Being Indispensable At Work

October 8, 2012

Interview with Mark Samuel, author of the book Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability

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Mike Carruthers:
Not only can getting a job be difficult in this economy just keeping your job can be tough unless of course you become indispensable.

Mark Samuel:
Being indispensable is all about providing value to others. So when you’re providing value to your team and to your organization they won’t want to get rid of you.
 

Mark Samuel, author of the book Making Yourself Indispensable

Even if your job goes away they’ll actually in many cases (not always) but in many cases find a job just because you’re there providing so much value. Because you’re helping to solve problems, you’re finding solutions rather than complaining and blaming others when things don’t go well.

Being indispensable is not about being a suck up to the boss.

It’s much more about hey I might even in a meeting say what no one else is saying because it needs to be said. So it’s not always coming off nice and positive, sometimes it’s actually raising the dirt that everybody else is ignoring that you think we need to deal with.

It’s really about changing your attitude and trying to make a difference by…

Taking more initiative, speaking up at meetings, volunteering for task forces – so I’m not just in a rut I’m now actively doing the best I can. That doesn’t mean everything’s going to go well but at least I know at the end of the day, wow I gave it my best, I contributed, I was a value and no matter what goes around me I live with that.