How to Achieve Job Security Through Leadership
Fear of losing my job is one thing that keeps me up at night.
Are you the same?
There are many things we can't control in life. How do we make sure that when things go bad we aren't laid off? Or if we are, how do we bounce back as quickly as possible?
One approach is to navigate your career through the lens of leadership.
Leadership is timeless. Leaders have always existed and will always exist.
Leaders are Linchpins that do whatever is needed for the organization. Focus on being a leader and you will have the skills to maximize your security.
1) Make your boss look good (lead up the chain of command)
You should always lead up the chain of command and make your boss's life easier.
If your boss needs you to do something, do it.
Don't complain, ever.
You need your leadership team to see you as an indispensable member of the organization. You should be so critical to your boss that they don't want to get rid of you. Better yet, make them feel like they can't get rid of you.
Save them time, automate their busy work, and delegate work to yourself so they can focus on the bigger picture.
Once you create paradise for your boss, they won't want to revisit chaos.
2) Complete ad hoc requests with a smile (and quality)
Many teams deal with a constant influx of ad hoc requests (especially teams in tech) and many professionals are salty about it.
Don't be the bitter person.
Embrace ad hoc requests from all stakeholders. Show people that you are eager to help and are driven to provide them with substantial value. The more people you help, the more people will see you as a critical member of the organization.
Scoffing at requests will put people off and have them wonder about your necessity.
Every ad hoc request is a gift. It's a sign that there can be an automated report, dashboard, metric, or analysis that can cut you out of the workflow, opening up your time for other things.
The goal isn't to pray for unlimited ad hoc requests, but to crush each one and build a reputation of a Linchpin.
3) Create a flywheel of delegation and automation
Don't be satisfied with the increased work load of implementing #1 and #2.
Linchpins don't settle for busy work, they optimize for improvement. Automate and delegate as much as possible.
Identify your boss's common tasks and single out repeated ad hoc requests, then build systems of automation and delegation. Every single task or process that you automate or delegate opens your time to provide more value. Not only are you free to compound your impact, others see the benefit you are creating.
This is the Flywheel of Delegation and Automation.
Do repeated, menial work > make others' lives easier > build reputation > automate and delegate > do other work that creates value > build reputation > repeat
This flywheel:
- Reduces and eliminates tedious work
- Improves company processes
- Makes peoples' lives easier
- Builds your reputation
Those are some pretty awesome benefits created by one person.
That person could be you.
Your company couldn't live without you (or at least wouldn't want to).
Talk about security.