INSTANT MBA: 2 Ways To Become Indispensable At Work

Instant MBA

May 29, 2014

Does your company value you? Do you think you'd survive multiple rounds of layoffs? Would your employer miss you if you were to leave?

If you said "no" to any of the above, you're probably not indispensable to your employer. But you should strive to be, says Chris Gaborit, managing director and cofounder of The Learning Factor, in a recent LinkedIn post.

In the post, Gaborit offers keys to becoming indispensable at work.

"I decided to get some wisdom from people I respect," he says. "I asked some of our best clients — senior managers who work for global companies. These people have walked the walk; they have been bulletproof when it comes to restructuring."

Here are two ways to become indispensable at work:

1. Treat everyone with genuine respect.

Becoming indispensable is not just about managing well, but also about how you treat your peers, team members, and vendors alike, Gaborit explains. "You never know who you may be working for or with some day, so treat everyone as you'd want to be treated and keep confidences when someone confides in you and wants some advice."

This will stand you in good stead with key decision makers and bring you allies and supporters in the organization, he says. "When business takes a turn for the worse and they're considering whom to cut, you often won't make the list if you have built those relationships and have shown the ability to deliver with quality over and over again."

2. Hold the mindset that change provides opportunity.

"There are times when every business is going through a restructuring," Gaborit says. "Some companies seem to do this every few years, some every year, and some seem to be undergoing one eternal restructuring." And in order for you to be "restructure proof," you mustn't be afraid of change and crisis.

"The Chinese ideogram for crisis consists of two separate characters," he explains. "One means danger; the other means opportunity." When confronted with a crisis — like a major restructuring within your organization — you need to recognize both the danger and the opportunity, he says.

Those who rise in the midst of crisis and see it as an opportunity to change and grow become greater and more powerful — and, consequently, indispensable.

So, when change is imminent, "hold the mindset that change provides opportunity, remain positive, and don't dwell on the danger but dwell on the opportunity," he concludes.

Click here to read the full LinkedIn post.

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