The key to finding job success and personal accomplishment in your job is – making yourself indispensable.  Find ways to contribute to your company that only you can provide.  These could be jobs that only you are capable of performing or tasks where you are the only person taking the initiative to complete.  My job advice is either way, the longer and better you perform a role that no one else in your company is fulfilling, the more indispensable you become to your company and the more personal accomplishment and success you will find in your job.

 

While some of the tasks you perform might not be what you ultimately want to be doing, they will make you inextricably part of the company's fabric.  Then, if you want your role within the company to grow, you will need to do the indispensable work currently performed by those in higher roles.  Otherwise, you might be seen as so valuable in your current role that your company might not promote you!

 

Here is my job advice of five guaranteed ways to make you indispensable at your company so you can be successful:

1. Do work you are not asked to do

 

One way to make yourself indispensable is to do work you are not asked to do.  Most people do not want to do this without the guarantee of additional compensation.  What you create for yourself, however,  is a guarantee of employment. Of course before you take on additional work, be sure to complete all of your required and expected tasks for continued job success.  Going above and beyond what you are asked to do is a sure way to make sure you will be the last person fired and the first compensated. 

 

 

Find something that only you can do or have the time or knowledge to do, and do it routinely.  Maybe you have Excel or PowerPoint skills, or maybe you have a background or knowledge that no one else has.  My job advice is to try to integrate into your work a task that only you know how to do.  The truth is that someone else will probably know how to do this, but it would be you who would need to train a replacement.  So, there isn’t much of a chance of you being replaced without you first teaching someone else how to do what you do.

 

 

Again, I know you would rather not do without guaranteed additional compensation, but filling the roles of several people is another certain way to make yourself indispensable.  Your boss and co-workers are smart.  They will recognize what and how much you’re doing and realize that replacing you would require them to hire two or even three people. Again, while this might not guarantee additional compensation, it will certainly guarantee continued employment and set you up for job success.

 

 

I’m sure you’ve looked around your work place and observed something that could be made better, faster, or more efficient.  Don’t wait for an invitation, go ahead and make the thing better, faster, or more efficient.  Do this enough and people will start to refer to you as the "manager" of X.  Not a bad reputation to have when it comes time for your annual review.

 

5. Provide value to as many people or departments as possible 

 

Another key to making yourself indispensable is to provide value or services to a variety of people and departments.  Take the initiative, ask, offer, or do something for every department in your company. I’m not saying to spread yourself thin. I’m saying to hedge your bets with who might be able to help  you rise within your company or how you might be able to get promoted.  Maybe you’re a right brain creative person who finds a way to streamline research reports for stock analysts.  All of a sudden you have a career in research. 

 

Success at a job from your employer’s perspective is having a productive and efficient employee. Success at a job from an employee’s perspective is receiving enough compensation (salary or bonus) with respect to the work performed. Theoretically, the better job you do, the more you should get paid. Therefore, success is doing a great job and increasing your compensation commensurate with your work. 

There are two keys to being successful at your job. 1) Making yourself indispensable in the role you fill, and 2) Taking initiative to perform a role or task that wasn't assigned to you. Those are the most important keys to being successful in your job and in life. But remember, the more successful you are at your job, the more you should be compensated over time as you prove yourself!