Don’t be irreplaceable

In the time of recession, with a season of job cuts, each and every employee in the corporate world is building strategies to make him more valuable and irreplaceable. Nobody would want to lose the job and any strategy to save it is a fair strategy.

Being irreplaceable – Some people have the tendency to do tasks independently and not share any knowledge about it with the team. This they do, to always be an important member of the team without whose presence, the team cannot complete work. This would force the employer to retain him even in hard hit times.

But is this a prudent choice to make out of other wiser options available?

I believe the best strategy to avoid being below the hammer of a job cut would be to be the best and not be the only one. All employers are in a constant search of competitive, faithful and flexible employees. If you fit the criteria, you should be least likely to be fired. By making the first choice (being irreplaceable), one saves the job for some time, but would be the first one to be fired once the company doesn’t need his support. So why keep our hopes on something which is so short lasting. Instead, we should work to attain perfection in whatever we do and the rest is all done by itself. But having said that, I would also want to emphasize that one’s perfection should be visible (or MADE visible) to the right set of people. Without the visibility, perfection cannot take us the places we are worth of.

Also, if one possesses a skill which makes him irreplaceable, it also makes him less likely to get better roles. The company would not offer him better roles or positions as he is required to work for his possessed skill. And it is perfectly said:

“Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.”

Moreover, this is a scenario dependant situation. The above may not be working in a scenario and being irreplaceable may be the best choice available. Luck plays an important role in determining one’s future. So one should work the best in the available resources and leave the rest to luck.