Be Unexpendable

How can I keep my job? In these tough economic times that's a question many are asking.

Here's how to keep your job: Make yourself unexpendable. Be the person that is always hustling to make things better. The person that is always looking for ways to keep busy. Be the person that gets creative and has ideas to make your organization better. Be the employee that shows up with an idea that brings value to the organization -- brings in business.

Don't be the person who shows up every day and looks for someone to give them something to do. These are the expendable employees. They add no value -- other then they do their job, or do what they are told. Sure, every organization needs these types of employees -- they do the grunt work. But what every organization needs, and values highly, are the knowledge workers who can, both, do the grunt work but also add value with an idea that brings revenue to the organization. The guy that just shows up and does what he is told to do -- the minimum requirement -- is the guy that's expendable when money gets tight.

Tom Friedman wrote a recent piece, The New Untouchables, in the New York Times about this topic. Instead of calling these workers "unexpendable," he referred to them as "untouchable." His article is worth the read.

Be the employee that brings value to the organization and you'll never be wanting for a job. If you prove you are a creative thinker and a problem solver, you'll make yourself unexpendable.

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