While thinking about all that you are and have to bring to your clients, colleagues, and employers, consider how they know you add value. My assertion here is that being awesome isn’t enough. Someone else, and hopefully someone who matters, must know exactly what you bring and how it makes you indispensable—irreplaceable if you will. Seth Godin, author and thought leader, describes irreplaceable people in organizations as “linchpins”.
In my consulting work, I meet an unfortunately low number of people who describe themselves as linchpins. How do I know? I ask around. At the beginning of any consulting engagement, I actively seek out people in the organization with ideas about how to “make things better around here.” Those ideas shouldn’t come from me, I’m a tourist. I mean, I care. But I’m going home at the end of the engagement. Linchpins are the people who will continue to live in the organization long after I leave. They have more skin in the game and perspective than any consultant. So, I seek them out to help me get a sense of the organization’s capacity. Yep, linchpins often help me understand how much capacity—ability to grow—is possessed by an organization. With this perspective, I know how hard to push and in what direction.
Here’s the other great thing about linchpins—they can be incredibly influential.
They might not be influential as soon as they join the organization or in all circumstances, but they are the people who, armed with belief in their ideas and their organization’s ability, build strategic alliances and create breakthrough experiences. They stick their necks out when others are protecting their necks like turtles tucked safely inside their shells. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not encouraging you to go into your next meeting like a bull in a China shop, pushing an idea that’s been percolating only in your head for weeks. Influence is more than just having a great idea—it’s about understanding and being able to carefully navigate the environment and relationships needed to get the idea socialized and considered viable by others.
Alas, I think there’s more linchpin potential out there but so many of the people I meet in organizations are paralyzed by fear, waiting for the “person in charge” to give direction. The leadership challenge is being able to get beyond fear of exposure or perceived weakness in times when others are in need of a new approach. Indispensable people are able to let go, at least temporarily, of the need for approval. Assume that coloring in the lines is for the boring and the brainwashed! Let go of the little voice in your head that so desperately wants an “A.” Know that you have inside the ability, and the courage, to create something—a relationship, a culture within your unit, a new product or system, or offering—that others may not immediately approve of or understand but that adds value.
Making Yourself Irreplaceable
There truly is only one you. Celebrate that. Embrace your individuality, see yourself as part of something larger, and recognize that your unique contributions are your strengths.
-- DeEtta
Learn more about the upcoming training and development programs at DJA that can help you broaden your knowledge of EDI concepts, lead change with your co-workers, or offer much-needed structure and support to help bring your well-being into focus.