How to Make Yourself Indispensable Supplemental SelfStudy Presentation

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Supplemental Self-Study Presentation

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Overview

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Introduction While every employee has a certain role in the functioning of their organization, today’s workplace requires that an individual readily take on a range of tasks to accommodate frequent organizational changes and remain productive. Flexibility is a long-standing and valuable trait in the working environment and an increasingly necessary element with today’s technological advances. With new innovations, there are new tasks to perform and new roles to assume i—an inevitable outcome of our increasingly global market and companies’ desire to improve efficiency amidst the change. Today’s workplace is an international conglomeration of “individuals who possess different values and orientations…” ii As a result, it is not only important to be able to take initiative and assume new roles in the workplace, but also to communicate effectively among various departments, individuals, co-workers, and clientele at every level. iii How to Make Yourself Indispensable is a comprehensive course designed to make you an invaluable employee. It teaches you the skills you need to adapt to—and even embrace— situational changes at work. You’ll learn how to thrive under pressure and expand your career opportunities by taking initiative, effectively resolving problems, sharing your knowledge, and being an overall positive influence in the workplace.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Introduction Part 2 When you think of someone who is indispensable, what do you think of? Indispensable people come in all shapes and sizes, yet they share these characteristics: • Take ownership of their responsibilities • Go above and beyond regular duties when circumstances require it • Perform well under pressure • Are adaptable • Are team players • Are replaceable

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 1: Take Ownership

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Act Like a Business Owner The first trait of indispensable employees is that they take ownership. In fact, they act like business owners. They do this by taking time to focus on their top priorities. They: • Schedule time to think and plan. • Avoid checking their email and cell phone continuously. • Anticipate and think about the big picture—realizing that great business owners stay several moves ahead of their best competitors. • Use the 80/20 rule to guide your priorities: they know that 80% of their results come from 20% of their effort. So they focus on the right 20%. • Show passion and enthusiasm—they are the fuel that drives your job. • Make customer satisfaction a high priority. • Systemize what they can and review processes and structures to improve consistency and quality.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Spend Money Like It’s Your Own Another aspect of taking ownership is spending your organization’s money like it’s your own. Indispensable employees are frugal with their organization’s money. They: • Look for ways to save money without sacrificing quality. • Look for new revenue opportunities. • Maintain a bottom-line focus. • Learn the basics of cash flow and financial management. If you save a dollar by improving productivity or decreasing wasted time, 100% of that goes to the bottom line and increases your organization’s profit.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable For Every Problem Bring a Solution Indispensable employees don’t wait for their boss to solve a problem for them. Instead they go to their boss with a problem—and recommended a solution. In order to bring a constructive solution to your boss, you must first correctly identify the problem. • Don’t jump to conclusions. • Make sure you’re addressing the root of the problem, and not merely a symptom of the underlying problem. • Use root cause analysis tools. o 5 Whys Diagram: Keep asking “why? ” until you get to the source of the problem. o Fishbone diagram: Create a chart of all the possible causes and effects of the problem/symptom and investigate each possibility.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable For Every Problem, Bring a Solution Part 2 The next step is to examine types of causes. The cause of a problem could be: • Physical: Tangible items fail to work (for example, a manufacturing machine breaks down). • Human: Someone did something wrong or didn’t do something that was necessary. • Organizational: A system, process, or policy is faulty in some way.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Research Potential Solutions and Assess Options As you research potential solutions, consider these factors: • What resources (time, money, staffing) do you have to solve the problem? • Do you know anyone who has dealt with a similar problem? How did he or she handle it? • Brainstorm with others. When assessing options: • Develop criteria to objectively rate each option—determine the pros and cons of each option. • Ask: Which option will result in the best outcome? Will it solve the problem?

