Are You Indispensable?

This is my favorite time of year - hockey playoffs. So on game night, which is pretty much every night, I'm glued to the tube watching in hi-def. It's a Canadian thing.

I was watching the game highlights from the games I missed. The New York Rangers are playing the Washington Capitals. Sean Avery of the Rangers was up to his old cheap-shot tricks again. I began to wonder, would the Rangers be a worse team without Avery playing?

On American Idol, would the show be worse if Tara DioGuardi were not a judge this year? Would her contribution really be missed? Of course, the answer would be different if I asked the same question about Simon Cowell.

How would your workplace be different without your contribution? Honestly. Would the job get along without you if you weren't there anymore?

ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT: Have you been able to make yourself indispensable? Are you prepared to become the go-to person in a pinch?

Here's what it takes to become indispensable: continuous improvement. The more valuable you make yourself, the more you assure yourself of job security. And if your position is still tenuous, you set yourself up well to become the person that other organizations "must acquire."

The market continues to shift and change and so must you. You must keep on top of your game - keep sharp, keep adapting and keep learning.

You don't have to be in a leadership position to own a leadership attitude. In fact you don't have to be in management to be a leader.

The truth is, if your workplace could get along without you, then you're an average performer. Average performers get an average wage. Top performers get top wages. The difference between pay scales is in your willingness to improve and to position yourself as indispensable.

Don't complain about the job or the pay. You get paid what others think you're worth.