How to Make Yourself Indispensable and Quit Worrying About Job Security
Simple tips on on how to solidify your role and avoid burnout
Do I adore my day job? No.
Do I love the certainty that my 9–5 provides? 100% yes!
While I have bills and a mortgage to pay, I am very keen to maintain my employment status. So much so that I have read a bunch of literature and tried to unpack why some people are shown the door and some others are untouchable.
Here’s what I’ve discovered:
- People who are valued at work are not needy
Are you the type of person who likes to check in with your Manager frequently? Or perhaps you like to provide occasional updates or share your thoughts, or observations on something outside of your team?
This approach may feel natural but needy people may be viewed more negatively in big corporations as they often require ongoing reassurance and are a bigger time investment. The quality of the work produced by needy types may also be tainted simply due to the huge collective effort to get them/the project over the line.
No one has enough hours in the day, especially not Managers. Whatever industry you’re in, it is safer to operate on the assumption that your Manager has more pressing things to deal with than to give you a pep talk, or to check the 3rd draft of your report/document/plan etc (which hasn’t changed much since the last update).
Next time you feel the urge to ask or share with your manager — stop. Instead show that you respect their time and book time in their calendar to work through your to-do list in one go.
2. Hustlers don’t get laid off
In the same way that brands rely on influencers to get their message out, people who have access to the right decision makers within a company are golden.
Large corporations are clunky. Many of these businesses are all experiencing the same problems with legacy technology, huge transformation programs and regulatory scrutiny.
Having someone on the inside who can short circuit a meeting, get a response today and deliver a project on time is a critical skill in any business. The best hustlers I’ve seen in action are discrete, helpful and effective without being desperate or pushy.
Another essential attribute is that hustlers are well connected. They are cc’d on useful emails, they are looped in on updates, changes, delays, and other escalations. In large organisations the ability to share institutional knowledge, previous examples of what may have worked/failed and success stories from other areas internally is a huge asset.
If you need to get your hustle on then get curious and start having more conversations to validate where are the blocks in your organisation, what are other teams doing well, where can you add value? Gather information, find out what worked, what didn’t and why. Link it back to your role/team and use it to make a positive contribution.
3. People who Manage UP make it
At its core, this one is really just about being able to make your manager / boss look good.
But it is actually much deeper. The best teams do this seamlessly and don’t think twice about prepping a colleague for a meeting, or volunteering insights so that their boss can have a moment in the spotlight. The best Managers in turn recognise and acknowledge this behaviour.
If you want to get better at Managing Up, anticipate their needs to the extent you’re able and have capacity. Show you understand the business goals and other organisational projects and what they are trying to achieve. Volunteer ideas, insights and information (see above re Hustlers).
Key message here is that this needs to be authentic. People sense when something is not genuine or there is some hidden agenda. So make sure your skills and your work are aligned with your team and compliment the team.
Become a trusted adviser who lifts the standard of the team. Others will quickly take note and and will want you on their team.
4. It’s about the work
Relationships are obviously key part to any job. Building trust, cultivating respect, and developing a good brand are all important.
But a key part of building good relationships (and a good brand) is to do great work. Reputation flows from this.
Focus on doing great work that you enjoy that is adding value. Show up every day, be reliable and deliver good work.
The rest will follow.
Lastly but most importantly
Take care of yourself.
If for some reason you aren’t enjoying your work then this will be obvious to others. Your frustration and resentment will eventually leak out in day to day conversations and people will label you as either miserable or ‘too hard basket’. Don’t fall into that. Don’t let your emotions sabotage your pay check. Try to understand why you’re unhappy and take action to resolve this. Take time out.
I feel lucky because I (finally) enjoy what I do and I can work flexibly. For anyone hoping to get to this point — it is absolutely possible.
Please DM if you’d like to hear more.
