deadlines as well as sending them reminders to keep them on track. Maybe that means organizing your team’s information to create dashboards containing metrics, goals, and key performance indicators. Curate the necessary information and summarize key takeaways in a format that’s easy and quick for your boss to consume.

Become an information conduit. Develop a system for gathering new ideas and follow up methodically by connecting people. Figure out what needs to be done and do it, without being asked. 

Find those persistent problems where you can make marked improvement with a little bit of leadership. Focus on the things people are complaining about, but doing nothing to remedy. No doubt these are the things that frustrate your manager and your clients that need fixing.

Fill a leadership vacuum if one exists. Take charge by setting an agenda for meetings that don’t have one, and ask what is the most important thing that needs to be accomplished during the meeting. Be the person who gets things done and uplifts others. 

Contribute where you have unique strengths. It’s not about proclaiming your worth, but by demonstrating that you are indispensable through your performance and leadership.

Speak up to recognize the contributions of your peers and collaborators. Elevate their contributions to get them the credit they deserve. By amplifying other’s voices, you boost your own status. Learn to play big and help other people play bigger too. 

Value is a very subjective thing and what people value is different, which is going to determine whether or not what you are offering is of value to them. It’s about how much they value the result you are offering them. 

The reality is, you get paid based on the value the manager or owner believes you are bringing to the company, by what your end result delivers to them. This is not how most people think about making money. They think that a job is worth a certain salary and that salary is predetermined. It might surprise you that it’s not. It’s somewhat arbitrary. 

It doesn’t matter what decisions were previously made in any company or in any job description. If you can show that you can provide tremendous value for a company, they’d be willing to pay you for that value, if it gives them the result they want. 

You might be tempted to think that the job is only worth the pay they’re offering. Your job is to show that you working there will help the business make so many additional dollars per year or save them hours of time per week. And if you can do that, you can be sure they will be willing to listen. It’s not the hours we work for the company that are valued. 

One hour isn’t worth a certain amount of money to any business. It’s what we produce in that hour that we are being paid for creating. 

Too many people ask themselves, how can they ask for more money, or what jobs pay more money, or how to make more money per hour of time? But that leaves us depending on the world to pay us more from a very expectant stance. It’s much better to ask, how can I create more value?

Start small when answering this question. Think about your current job right now. Think about the value you are providing for the money you’re getting paid. You are getting paid for the exact value that you are recognized for providing. You might argue that you should be getting paid more for the value you provide, but that’s irrelevant. 

Value is always determined by the person paying, not the person creating that value. The value is in the eye of the employer. It’s not just about wanting more money, or asking for a raise more frequently, or in the right way. It starts by examining what it is you are creating. 

Ask yourself if you’re creating the maximum amount of value for the position that you’re in. The sad truth is that most of us aren’t. If we’re honest, we can admit that we could be doing so much more, but we don’t think that anyone would notice or that it wouldn’t matter to them. So many of us are simply doing only what is expected of us. 

Or you might be one of the few who are working long hours, showing up early and staying late, yet your boss isn’t recognizing your efforts. It might just be that you aren’t focusing your efforts on the right things. You may have completely missed the big picture on how to be seen as invaluable. 

What is the most valuable thing you could do for those in charge? When you don’t know that answer, it makes it more challenging to make your case to ask for a raise. Figure out what it is that they would be excited to pay you for doing. What do they find so valuable, that if you did it, they would be thrilled to give you a raise, or promote you, or give you a bonus? 

Make your manager’s job easier and take on some of their responsibilities, which then allows them to concentrate on their managerial duties. If they see you willing to do that, they’re more likely to fight to keep you, if it were ever in debate. Having someone influential on your side at work is very important. 

Find a gap in skills so that there are things that you can do that your boss cannot. So essentially, you make them look good by adding value to the broader team. Managers don’t want problems, they want solutions. So you need to find ways to solve those problems you see. When you overhear your colleagues complaining about something that isn’t working, figure out how to fix it, and you’ll very likely increase your value to your manager and to the company. 

What would you want your contribution to be, whether anyone sees you working or even acknowledges what you’ve done at the end of each day? What contribution do you want to make with your work so that you can be proud of the job that you are doing? What does that look like for you? It doesn’t matter what job you’re in. You can aim to be the most valuable employee who has ever done that job by creating the biggest contribution, so at the end of the day, you are feeling proud of what you’ve accomplished. Not proud because someone saw your work and said it was great, but because you did it.

You will know for sure when you believe you’re valuable because of the contribution you’re making. Then it’s just a matter of time before you find the other person who will recognize you and your value, and be willing to pay you for it. The trick is to create the value and then find the person who values that you are able to provide effective solutions to problems.

First, identify the root cause of the problem, then offer the potential solutions with a detailed action plan prepared. If your idea is workable, it will cement your indispensability in the organization. 

Being indispensable at work means being absolutely necessary. If you’re indispensable, you’re likely to be an authority on a particular subject that people need to know about. This makes you less likely to be let go because you would be harder to replace.

Being indispensable doesn’t just mean you’re good at your job, that’s just the starting point. It means taking on extra roles and responsibilities and holding knowledge that adds value to your team and company. The true secret of being indispensable is adding value that no one else can. Making yourself indispensable at work isn’t just for you, it’s also good for the company. And ultimately, it’s about the bottom line, so don’t lose sight of that. 

