Finding a job is half the battle, keeping it requires equally as much effort (if not more). So, what is it that makes someone irreplaceable at work? Below are 7 ways you can be smarter and, ultimately, irreplaceable at work.
1. Have A Positive Attitude
Being positive doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to be the happy-go-lucky, bubbly person–if that’s not who you are, then don’t fake it. Instead, have a positive mental attitude by approaching challenges at work with an open mind. One of the most irreplaceable things that I love about my team is their approach to problem solving; each person comes to the table with a different viewpoint, but an open mind. Open-mindedness is a testament to your thoughts, and a positive attitude.
2. Continue To Learn
Let’s keep this one simple: Learning creates knowledge. Knowledge is Power irreplaceable at work.
3. Learn The Lingo
One of the steepest learning curves in the workplace used to be learning the office and/or industry lingo (hint: the key word in this sentence is “used“). In a world of Googling and social media, there is more than enough information on the web about industry and office jargon. Leverage Twitter to ask questions, Google for answers, peruse industry-relevant forums, and take control of learning the lingo before your first day (if applicable).
4. Get To Know Your Office Peeps
One of the simplest ways to be smart at work is to get to know your “office peeps.” While most people stop at, “Hi, how are you?” or, “Do anything fun this weekend?” you’ll find yourself in a sweet spot if you invite officemates to events outside of work and challenge yourself to really get to know the people you are working with. Don’t care about the people in your office? Then why should they care about you? Be irreplaceable by establishing meaningful relationships with people at your office.
5. Be Smart At Work, Don’t Be A Know-It-All
In the spirit of not being a know-it-all, here is something that I read recently by Jack Welch, former CEO at General Electric:
“The first and perhaps most frustrating way that some people blow leadership is by being know-it-alls. They can tell you how the world works, what corporate is thinking, how it will backfire if you try this or that, and why you can’t change the product one iota. They even know what kind of car you should be driving. Sometimes these blowhards get their swagger from a few positive experiences. But usually they’re just victims of their own bad personalities. And you and your company are victims, too. Because know-it-alls aren’t just insufferable, they’re dangerous. They don’t listen, and that “deafness” makes it very hard for new ideas to get heard, debated, expanded, or improved. No single person, no matter how smart, can take a business to its apex. For that, you need every voice heard. And know-it-all leadership creates a deadly silence.”
Whether you’re a mailroom clerk or a CEO at a Fortune 500 company, you can be a leader in one way or another; in order to accomplish something bigger than yourself, and to become irreplaceable at work, do not be a know-it-all. You may want to appear smart at work, but everyone knows that you don’t know it all.
6. Work Creatively
While the price of success may be hard work, one of the ways to be irreplaceable and smart at work is to get creative with your approach to your job. Everyone has the potential to be creative. If you leverage this creativity, and harness your childhood silliness, you might come up with answer that nobody else thought of…and that is irreplaceable.
Find out how to be a creative genius by reading this appropriately titled blog post, How to Become a Creative Genius.
7. Buy Into The Vision
“Happiness is really just about four things: perceived control, perceived progress, connectedness (number and depth of your relationships), and vision/meaning (being part of something bigger than yourself).” – Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
I know it seems harsh, but here is my opinion: buy into your company’s vision, or get out. You are part of a plan; if you start working with others as part of something bigger than yourself, you chances for success increase. When you succeed at your job and make others better along the way, you are not only being smart at work, you are positioning yourself as irreplaceable.