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Present a Suggested Option to Your Boss • When you present a suggested option to your boss, describe your choice and explain the reasons behind it. • Identify options you considered, but didn’t choose. Explain why these weren’t best. • Be realistic about the potential drawbacks of your choice.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Keep Track of Your Value Indispensable employees recognize that they are responsible for documenting their results. Why? It quantifies your value to the organization and shows that you’re focused on what’s important. Consider tracking these key metrics: • Projects worked on • Skills learned • Goals accomplished • Results achieved o Money made or saved o Customers gained, customer satisfaction or reputation improved Bottom line: Make it crystal clear how you have added value to the organization.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Handle Mistakes Effectively In the midst of your successes, you will inevitably make mistakes. Handling mistakes effectively can build your reputation in the long run—if you follow these tips: • • Don’t try to cover up a mistake. Don’t make excuses or get defensive. Explain what happened and how you’re going to fix it. Most importantly, explain what you learned from the experience and how you can minimize (or eliminate) the risk of the mistake happening again.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which behavior describes acting like a business owner? A. Not showing your emotions because that means you’re weak. B. Focusing on the most critical 20% of your activities. C. Checking emails as soon as they arrive to stay on top of things.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 2: Go Above and Beyond

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Super You In today’s competitive workplace, it’s not enough to do your job well. To be truly indispensable, you need to go above and beyond your job description. Think about the following questions: • What would make you impossibly good at your job? • If your organization wanted to replace you with someone better at your job, what would they look for? • What are concrete steps you can take to get closer to becoming super you? The purpose of these questions isn’t to scare you, rather, it is to give you the opportunity to brainstorm and do some “blue sky” thinking about what would really make you stand out in your job and at your organization.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Expand Your Sphere of Influence One way to go above and beyond is to expand your sphere of influence. • Look for processes or practices that can be improved, even if they’re going well right now. • Volunteer for career-expanding responsibilities. • Work with other departments or people. • Expand your network and increase your visibility.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Take Initiative If there’s one trait that people associate with being indispensable, it’s taking initiative—doing things without being told. • If you’re nervous, take small steps. The only way to overcome the fear of doing something is to go out and do it. • You can build your confidence to take initiative by learning from others—observe how others have successfully taken initiative and follow their strategies. • Don’t give up—keep going when you run into obstacles. • Remember, it’s better to be proactive than reactive.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Offer Something Unique Another way to make yourself indispensable is to offer something unique. What special skills do you have? • Do you speak a foreign language? • Do you have knowledge about cutting-edge technology? • Are you an exceptional writer? Do you have an interest or avocation outside of work that you could bring into the workplace? • • • An athlete could head up a company fitness program. An avid gardener could design landscaping or create floral arrangements. A talented party planner could organize company events. These talents in and of themselves probably won’t guarantee job security, but they will help you stand out and add value to your workplace.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which activity describes expanding your sphere of influence? A. Working with other departments or people. B. Not giving up when you run into obstacles. C. Displaying an interest or avocation on the job.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 3: Perform Under Pressure

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Stay Calm and Cool Indispensable employees perform well under pressure. They know it’s important to remain calm and cool. Unless you’re dealing with a literal life-or-death situation, you can take a few moments to gather yourself. Slow down to speed up. Ask: Question and gather information before responding. Assess: Determine whether this is a problem to solve or a situation to cope with. Acknowledge: Realize that many “right” answers are possible. There are often many routes to a successful solution.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Stay Calm and Cool Part 2 Think about what a pro basketball player does before attempting a key free throw. • Set your emotions aside. • Take a deep breath and clear your mind. • Focus on the desired outcome.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Perform Triage Indispensable employees figure out the issues they are most able to influence and act accordingly. The medical equivalent of this is triage, where a medical team determines who might benefit the most from immediate care. Here are steps to perform triage in the workplace. • Determine the most critical issue and document the circumstances surrounding it. Choose one or two issues at most; the others must simply wait. • Determine how quickly the issue must be dealt with. • Create a simple to-do list, identifying the steps that must be taken to resolve the issue—then complete each step! • Capture what you learned from the experience in an after-action report.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which behavior is an effective strategy for staying calm and cool? A. Immediately jump in and take action. B. Find the one right solution to fix the problem. C. Focus on the outcome you desire.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 4: Be Adaptable

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Increase Your Intellectual Flexibility Indispensable employees are adaptable. Being adaptable means having the ability and the motivation to change—and this requires intellectual flexibility. There are five main characteristics of intellectual flexibility: • Curiosity: desire to acquire new information • Creativity: tendency to seek out new ways of doing things • Mental agility: ability to switch focus between the big picture and the details • Future orientation: ability to anticipate what’s coming and stay ahead of the curve • Ability to handle ambiguity: ability to hold opposing perspectives while evaluating information