More importantly, how can you make yourself indispensable at work? Here are six strategies to help you become indispensable to your boss and your team: 

Number one, go the extra mile. You may be great in your current role and feel that you’re ready to take on more responsibilities. So push yourself out of your comfort zone. The more adaptable you are and open to change, the more you can provide to your company. Be the go-to person with the new projects that are happening by knowing who’s working on what and what’s coming down the pipeline. Know when to step up and offer solutions. Be a team player by finding ways to improve your team’s performance. And most importantly, find ways to make your manager’s life easier.

Strategy number two, be the most reliable. Build strong relationships with your team. Be the person who helps others by fostering relationships both with and between your coworkers. Do what you can to boost morale and model a great work ethic. Create a better work environment for everyone. 

Strategy number three, become an expert. Start by defining your area and establish yourself as the go-to person for it. Then, people will automatically know who to approach to tackle that issue when it arises. 

Strategy number four, make an impact. It’s not enough to just become an expert. It also requires staying on top of changes and best practices in today’s fast changing work environment. Make it a personal policy to never stop learning. Once you’ve gained mastery over an area, try to expand your knowledge into other adjacent areas. The more you know, the more indispensable you become. Both coworkers and employers will benefit as your skills grow. 

Strategy number five, align your skills with the company’s needs and organizational goals. Find ways your unique skills can help further your company’s goals. Aim to add value in a visible, meaningful way. By helping your company ease visible pain points, they’ll be more likely to see your worth.

And finally, strategy number six, showcase yourself as a leader. Demonstrate your leadership skills by managing client expectations or dealing with difficult people to give your senior management the confidence to trust you with more responsibilities. Showcase your confidence and positivity by overcoming obstacles and trying new things, as well as acknowledging and celebrating everyone’s successes, no matter the size. 

Being someone indispensable to your company is about more than just doing a good job. Being indispensable could also be about being a team player, having a great work ethic and taking on extra responsibilities, being an authority on a particular subject matter or an important client, or being the go-to person for specific tasks. 

The value you add will support and inspire your teammates, knowing they can count on you for the right answer. And if they truly admire you, they’ll do everything they can to avoid letting you down, which improves team dynamics. 

Being an indispensable employee isn’t an end in itself. Think of it as part of your growth in your career path. And part of it is knowing the difference between being valuable and being invaluable. Being valuable to your team means you make great contributions and your team would do a lot to keep you.

But if you’re invaluable, then you are truly indispensable to your company. You’ve exceeded being simply valuable, which means you’ve become priceless. That difference is the secret. So ask yourself, are you adding value to your team? Or are you working to make yourself truly invaluable to your team? 

Here are a few benefits to you of being indispensable to your organization: 

1. You develop specialized skills. Loyalty isn’t always rewarded, but having invaluable skills incentivizes your employer to keep you on when you add value that no one else can, even when there’s no such thing as job security. 
2. You get to work on high profile assignments. When you’re recognized for having developed a particular skill set acquired over a long career, you’re more likely to get the chance to work on special projects, and that experience will help you improve your status within the organization. 
3. You feel appreciated. There’s nothing quite like your hard work getting noticed and being given positive feedback because that recognition can be really motivating.
4.  You get a chance to play bigger, which could mean more responsibilities and bigger roles as people start trusting you and relying on your abilities, which can help advance your career. 

But beware of the pitfalls to becoming indispensable: 

1. You getting stuck, where you’re at risk of being pigeonholed. 
2. You becoming a bottleneck, where you’re at risk for stress, exhaustion, and burnout while those around you feel chronically underutilized. 
3. You stop developing, where you’re at risk of limiting your future horizons. 
4. You narrowing your network, where you’re at risk of having no reason to reach out to new people to broaden your professional connections. 

To counteract these pitfalls, show you can learn and grow by asking for and taking on new challenges. Stop waiting for others to tap you on the shoulder. You don’t need anyone’s permission. Demonstrate your openness to new ideas, new ways of thinking, and innovative ways of doing things. 

These capabilities will set you apart in a constantly changing work environment, so demonstrate your ability to improvise and adapt. Disrupt yourself to keep you from getting too comfortable with the familiar and becoming complacent. These are uncertain times, but remember, your skills and experience are portable, so it’s worth investing in yourself, even if you have to pay for it out of your own pocket. 

Instead of letting yourself get too comfortable or even bored, shake things up by training people to replace you, to free yourself to reimagine what and who you can become. Success doesn’t happen overnight, so assess where you’re at and where you want to be. If you feel like you don’t quite have the skills or experience to make yourself indispensable work, this is your starting point. Start by making room for you in your current workplace. Step out of your comfort zone. Your growth will benefit you, as well as your boss and your whole team. 

It can feel emotionally gratifying to be needed. Hearing how critical you are to the organization is positive reinforcement to keep doing what you’re doing. It can become part of your work identity, and that’s powerful.

So do what you can to make yourself indispensable while also planning for what you want next. 

And that’s it for this episode of Stop Sabotaging Your Success. Remember to download your Guide for Becoming Indispensable at cindyesliger.com/podcast, episode fifty-seven.

Thank you to our producer, Alex Hochhausen and everyone at Astronomic Audio. Get in touch, I’m on Instagram @cindyesliger and my email address is info@cindyesliger.com. And if you liked this show, please tell a friend. Subscribe, rate, and review. 

Until next week, I’m Cindy Esliger. Thanks for joining me.