Can You Be Easily Replaced?

Answering this question requires you to take a very honest look at the manner in which you execute your job responsibilities. If you are honest with yourself, would you say that you execute your job responsibilities in a unique manner that brings value to your organization? Some employees perform their job responsibilities in a mediocre manner. Others perform their job responsibilities in an excellent way and still others don’t complete some of their assigned responsibilities at all.

In order for you to be an employee who is irreplaceable, you must bring something unique to the execution of your duties. You must bring such character to your position that it can’t be duplicated by another human being. It usually manifests itself in a heightened level of excellent execution that is noticed by others. Bringing such uncommon value to the position automatically gives you a level of security in the position. Your employer will view the position as one that belongs to you and one that can’t be executed with a high level of quality unless it’s performed by you. If you are in a place where your employer believes that you are the best at executing your job responsibilities, your employer will be less inclined to seek your replacement. It’s also likely that your employer will go to great lengths to keep you in that position because of the value that you bring to the organization.

However, if your performance of your job responsibilities is so mediocre that your employer believes the responsibilities could easily be performed by anyone, it’s a likely sign that you aren’t in the right position. The way you perform in the position tells others how they should value the position that you hold. If you don’t see significance and purpose in the position, why should others? Why should your employer? When an employer doesn’t value a position, they tend to pay very little for execution of the duties associated with the position, and they don’t invest much resource in selecting the person who will do the job. It’s as if the only requirement is that the human being has a pulse.

If you find yourself in a position where you aren’t easily replaceable, you have a greater likelihood of experiencing appreciation and reward on a continuous basis. Those things create momentum that encourages you to perform your job responsibilities with an even higher level of quality and excellence. They encourage you to use your creativity to generate more praise and support. It feeds the human desire to be wanted and appreciated. Occupying a position that doesn’t bring those items is an indication that you may be in a position that isn’t aligned with who you really are as a person.