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Strategies for Dealing with Change The second component of being adaptable is handling change well. Following these steps will help you deal with change positively. • Anticipate: Remember, the only constant is change! • Advocate: Be a cheerleader for change. • Recognize: Acknowledge your feelings about the change. If they are negative, determine the source of your fear or worry. • Reframe: Identify at least one positive potential result of the change. • Focus: Concentrate on what’s the same rather than dwelling on what’s different. • Commit: Choose at least one positive action you can take to implement or adjust to the change. • Align: Spend time with people who support the change.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which action is an example of reframing to deal with change? A. Choose at least one action you can take to implement the change. B. Spend time with people who support the change. C. Identify at least one positive result of the change. D. Remember, the only constant is change.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 5: Be a Team Player

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Be Someone that Others Want to Work With An indispensable employee is someone others want to work with. What makes an ideal team player and collaborator? These traits are a good start! • Be reliable. • Be a good communicator. • Be engaged. • Be pleasant and positive. • Begin every relationship with openness.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Be Reliable First and foremost, be reliable. One of the most effective ways to become a sought-after collaborator is to be someone others can count on. You do that by being consistent and following through on commitments. Keep this mantra in mind: Say what you’ll do and do what you say.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Be a Good Communicator The best communicators are good listeners. • Listen first, speak second. • Suspend judgment while you listen. • Be open to other opinions; don’t automatically argue about them. • Then, if you disagree, debate respectfully. Excellent communicators are succinct, clear, direct, and honest. They keep others informed and share task-related information, knowledge, expertise, and experience. The best communicators offer feedback constructively, and are willing to receive it in the same way.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Be Engaged People like working with someone who is enthusiastic and upbeat. To be engaged, you don’t have to be a “rah, rah” cheerleader; you just have to show you care. Strive to be a participant instead of merely an observer. There are several ways you can do this. • Come to meetings prepared to actively participate, contribute ideas, and volunteer for assignments. • Display an attitude of “How can I help? ” • Challenge others in a positive way and address any issues without escalating them. For example, if you notice that a colleague seems unhappy with the team’s decision, you can say, “Julie, I noticed you haven’t said anything. Do you disagree with the direction we’re taking? ”

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Be Pleasant and Positive It’s essential to treat every person with courtesy, respect, and empathy. Being pleasant and positive not only creates a more enjoyable atmosphere, it can also have a significant impact on results. Positive thoughts produce positive results, and negative thoughts produce negative results. So instead of saying, “That will never work” trying saying, “Let’s find a way to overcome this obstacle. ” A positive demeanor doesn’t mean having a Pollyanna attitude or a rose-colored-glasses perspective. It’s the opposite of a “woe is me” victim mentality.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Begin Every Relationship with Openness Enter every relationship with an attitude of positive intent and collaboration. Instead of asking, “What can you do for me? ” ask, “How can we help each other and help the organization be successful? ” When possible, offer information, energy, access, and resources to the people you’re working with. And offer something extra—that’s called lagniappe. What small step could you take that would help the other person?

How to Make Yourself Indispensable “Pick Up the Trash” Instead of waiting for someone else to handle a problem or make an improvement, do it yourself. This is called “picking up the trash. ” If you take the initiative to improve something yourself, the result may positively affect the team’s performance. What are some sample—and relatively easy—fixes to typical irritations: • Redesign a form to make it easier to use. • Contact a vendor to change a standing order process. • Speak to a team member who chronically misses deadlines or arrives late to meetings.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Help Others Perform Better An indispensable employee spurs others to achieve their best performance. One way to do that is to use your personal power. Using personal power is NOT manipulating, threatening, or intimidating others. It is using your influence to help others achieve a mutually beneficial or team -oriented goal. Types of “power messages”: • Word of encouragement • Question to prompt thinking • Apology • Call to action

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Stand Up for Standards A second way to help others perform better is to establish standards and hold one another accountable. Consider the questions listed here and read over the sample “Team Ground Rules. ” • What standards are acceptable? • What standards are desirable? • How will team decisions be made? • How will each team member contribute? • How will team members conduct themselves? Be sure to document and post established standards, as well as determine consequences for non-compliance. Team Ground Rules: • We will act respectfully at all times. • We will arrive for meetings on time, ready to participate. • We will respond to emails within 24 hours.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which of the following statements is true? A. It’s in your own self-interest to invest the time and energy into helping others perform better. B. Using your personal power is manipulative and doesn’t build teamwork. C. Entering a relationship with an attitude of helpfulness and cooperation is naïve.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Module 6: Be Replaceable

