10 Ways to Become Indispensable at Work

Posted on September 24th, 2009 by Keith Ferrazzi

expertForget your job title (for the moment, at least). The way to become indispensable at work is to add value beyond your job description. Starting today, you’ve got to figure out what exceptional expertise you’re going to master that will provide real value to your network and your company.

Here are ten tips to help you on your way toward becoming an expert:

1.Get out in front and analyze cutting-edge trends and opportunities.
Identify the people in your industries who always seem to be out in front, and use all the relationship skills you’ve acquired to connect with them. Also, read, read, read. Eventually, you’ll start making connections others aren’t.

2.Ask seemingly stupid questions.
If you ask questions that are like no other, you get results that are unlike any that the world has seen. How many people have the courage to ask those questions? The answer: all the people responsible for the greatest innovations.

3.Know yourself and your talents.
Overcome weaknesses by developing an expertise that highlights your strengths. The trick is not to work obsessively on the skills and talents you lack, but to focus and cultivate your strengths so that your weaknesses matter less.

4.Always learn.
You have to learn more to earn more. Your program of self-development should include reading books and magazines, listening to educational tapes, attending three to five conferences a year, taking a course or two, and developing relationships with the leaders in your field.

5.Stay healthy.
Research has discovered that at midafternoon, due to sleep deprivation, the average corporate executive today has the alertness level of a seventy-year-old. You think that executive is being creative or connecting the dots? Not a chance. You have to take care of yourself—your body, mind, and spirit—to be at your best.

6.Expose yourself to unusual experiences.
Knowing one’s own industry and one’s native markets is not enough to compete in the future. Take a deep and boundless curiosity about things outside your own profession and comfort zone.

7.Don’t get discouraged.
Guess what—when you’re rockin’ the boat, there will always be people who will try and push you off. There will be continual changes and challenges requiring you to be persistent and committed. Focus on the results and keep your eyes open for what is happening on the edges of your industry.

8.Know the new technology.
You don’t need to be a “techno geek,” but you do need to understand the impact of technology on your business and be able to leverage it to your benefit. Adopt a techno geek, or at least hire or sire one.

9.Develop a niche.
Successful small businesses that gain renown establish themselves within a carefully selected market niche that they can realistically hope to dominate. Individuals can do the same thing. Think of several areas where your company underperforms and choose to focus on the one area that is least attended to.

10.Follow the money.
Creativity is worthless if it can’t be applied. The bottom line for your content has to be: This will make us more money. Great ideas are meaningless in business until someone pays for it.

Question: What are you doing at work today to make yourself indispensable?

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17 Responses so far | Have Your Say!

  1. Great tips! I had written a similar article titled 'Become a Star performer at work' which readers of this one will enjoy.
    Read more: http://blogs.kaushalaras.com

  2. Great tips, of course. I particularly like the "always learn" because the Internet makes it possible for us all to (selectively) educate ourselves constantly. Would Keith advocate setting aside a certain amount of time for self-development each day?

  3. What am I doing? Being Optimistic. (not easy... I work in banking). Worry, anger and fear are constantly reported and discussed, but they don't go anywhere. There is always a good story out there! There is always a good deed to highlight at a staff meeting. Even when things are down, there are improvements to be made. One quick upbeat comment can change the whole tone of a meeting from "oh no" to "let's solve this problem". I know I'd rather be a leader of a solutions-based group. Thanks KF for a great blog.

  4. I really like these tips, especially keeping healthy, its so important no matter what you are doing. Going to conferences and meeting your market is essential. Make those unusual experiences from above. Involve your market, find out what your market enjoys that you have never experienced, because those new experiences will give you insight that will be incredibly valuable to your development as well as your career.

    I think a good number 11 would also be getting involved with your market and providing your opinion on what's happening. Connect with leaders in your market and communicate with them. This will lead to your becoming a leader in your niche which makes you indeispensible to your employer.

    -Calin

  5. I appreciate the clarity of Tip 10: Follow the Money. Often times than not, we just assume the money will come.

  6. Chakita R. Holmes says:
    September 24, 2009 at 8:27 am
    Reply

    Keith,
    Thank you for sharing these helpful job tips! I'm about to start a new part-time job after being downsized for roughly six months. I will definitely apply these tips immediately.

  7. Keith,

    Thanks for a great post and some simple reminders to keep us moving forward I like #5, Stay Healthy. This tends to be one that we let slip as work piles up, yet, as you point out, it really is important in more ways than one.

    Thanks!
    Glenn

  8. Keith,

    These are great tips. So far I think I'm off to a fairly good start. I'm strong into the Green movement in my area and Green Building. But as a Realtor, things are just slow overall... so I'm working on cultivating relationships. Also I'm still fairly young for my industry at only 29, so I'm also the one that's looked at to teach others about social media and online tools and marketing. It's my generation that my colleagues are trying to reach. The one I have started as a goal now is the stay healthy with changing what I eat and adding more exercise to my routine. It's a work in progress. I try not to get discouraged, in this market it's tough sometimes, but I try to surround myself with positive people and we all lift each other up and offer encouragement and brainstorm ideas. It is all about the relationships you build that gets us through the day.

    Bridget

  9. Anand Arunachelam says:
    September 24, 2009 at 9:08 pm
    Reply

    Keith,
    This is great stuff. I like the wording in the cartoon "Forget you Job Title" and start doing work outside your job description. All the points are very relevant. I would like to follow them right away.

    Best regards
    Anand

  10. Like several people mentioned here, I too was struck most by the "Stay Healthy" tip. I was laid off in May and since then, have been freelancing from home and collecting unemployment. I have never been happier and one of the reasons why is because I don't have to spend the mid-afternoon trying to look like I am not in fact nearly asleep. I take a nap of an hour or less (sometimes even 20 minutes does the trick) nearly every afternoon when the sleepiness hits me. I normally get a full night's sleep now; that is not the issue. I am in good health; that is not the issue. That mid-afternoon slowdown is a normal part of our body functioning, and I wish there was an office environment where a nap is seen for what it is: a healthy and vital part of many people's day, aiding memory and productivity. It was gratifying to know that executives also face this same issue, as I had always assumed one of the reasons these people ascended to the top of the food chain is because they only needed a few hours of sleep a night and were always "on" at work.

  11. I learned long time ago "your income is directly proportional to the VALUE you bring" .

    This is a Great article - you have to get out of your confort zone; you have to be weird; you have to be different; your VALUE has to be better/bigger that your competition's Value.

  12. And at the end of the day........attitude is everything :)

  13. Keeping healthy, striving to improve, and finding fresh ways to add value are all great tips. They make you not only more valuable at work, but they also make your life more enriching.

  14. Very interesting that Stay Healthy resonated for so many - why is it that it's so easy to put off caring for ourselves? This is an area when it really helps to have a buddy.

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