Today, organizations are faced with
rapidly changing environments, competitive pressures globally, ever-changing
technological advances, and more. The need to be more innovative,
productive, flexible, and sustainable has never been greater. Businesses are
constantly evaluating the core competences of their employees to determine their value.
Knowing if you are valued in your
position sometimes is not thought about until a negative event takes place like
being let go or being passed up for a promotion. Realizing you are replaceable jump starts the desire to learn what you can do in the future to become invaluable.
Here is a list of the Six
Invaluable Factors anyone can develop to make themselves truly
irreplaceable. This is adapted from the book, Invaluable: The Secret
to Becoming Irreplaceable, by Dave Crenshaw.
Invaluable Factor #1 – DEMAND
Demand represents how well your
skill set matches the current needs and wants of the market. You have
little direct control over demand, so the only way you can improve upon this
factor is to increase your understanding of current and future market trends
and work to align your actions with those trends. Consider: What
is the current and future market demand for your personal skill set?
Invaluable Factor #2 – ABILITY
Ability represents how well you do
what you do or how much value you actually provide. It is important to
continuously deliver progress and results; it is not enough to just know what
your position is supposed to be or how to do what is required of you. You
must also seek to continually improve on that ability on a daily basis to
become more and more invaluable. Consider: What are you doing
daily improving your ability to perform for the unit you work for and the
organization as a whole?
Invaluable Factor #3 – IRREPLACEABILITY
This measures how difficult it is to
replace you and is a function of two things: the available completion for
your position, and how deeply you understand the unique needs of your current
employer. To stay irreplaceable, you must commit to ongoing research and
reevaluation. Consider: What is the biggest thing keeping your
boss from firing you right now?
Invaluable Factor #4 – FOCUS
Focus requires you to avoid anything
that gets in the way of you spending time in your most valuable activities.
These are the activities that have the greatest impact on the bottom line, both
for you personally and for the organization as a whole. The more you
spread yourself out in many directions, the less valuable you become. As
information and available options continue to explode, so does the temptation
to engage in many less valuable activities. Consider: How well
do you focus your actions on your most valuable activities?
Invaluable Factor #5 – CONNECTION
This assesses your ability to connect
personally with others, both in terms of quantity and quality. The value
that you bring is directly affected by your ability to work well with others
and to share resources with others. Connection is an absolutely essential
part of becoming invaluable. In order to increase connection, you must
not only master the art of face-to-face interaction, but digital interaction,
as well. Consider: How many people feel personally connected to
you?
Invaluable Factor #6 – AUTHORITY
Authority evaluates how strongly the
current market considers you to be the top expert in your field. An
authority is someone others look to when they make decisions. An employee
who is recognized both inside and outside of the organization as a leading
expert dramatically improves his or her value. Consider: Do my
peers, both inside and outside of my organization, consider me to be a leading
expert in my field? Am I regularly consulted on matters at work?
Achieve your full potential! Work with a Business and Life Management Coach with over 20 years’ experience empowering people to attain self-defined success in their professional and personal lives. Book a free session at www.denisedema.com today.
