Indispensability

While I was still working, I believed the phrase:

“No one is indispensable.”

It was a good reminder that as important as we may consider ourselves to be in the Company, we are indeed replaceable. I witnessed the departure of quite a few co-workers that I considered to be extremely talented in their field, only to see another replace them and the company as a whole seemed to move forward uninterrupted.

Last month my boss and co-workers were kind enough to all sign a birthday card for me. I was honestly surprised, and pleased. 9 of 15 signers mentioned that they miss my humor. The others didn’t cite specifics, but the point here is that no one said, “I miss your keen financial insight” or “No one can reconcile accounts quite like you.” (Perhaps they do feel this way, but no one was willing to write something that hokey!) Although I invested thousands of hours practicing and improving forecasting and spreadsheet abilities, that isn’t what is missed. The witty comments at staff meetings flowed effortlessly, and that is what they remember. Not because it was effortless, but because it made them smile and it was human. I suppose in that regard, everyone is indispensable in a way. I stand corrected.