The Art Of Making Yourself Dispensable

"Ego is the enemy of what you want and of what you have: of mastering a craft, of real creative insight, of working well with others, of building loyalty and support." – Ryan Holiday

Hi!

There are times in life when we want a change, and changing roles or jobs—which means altering what we do for many hours a day, 5 days a week—is a significant shift! It’s a challenging decision to make for many people, and even more so to navigate smoothly while feeling the pressure to do everything in alignment with our values.

One of the biggest obstacles we face is making our current roles so big, important and hard to do, that we create our own trap: Feeling indispensable and making others feel it too.??

For this reason, I invite you to ask yourself:

• Would people around you feel ready to take your role??
• Do you think there are people in the organization who can do it as good, or even better than you??

To leave a role gracefully, we first need to understand what it means to be replaceable. Although it may sound negative, for me, it’s actually a sign of success. By demonstrating that you can delegate, train others, and prepare other people and the teams you work with for you not to be there anymore, you not only showcase the biggest value anyone can produce (making ourselves dispensable) but also set the stage for other people and your next big move.

However, there’s one major hurdle: our own ego. Attachment to status, recognition, or control may be keeping us in a position you could have already moved on from getting ready for your next challenge. Reflect on how this attachment might be limiting your ability to advance in your career and helping others do the same.

Beliefs like "No one can do this job as well as I can" or fears of losing relevance can make transitioning more difficult. To prepare to leave your role/job consciously, it's essential to identify and address these attachments.

Powerful question to ask yourself:

What's getting in the way of someone stepping into my role successfully and moving to my next challenge effectively?

Make change happen:

Here’s an exercise to help shift your mindset and address your ego:

1. Reflect on Your Attachments: Take a quiet moment to reflect on why you feel so attached and critical to your role or specific responsibilities. Ask yourself questions like: What do these responsibilities mean to me personally? How do they contribute to my sense of identity and self-worth? Who would I be without this role? How would I feel if someone replaces me and no one misses me?
2. Identify Core Beliefs: Write down any core beliefs you have about your role and your place in the organization. For example, beliefs like “I am the only one who can handle this task” or “My value is tied to my current position.” Examine how these beliefs might be impacting your actions to be able to move to your next challenge.
3. Challenge Your Beliefs: For each core belief, write a counter-statement or alternative perspective. For instance, if you believe “I am irreplaceable,” counter with “Others can bring new perspectives and skills to this role” and find stories that make that statement true.
4. Visualize yourself happy about being dispensable: Imagine yourself in a new role and someone else taking yours and being really successful. Visualize how you would feel, what new opportunities might arise, and how you could contribute differently. This helps in mentally detaching from the current role and embracing new possibilities.

In the coming months, I’ll continue sharing reflections and exercises to help you learn how to leave a job gracefully. So they’ll want to see you again, but won’t miss you when you’re gone. If you haven’t subscribed to my newsletter yet, you can do so here.

Regards,

Fran Cherny

P.S. If you send this email to your teams, they might want to row in the same direction with you. And If you want to delve deeper into the art of transformation and organizational change, don't forget to read #BeTheChange