How to be Indispensable in Your Role

There’s a popular saying, “It’s tough to find good help.” The reason people use that phrase so often is that it’s so true.

The irony is that being “good help” is fairly simple. The bar is set rather low.

Show up. Come to work everyday. Come on time. Be present physically and mentally. That’s huge…because most people aren’t fully present.

Work hard. Just do your best each day. Don’t phone it in. Don’t watch the clock. Be proactive and productive. Find ways to help beyond your job description.

Think. Don’t mindlessly go through your checklist. Always be thinking of better ways to do things. Don’t wait for your supervisor to show you how to do each step. If you aren’t sure about something or need to learn something new…Google it!!! There is a massive amount knowledge available for free on the world wide web. Use it! Your boss will think you’re a genius. At the very least she’ll be impressed by your initiative. Like I said, the bar is set LOW.

The cool thing about being indispensable is that your value goes up. You will learn a lot that makes you more valuable in any job. But specifically to your current organization if you continue to grow, learn and take on new roles your value swells.

You may need to point these facts out to your supervisor. Often, especially in small organizations, your boss is so busy she’s not thinking about whether you are earning as much as you should. One way to grow your pay is negotiate a percentage commission or bonus based on output. Try to tie your pay to a scalable component. In other words, you want a percent of sales that you can ramp up. Leverage by using systems, subcontractors or internet.

Of course it’s possible that you show up, work hard and think for yourself without getting a raise. If you do these things for six months to a year and your current employer doesn’t agree that your value has risen, find a new employer or strike out on your own. Your skills, work ethic and value will transfer with you.