PLSO Oregon Surveyor January/February 2019

The Oregon Surveyor | 18 Vol. 42, No. 1 Featured Article Action Steps to Maximize Your Value in The Workplace How to Be Irreplaceable People come, and people go. But that does not mean you cannot strive to be irreplaceable. To strive to be irreplaceable will make you almost indispensable. Almost is the key word. But almost will give you the competitive advantage in terms of salary increment and promotion opportunity. In order to get ahead at work, you need to get more done. Eventually the employee that gets more done will be viewed bet- ter than one that does not. The answer to how to be irreplaceable is to get more than the rest. Do you know how to be irreplaceable? Is there such a thing? In truth, no one is indispensable. 1. Time Management Are you good at timemanagement? Being good at using time is a sure way of get- ting more done in a day. Knowing your priorities and time lines are crucial in be- ing effective and efficient. At the end of the day, you will be measured by your output and deliverables. To be able to manage your time well and use it well is crucial to know how to be irreplaceable. 2. Start Early If you are not an early riser, perhaps it is time to start. Start your day early, get that one or two extra hours in there and see how it changes your day. There is no rush, no unnecessary stress and you start to clear half the things before oth- ers even get in to work on it. You will get more done and have extra time for your initiatives. Being early at work also im- presses some bosses. 3. Stay Motivated No one can motivate you. Motivation is something within. It is what drives you. It is what makes you take sacrifices. It is the thing that delays gratification because you know your priorities. Stay motivated at work, when bosses need not worry about how you feel, you are always energetic and positive you are more irreplaceable than an employee that is also down and feeling blue. 4. Learn to Be Collaborative Learn to cooperate and get people into agreements and find common ground. It is an action not many people can do. It needs you to let go of your ego and work for the greater good of the company. Also, learn to share information, solutions, and any ideas that can help improve work. Build camaraderie amongst co-workers. That way you not only have the support of the boss when promotion comes around but your colleagues too. You get more done besides building bet- ter networks when you collaborate. How’s that for how to be irreplaceable? 5. Stay Connected You must first be self-conscious about yourself. Without knowing yourself, you cannot say you know others. You must be contemplative, so you know your own thoughts, words and actions. Then you can begin to relate to another colleague better knowing this relationship affects the company and its objectives. When you are sincere with yourself then only can you be sincere to others. 6. Passionate Bring energy and enthusiasm into your work and engage people in it. Be relentless in your pursuit in achieving the greater goal of the company because you know when you do this you can be irreplace- able. When you do this, you become a promotable choice. Speak often about what can be done and seek ways to do it. Be positive in your undertaking and learn to despise being a naysayer. With ener- gy and enthusiasm, you get more done. 7. Aim High Have good high goals so your bosses know you have ambition. People like winners. They are more likely to help you achieve your goals than to bring you down. If they do, they are likely to be tox- ic people so work around them or get away from them. Aim high so you know you will stay challenged. Someone who is constantly overcoming challenges be- comes good at what he does. So, how tobe irreplaceable?Getmoredone by doing these 7 action steps today.  x Long Yun Siang or Long, as he is popularly known runs www.career-success-for-newbies. com with his wife Dorena as their way of paying it forward. Their website—based on their real-life experience—provides tips, tools and advise for newbies pursuing career success.