The Truth About Indispensable and Replaceable Employees

Words have power. 

The words we use as leaders, parents, friends, and even strangers impact the day-to-day world we live in.

The words used about us create constant opportunities for us to accept or reject the opinions of others.

Often, these words feel black and white when, in reality, there is a rainbow of perspectives that colors individual opinions.

A CEO I used to work with would often refer to team members as either indispensable or replaceable.

This distinction was usually related to an ongoing situation or singular action that created feelings of either appreciation or frustration — it would change from time to time, even for the same person.

As motivated and engaged individuals, we usually don’t think of ourselves as replaceable, rather, we typically think of ourselves as indispensable.

Conversely, our tendency is often to view others as replaceable.

So what’s the truth? 

Are we indispensable (like we think we are) or replaceable (like others think we are)?

Are we simply whatever our boss, clients, or direct reports believe about us at any given moment?

The extreme nature of these two words implies that someone cannot simultaneously be both.

What ultimately determines indispensability: Leadership? Team? Performance metrics? 

The truth is that indispensable and replaceable are words that have no relevance to our value and purpose, whether in family, in business, or in life.

Believing someone is replaceable minimizes their purpose.

Believing someone is indispensable sets them up for failure because of arrogance, disappointment, or mistrust towards leadership when they say indispensable and the team disagrees.  

Instead, we should consider value based on performance and impact.

Performance is driven by motivation and purpose. 

Impact is driven by intentionality, work ethic, attitude, trustworthiness, and relationships. 

The combination of performance and impact inform the external perception of bosses, team members, and clients.

Ultimately each person is individually responsible for their impact and the perception of others related to indispensability or replaceability.

In order to accurately make that assessment requires transparency, vulnerability, and accountability with ourselves and with others.

This means candid conversations where we share and listen to each other’s perspectives about the impact we create and experience.

As a leader, my responsibility to my team is to support their performance. 

This looks different for various team members, based on their role and personality.

In order to successfully support my team, I have to understand their motivation, clarify their purpose, and set them up to successfully complete their responsibilities.

Candid, respectful conversations don’t always come easily, but being transparent and vulnerable makes the path to success so much easier.