How to Become an Irreplaceable Employee

I’ve advised over 200 high achievers in the last 3 years. From F500 companies to billion dollar startups. 5 challenges that kept them stuck + how to overcome: (1) Demonstrating impact It's a harsh truth, but no amount of work will get you promoted. To level up you need to show impact on the bottom line. Recommendation: Focus on outcomes vs. outputs, and track your success. (2) Owning your time If someone else owns your calendar you can't be effective or make a big impact. But most people just accept what ever is put on their calendar. Recommendation: Be proactive, not reactive. Create you ideal schedule (I call it CEO schedule) and own your time. (3) Leveraging advocacy Your career will grow faster if you have key stakeholders ready to speak on your behalf. But most people don't have a strategic plan to build and nurture advocacy. When the time comes they need to beg for support. Recommendation: Identify your advocates and manage the relationship long term, to get undeniable recognition. (4) Having hard conversations The things you want most are on the other side of a hard conversation. Asking for a raise, getting a unique opportunity, sharing feedback, letting an employee go. Avoiding these conversations keeps you stuck. Recommendation: Don't avoid hard conversations. Plan and practice for them to reduce the anxiety and fear. (5) No vision or strategy You assume working hard enough for long enough will get you ahead. That's usually not the answer. Doing more of the same won't get you far in the corporate world. Recommendation: Gain clarity about your vision and what it would take to get there, so you can be intentional about how you spend your time at work. Ignore these challenges and you'll stay stuck for years. Master them and you'll join the 1%. *** Enjoyed this post? ♻️ Share to help someone get unstuck and grow their career

5 indispensable steps I've learned to manage up. Career growth isn't just a possibility. It's a constant. It's not just about working hard. It's about working smart. Managing up. Managers are busy. They often need help. But are too busy to ask. So ask them. Enter the ✨magic loop ✨ Five reliable steps to growth: 1️⃣ Do your current job well: -Before you ask how you can help be sure you are crushing it in what you do. 2️⃣ Ask how you can help your manager: -Raise your hand or volunteer. -It's not about being a "yes-person". It's about being indispensable. -As a manager, we notice who steps up. 3️⃣ Do what you're asked: -You may not love how they need help, but whatever it is, do it well. -Don't just meet the bar, raise it. 4️⃣ Ask how you can help in alignment with your career goals: -After you show you can do a great job with requests, you're in a great position. -Raise it a notch. If your goal is simple, ask directly. "Is there a way I can help you while working with [goal or skill] so I can improve?" You've been helping them, they will be willing to help you. 5️⃣ Repeat steps 1-4. It's not about making your manager's life easier (though it does). It's about making yourself an asset. And in the process, carving a path for your own advancement. Add a little managing up to the mix: → Support your manager → Be proactive → Be the team's barometer → Empathize Ready to rise? Manage up and move up. P.S. How have you successfully managed up? Would love to hear below👇 ------------------------------------- 🔔 Follow: Mollie Cox ♻ Repost to help others 💾 Save it for future use

Early-stage career advice: do all of the things that NOBODY else wants to do. When I was 24, I got promoted to a management role. I didn't get there because I schmoozed my tail off in the pursuit of promotions - I got there because I was the only one willing to take notes in meetings. So here are my top 3 pieces of advice to accelerate your career and maybe make yourself irreplaceable to your employer: 1. Don't work smarter, work harder Earn the right to work smart by working hard FIRST. Take pride in embracing the grind. Then, once you've earned your stripes, you can build up to working smart.    2. Rise above "doing your best" "Doing your best" falls short, especially in the early stages of your career. Instead, focus on what's essential to win. And propel yourself towards victory.   3. Be the go-to guy/gal who figures it out You don't know how to complete a task? That's normal. Now go out, ask questions, and get it done. Because it's powerful to be the person with the reputation for just figuring it out. By doing these 3 things, I quite literally got the life experience of a 40-year-old by my mid-20s. Simply by offering to do the mundane tasks that nobody else wanted to do. Nobody wanted to take notes - but everybody wanted a record of what the heck went on in those board rooms. And so everybody came to - and fought over - me. 😅 Anything you'd add to the list?

I didn’t get a full-time offer during the 2008 recession. 💔 My career seemed to be falling off the rails. I discovered 3 career accelerators that changed my life. Quick story: I was an investment intern at Lehman Brothers but was let go due to budget cuts. I realized I needed to make myself irreplaceable when I got a new job. I hustled for another job and got a full-time offer at Credit Suisse as an analyst. I wanted to crush it and I did. I ranked as the top analyst in our office and was selected for critical projects. Here are the 3 career accelerators that helped me pivot from feeling lost to winning career-transforming projects: ✅ Mindset Our mindset impacts how we show up daily. If you’re nervous or skeptical about asking for a promotion or a raise, you’re more likely to minimize yourself. When you’re confident, stakeholders see your value. ✅ Self-advocacy No one cares about your career as much as you do. Instead of relying on your company or manager to give you opportunities, advocate for yourself and create those growth opportunities. ✅ Influence To win confidence and be seen as a leader who moves the dial you need to have influence. Get buy-in before meetings, be well prepared so you can capture your team’s attention, take ownership and lead with stories. You have to make yourself stand out to be resilient in challenging times. Approach your career like you’re leading a business. Strategic planning and long-term thinking are critical in times like these. How are you approaching your career? Tell me in the comments. #womenintech #leadershipdevelopment #management #career #workshop #womenleaders #careeradvice #diversityandinclusion