Making Yourself Indispensable

1. Commit to Purpose-Driven Indispensability

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.

Six Choices. Indispensability isn't about ego or power; it's about making a meaningful difference. It's a daily commitment, not a destination. The Wheel of Indispensability is anchored by six key choices:

• Purpose-Driven vs. Goal-Driven
• Play Big vs. Play Small
• Adaptable vs. Rigid
• We-Centered vs. Me-Centered
• Priority-Focused vs. Activity-Focused
• Value Others vs. Disregard Others

Avoid Fake Indispensability. Some try to fake indispensability through power or entitlement, but true indispensability comes from serving others. It's about being counted on, keeping commitments, and offering solutions. It's about building trust, not demanding respect.

Indispensability is a Process. Even top performers can become dispensable if they stop growing. Indispensability requires continuous learning, adaptation, and a dedication to serving others. It's about making a positive impact on your organization, your team, and your community.

2. Navigate the Accountability Road Map

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Accountability Defined. The Personal Accountability Model is your road map to success. It's a step-by-step process for moving from the Victim Loop to the Accountability Loop. Accountability is taking action that's consistent with your desired outcomes. It's about knowing where you're going and taking the steps to get there.

The Accountability Loop. The model starts with a challenging situation. You then have a choice: the Victim Loop or the Accountability Loop. The Accountability Loop involves:

• Recognizing the problem
• Taking ownership
• Forgiving yourself and others
• Self-examining to learn
• Taking action to implement solutions

Resist Resistance. Many resist accountability due to fear of blame, failure, or even success. But accountability is the key to fulfillment, freedom, and influence. It's about caring, taking action, and making a difference.

3. Escape the Victim Loop

No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.

Victimization is a Choice. Feeling dispensable comes from the experience of being disposable, replaceable, unnecessary, or redundant. While we all experience difficult circumstances, victimization is a choice. It's about how you respond to those circumstances.

The Six Phases of the Victim Loop:

1. Ignore It: "Problem? What Problem?"
2. Deny It: "It's Not My Problem"
3. Blame Someone: "It's Their Fault"
4. Rationalize It: "I Have Evidence"
5. Resist It: "You're Not My Boss!"
6. Hide from It: "You Can't Find Me"

Toxic Beliefs and Emotions. The Victim Loop is fueled by toxic beliefs like "I'm right," "It's unfair," "I can't," and "It's not my style." It's also fueled by toxic emotions like guilt, resentment, disappointment, and mistrust. To escape the Victim Loop, you must challenge these beliefs and emotions.

4. Intention: Define Your Picture of Success

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood, and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

Clarity of Purpose. Accountability begins with discovering what you want. What difference do you want to make for yourself and for others? Without a clear intention, it's impossible to be accountable.

Picture of Success. Your Picture of Success describes the attitudes, behaviors, and actions you would be exhibiting once you are accomplishing your intention. It's a clear description of what success looks, sounds, and feels like.

Reverse Engineering. Start with your Picture of Success and work backward to identify the steps needed to achieve it. This approach helps you focus on the desired outcome rather than getting bogged down in current problems.

5. Recognize Your Current Reality with Compassion

It often happens that I wake up at night and begin to think about a serious problem and decide I must tell the pope about it. Then I wake up completely and remember that I am the pope.

Neutral Frame of Mind. To assess your current reality, you need a neutral frame of mind. This means being objective and unbiased, without judgment or resentment. It's about seeing what is, not what could have been or should have been.

Courageous Heart. It takes courage to face your current reality. You must be willing to look in the mirror and see the truth, without exaggerating your strengths or weaknesses.

Comprehensive Review. Assess your current reality based on your Picture of Success. Identify your strengths and opportunities for improvement. Prioritize those opportunities based on what will move you closer to your goals.

6. Take Ownership to Reclaim Your Power

Most of us can read the writing on the wall; we just assume it is addressed to someone else.

Ownership is Empowerment. When you own something, you are more likely to take care of it. Taking ownership means accepting responsibility for your part in a situation, even if you didn't create the problem.

100 Percent Ownership. Each person involved in a project owns 100 percent of the project's success. This means taking responsibility for the outcome, regardless of your role.

Ownership at Work. Take ownership in meetings, surface and resolve issues, break down silos, stay focused on priorities, engage others, respond to business trends, and create a safe work environment.

7. Forgiveness: The Key to Sustainable Accountability

The old law of ‘an eye for an eye’ leaves everybody blind.

Human Factor. True accountability includes our humanness. You will make mistakes, break commitments, and fall short of expectations. It's inevitable.

Forgiveness Defined. The measure of accountability is based more on how you handle mistakes than on getting everything right. It's about fast recovery and rectifying the situation.

Self-Forgiveness. Forgive yourself for judging yourself for your mistakes. This doesn't mean condoning inappropriate behavior, but it does mean releasing the self-judgment that holds you back.

8. Self-Examination: Question Everything to Foster Solutions

Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.

Avoid Jumping to Solutions. Self-examination is about looking at problems from the inside out. It's about examining your mind-set, behaviors, and emotional responses that contribute to the problem.

The Power of Questions. Asking questions opens doors to new solutions. It stimulates creativity, intuition, and higher wisdom.

Critical Thinking. Apply a balance of critical-thinking abilities: objectivity, global view, detail, perspective, symptom-source link, and integration.

9. Master Learning: Embrace Continuous Growth

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.

Learning is Essential. The day you stop learning is the day you become dispensable. Learning new skills, habits, and approaches is the basis for change, improvement, and lasting success.

Overcome the Fear of Mistakes. The biggest barrier to becoming a Master Learner is the fear of making mistakes. You must develop the courage to change the consequences game from one of punishment to one of learning.

Three Steps to Learning:

1. Awareness: Become aware of what works and what doesn't work.
2. Understanding: Understand the reasons behind your behavior.
3. Motivation: Identify what motivates you to change.

10. Take Action: Manifest Your Indispensability

Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there.

Action is Essential. Nothing you have read in this book will do you any good if you don't take action. Accountability does not exist without action.

Benefits of Taking Action. Taking action builds self-confidence, trust, and freedom. It also builds other people's trust in you.

Strategies for Taking Action:

• Keep your eyes on your Picture of Success
• Do differently
• Take small steps
• Keep moving
• Use your support network
• Have a recovery plan

Last updated: March 16, 2025