How to Make Yourself Indispensable The Paradox of Being Indispensable And now for a secret—no one is truly indispensable. People come and go at work all the time. Founders of companies sell their businesses and move on, star employees get promoted, and long-term employees retire. As author Seth Godin points out in his book Linchpin, “A wellmanaged organization doesn’t allow itself to become dependent on the performance of any single individual. ” iv If you can’t be replaced, you can’t be promoted. The truth is, one of the ways to make yourself indispensable is to make yourself replaceable.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable The Difference Between Indispensable and Irreplaceable While you want to be replaceable, you don’t want to be irreplaceable. So what exactly is the difference between indispensable and irreplaceable? Indispensable employees add value in any position they hold. They derive their strength more from their desire to make a contribution rather than from any specific skill sets. They rise to the occasion, no matter the task or role. They adapt their skills to accomplish whatever needs to be done. On the other hand, irreplaceable employees are locked into their current position. They have knowledge, skills, or information that makes them successful in that position, but they resist sharing it with others. They often think they are “protecting their turf” when in reality they are creating a false sense of security. v

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Avoid Being Irreplaceable How can you avoid being irreplaceable? • Don’t hoard information, experience, relationships, or resources in order to attain job security. • Share your expertise with others above and below you in the organization. • Hire the brightest people you can and maximize their capabilities. “Being a part of success is more important than being personally indispensable. ” —Pat Riley

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Test Your Knowledge Take a few moments to review what you’ve just learned by completing this quiz. Read the question, then click on the answer. Which behavior is an example of being indispensable versus being irreplaceable? A. Hoarding knowledge and information. B. Being more dependent on attitude than skills. C. Protecting your “turf. ”

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Review

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Apply What You’ve Learned Read the case study and answer the questions that follow in order to put your skills into practice. Organization: A manufacturer of small kitchen appliances and gadgets. People: Monica, a manager in the Communications and Public Relations department; Wes, the VP of Manufacturing; Mark, the COO; and Darlene, a team member. Situation: It’s a bad day at the office for Monica—the internal email system has crashed and is unavailable. The COO is scheduled to have a conference call with some important investors in an hour and has come down with a 24 -hour bug. The product release event has already been scheduled for their new product, but Monica just heard from Wes that a key component of the product has a glitch and fixing it will delay the release.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Apply What You’ve Learned Part 2 Monica picks up the phone and calls Wes, the VP of Manufacturing. Monica: Are you kidding me? The product really isn’t going to be ready next week? Not even one? Wes: Well, we have the prototype but it doesn’t look the same as the consumer product. The finish is different and the power switch has been moved. Plus, we have only one. Monica: So that’s not going to work. OK, let me think about our options. I’ll call you if I need any additional information. Wes: Good luck. While Monica takes a few moments to consider possible scenarios, her phone rings. It’s Mark, the COO.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Apply What You’ve Learned Part 3 Monica: Mark, why are you even calling? I already heard you’re as sick as a dog. Mark: With our email down, I wasn’t sure what people knew. Monica: Don’t give it another thought. I’ll handle the conference call. Remember, I asked to sit in on the last call you had, and I paid attention! I’m reviewing the spreadsheets and talking points right now, and if I can’t answer a question, I’ll just be honest. Mark: I’m relieved. Monica: Just get better.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Apply What You’ve Learned Part 4 Since the conference call is imminent, Monica directs her attention to preparing for it. When the time comes, she takes a deep breath and launches into the call. Afterwards, she feels pleased with how it went. But with another fire looming, she puts it out of her mind and focuses on the product release crisis. She calls her team together and starts giving orders. Monica: Listen up, all. As you’ve probably heard, the new product won’t be available next week, so we need to change the date of the product release event. This is going to require a lot of work on our part. Please bear with me while I tell you what I’ve planned. Darlene: I haven’t heard a thing. Monica: Oh, I forgot. With email not working, word is not traveling as fast. Darlene: Well, can you back up and tell us what’s going on?

