I’m sure you have heard the old adage “everyone is replaceable” at some point in your career.
Thing is, that is only right to a point. Everyone has their own unique skill set, attributes and experience in a position or when coming to a new position.
What helps you seem “irreplaceable” is ensuring all of those continue adding value to the business you are working for.
You may be super confident your company truly needs you, but you don’t want a surprise that isn’t a good thing.
You want to make sure that your position is safe and one the company will retain if there are ever any layoffs.
There are some additional ways to increase your value in your position. Here are a few more:
Improve your communication and leadership skills. They have been proven to be two of the most important skills professionals need to excel at. Some strategies for improving on these skills may be taking a public speaking course or volunteering to lead an important project.
Update your technical skills and qualifications. Things change so quickly now that what you knew when you started doesn’t mean it is what is current now. Social media is a big part of business today. Do you know the ins and outs of twitter, pinterest, facebook, Google +, You Tube, Linked in…and those are just the major players. Use your professional network to find out what skills and qualifications your peers with similar responsibilities have. Take a class on social media and how to best apply it in your position.
Join professional associations and use them as resources for staying on top of industry trends and providing access to learning opportunities.
Improve your productivity. Look at easier and more effective ways you can be doing things and approach your boss with your suggestions. Often when you do this, you are showing them something that they didn’t realize before. They want to use you the best way possible so help them. Show them the positive results that can occur when you are doing things in a different way.
Help others enhance their value. Be a leader and offer mentoring to others in your company (or outside your company). Look for learning opportunities that are provided from others that YOU want to learn from as well and take advantage of that.
If you recently attended a professional conference ask your boss if you could formally share the knowledge you gained with your colleagues.
There are no guarantees in business but by implementing what is covered here you are helping to keep yourself current, and helping your employer continue to increase the bottom line…which is good job security.
