In this monologue, the speaker challenges the common career advice that one should become indispensable at work. They argue that striving to be irreplaceable creates insecurity, stalls personal growth, breeds resentment, and can actually hinder promotion and work‑life balance because the organization becomes dependent on a single person. Instead, the speaker proposes a three‑pronged strategy: (1) consistently add visible value by meeting KPIs, being reliable, and building a strong reputation; (2) make your boss look good and align your work with their objectives, thereby increasing your visibility to senior leadership; and (3) adopt the “Rule of 30,” allocating roughly 30 % of your time to learning from senior colleagues, 30 % to collaborating with peers, and 30 % to training junior staff. This approach creates a resilient system where knowledge is shared, you develop new skills, and you remain a valuable, promotable employee without becoming a single point of failure. The speaker emphasizes that training others not only safeguards the organization but also sharpens your own abilities and prepares you for future roles, ultimately leading to sustainable career progression.
Chapters
Making yourself indispensable ties you. It can lock you badly and it can also make people resent you. You can't be indispensable in three roles at the same time. It makes you, like, insecure. You're not teaching someone, you're not growing forward. Training someone also helps you improve your skills, have clarity in what you're doing. You're also growing as a person. Let's talk about the myth of being indispensable at work. I feel like people are encouraged to become this way. Actually a really bad strategy. I learned this from one of our senior managers. He actually told me that you should always be training the person below you and be trying to learn your boss's job so that everyone is always moving up in the system. I think we're taught we have to make ourselves indispensable and they need us so much because that will secure my job. Then I can't get fired. It also means you won't be promoted because they need you there. It means you can never take leave because everything will fall apart without you. And it makes you like, insecure. You're not teaching someone, you're not going forward. You're stopping the whole flow of the system. You know, they call it a career ladder. You're supposed to just keep climbing. You know, you keep going. So I think it's something that we shouldn't encourage in young people. Yes, you need to be good at your job, but being indispensable doesn't give you job security. And it can actually cause certain problems in your career. So what I would say is, firstly, make sure you're adding value. That's the important part of your job. Make sure you're an asset to your team, that you're meeting your KPIs, that you're proactive, that you're diligent, that people respect you, they rely on you. They know that they can count on you to deliver what your role is supposed to deliver. Your outcomes based, you are solid candidate when you're adding value. People who you work with, your team, your direct supervisor, your juniors, the people you work with at a STEM level or in other organizations can see that you add value. They want you in the meeting, they want you on the project, they want you involved in things because they know everything you are involved in works well. This one is organized. They make good reports, they plan well, they're on top of things. Your reputation becomes that a positive one in your organization, in your workforce. The next part of that is being visible in what you're doing. You want to make sure that the right people know that you are the one adding the value. Make sure your supervisor is always happy with you. Part of your job is making your boss look good. That's part of everyone's job. Never let your boss be embarrassed because you didn't prep them, you didn't tell them you didn't know, or you just left them hanging. Make sure you're working to support your boss. You're making sure that you're thinking even ahead for them. How do they meet their KPIs? What can you do to make their life easier? Make their life better, make them hit their own targets. Because if they look good, you look good, they are happy, you are happy. I think like happy wife, happy life. May I think about happy boss makes everyone's life better. So you want to make sure that you are visible, that your team, your peers, your colleagues know that you are the one adding the value. This is not cringe. This is not something to avoid. It's not braggy, I promise. It's very necessary for your career. This is more valuable than being indispensable. If people know that you are the person that makes things happen, you are the person that gets things done, that delivers the results, that gets the sales, that gets the targets, that gets the outcomes that the organization needs, you become valuable. You're already adding the value in your technical skills. But with the layer of visibility that people can see, you're a valuable one now. That's where you want to be. You have to find that sweet spot because you don't want to not be able to go anywhere or do anything. You don't want to be stuck at Christmas or, or when you need to go for a wedding or when your child is sick because you can't leave the office. Everything shuts down without you. That's not an efficient way to live. But don't be scared because the third part is the rule of 30. You should have 30% of your time you spend with someone who is ahead of you, 30% with the peers that you currently have, and 30% training someone who's below you. So your junior should always be ready to step into your job. They should always be trying, learning, growing. Don't worry that they're going to grow and pass you because you're also growing. As long as you are always looking forward, you are always moving forward. You are learning your boss job, you are learning the next step in your career ladder. Are you getting the qualifications for the promotion? Are you getting the experience that you need to move forward. Are you the person who everyone is realizing that one is next in line for CEO? You can see that they've put in the time. They have the network, they have the technical skills, the team supports them, the customers like them. They are the ones doing the right thing. That it's clear. Make it easy for people to give you opportunities. Make it easy for people to give you promotions. Making yourself indispensable ties you. It can lock you badly. And it can also make people resent you. Because you also start to have an attitude where you think, everyone needs me. Nothing can work without me. I'm the most special. I'm the most needed, I'm the most valuable. It also keeps you in one place. You can't be indispensable in three roles at the same time. And the time it takes you to become indispensable, you've locked the whole system on that. Now you need to move to the next role. So you need to keep pushing yourself to grow, and you need to keep investing in others. If you're always training someone else, you. You have a backup. You have someone who can help you on a tough day. If you're stuck, if you're sick, the office won't stop you won't miss deadlines. Things won't not happen because now you are not there. Because that also looks bad on you. What do you mean? Your child was sick, so we missed the deadline for our application. You can't hold everyone hostage to you. Training someone also helps you improve your skills. It makes you have clarity in what you're doing, and it makes you plan better and be a better leader. You're also growing as a person. So you have to try and make sure you keep these three things and you're aware of them. You're doing them proactively, consciously, intentionally. So that makes you valuable, visible. And there's always someone who you're doing a bit of their job, you're helping them so you can move forward. And there's someone who is doing that for you so that you can take that step forward. Because then everyone can move forward. Because the system won't fall to pieces if you move out of that role. And if the person ahead of you moves, will you be able to do that job? You have to have that confidence. The whole system has to work together, especially in large organizations where you're trying to move up the career ladder.