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Apply What You’ve Learned Part 5 Monica: I really don’t have time for that. You’re just going to have to trust me this time. Darlene: How can we help if we don’t know what’s going on? Monica: My thought is to put together a small group to handle this change. We’ll have Wes involved to keep tabs on when the product will be finished. I need a couple of people from our team to find alternate dates and possibly locations for the event as well as contact all of the participants. Darlene, would you like to be part of the team handling this? Darlene: Well, uh, okay. Monica: Great. I know you all will be able to pull this off.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Questions to Consider 1. Which traits of being indispensable did Monica exhibit? Which were absent? 2. Monica didn’t crack under pressure. What behaviors did she use to stay calm and collected? 3. Was Monica a good communicator? Why or why not? How could she have helped others perform better? Review the ideas and suggested answers provided on the following slides.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Suggested Answers 1. Which traits of being indispensable did Monica exhibit? Which were absent? Monica displayed many traits of being an indispensable employee. She: • Took ownership—Monica focused on her top priorities: the investors’ conference call and the product release event. She took a problem-solving approach to resolving the product release crisis—she focused on finding options and didn’t whine (much!) about what was out of her control. • Went above and beyond—As we learned from her conversation with Mark, Monica took initiative when she asked to sit in on an earlier conference call. Then, she took initiative to lead the current call. • Performed under pressure—Monica stayed calm and cool. She took some time to think through her options instead of rushing into action. • Was adaptable—Monica realized that the product release event had to be changed and took steps to do so.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Suggested Answers Part 2 1. Which traits of being indispensable did Monica exhibit? Which were absent? (continued) Monica fell short on one trait in particular: she didn’t demonstrate the behavior or attitude of a good team player. Many of her coworkers and employees seemed to be in the dark, indicating a lack of communication. Monica seemed to be more authoritarian than collaborative when working with her team. On the plus side, she did show confidence in the team’s ability to handle the product release crisis. There was no strong evidence about whether Monica was replaceable or not; however, she didn’t appear to share information and experience or teach others.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Suggested Answers Part 3 2. Monica didn’t crack under pressure. What behaviors did she use to stay calm and collected? Monica slowed down and didn’t rush into a nonproductive or ineffective activity. She took a deep breath and focused on the desired outcome. She concentrated on one thing at a time, always staying with her top priority. She performed “triage” by choosing the most critical issue and focusing on that—first the conference call, then the product release event. She came up with some basic steps that needed to be accomplished and then assigned responsibility for completing those steps.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable CASE STUDY—Suggested Answers Part 4 3. Was Monica a good communicator? Why or why not? How could she have helped others perform better? As mentioned, Monica didn’t appear to be a good communicator. She didn’t seem particularly engaging and didn’t offer power messages until the very end of her conversation, when she gave a word of encouragement. To help others perform better, she could have begun with more thorough communication. She said she didn’t have time to fill in her employees, but she absolutely should have done so, both to get their buy-in to the significance of the problem and to enable them to better solve the problem by having all the facts. Monica could be more engaging by soliciting input and ideas from her employees.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Congratulations! By now you should be able to: • Take ownership of your responsibilities and results. • Take initiative to go above and beyond what is expected of you. • Expand your sphere of influence. • Perform well under pressure. • Adapt to changing situations. • Be someone others want to work with. • Help others improve their performance.

How to Make Yourself Indispensable Appendix

How to Make Yourself Indispensable References Samuel, Mark. Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability. New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2012. Silvis, Carol A. 101 Ways to Make Yourself Indispensable at Work. Boston: Course Technology/Cengage, 2010. Tucker, Robert B. Innovation Is Everybody’s Business: How to Make Yourself Indispensable in Today’s Hypercompetitive World. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2011. i Pulakos, Elaine D. , Sharon Arad, Michelle A. Donovan, and Kevin E. Plamondon. “Adaptability in the Workplace: Development of a Taxonomy of Adaptive Performance, ” Journal of Applied Psychology 85, no. 4 (2000): 612– 624. ii Pulakos, et. al. , “Adaptability in the Workplace, ” 612– 624. iv Seth v Godin, Linchpin (New York: Portfolio/Penguin, 2010). Amber Naslund, “Indispensable vs. Irreplaceable, ” Social Media Today, April 26, 2010, https: //www. socialmediatoday. com/content/indispensable-vs-irreplaceable.

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