Why Being Indispensable Isn't Your Smartest Strategy

A dear friend of mine took her newborn baby home from the hospital yesterday. Most of us parents get about eight months to plan and prepare for a new arrival, but my friend had three days.

She and her husband had just agreed to adopt this baby, due New Year's Eve, and then received the call Friday: "She's here!"

There was not a single diaper, onesie or bottle in the house. No car seat, Baby Bjorn or bouncy seat, either.

The talk with their four year-old son went something like this:

"What do you think of having a baby sister? Like on Monday?"

The healthy baby was born four weeks early, operating on her own timetable, as babies are wont to do.

My friend has a very responsible job. She is a real muckety-muck whose Plan for December did not involve starting family leave a month ahead of schedule with no time to prepare. She had critical projects to complete, loose ends to tie up, reviews to write.

Cue Work Life Balance theme music.

When she started talking to me Sunday night about how she might work one day a week from home during her family leave, I could see where she was coming from. It's hard to remember just how time consuming taking care of a newborn is, even when you've done it before, and it's hard to imagine completely stepping away from a major responsibility, even temporarily.

But it's called family leave for a reason, and I said as gently as possible, "You aren't indispensable, you know." I was hoping she'd cut herself a break and allow herself to focus fully on getting to know the baby, helping big brother adjust, and enjoying this unique time as much as she could.

The saving grace for my friend is her outstanding team. She knows she's hired a great group of people whose competence and helpfulness she can rely on when she's gone.

I was so relieved to hear this. Because being the only person who can do "X" or the only person who knows about "Y" is not only exhausting but reflects poor planning.

It may be tempting to think that your ticket to job security is being the one whom the company can't do without, but I happen to believe the opposite idea is true. When you hire superstars and mentor them so well they could takeover the world tomorrow, everyone looks good.

Babies arrive early, parents get sick, and stuff happens. Any one of us might need to take a month or more off work with no notice. When your team can step up to the plate and hold things together well, your previous efforts are better protected and your return to work goes much more smoothly.

Heather Mundell
Dream Big Coaching Services
www.dreambigcoaching.com
heather@dreambigcoaching.com

Comments

[Alexandra Levit]

Hi Heather, this is so true. Also, if you're indispensable in a particular role, people are going to hesitate to let you out of it, even if it's best for you that you move on. I see people held back from well-deserved promotions for this reason way too often. The best thing you can do is excel at your current job, train your successor or team to be as fabulous as you are, and reach for the next level of responsibilities with the same enthusiasm.

[Jacque]

The great team that can take over your responsibilities starts with the Great Hire. Being willing to hire someone terrific, encouraging their continued development -- knowing they will leave at some point -- is good for everyone's morale, and can leave you feeling relieved when you need someone to take over for awhile.

[KHavel]

I agree with your sentiments on this interesting topic. While a lot of people want to be seen as indispensable so they can keep their jobs, it really can limit their potential because management won't want to lose them in their current position.

I've seen these "indispensible" managers deliberately hiring a weak team or stifling their employees' development so they won't be challenged or overshadowed.

However, I think the greatest sign of success as a manager is hiring the right people and helping them grow and develop within the organization. I want a team behind me that can pinch hit when I am out of the office or on another assignment. Without a great team, I don't know how I could ever take a vacation and really relax. Plus, your supervisors will certainly recognize your success (or failure) in managing and developing people -- ultimately helping you move up.

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