Six More Habits of Indispensable IT Pros
Continuing from my previous list, here are six more habits of indispensable IT pros. These habits center on embracing big data, taking thankless jobs, playing nice with others, making yourself valuable to internal and external groups, the danger of becoming too indispensable, and knowing when to leave your company.
Do it with data.
With the advent of big data and the proliferation of the amounts of data being collected, you need to make sure you are positioned to help your organization as it is trying to make sense of its data. Searchbusinessanalytics.com gives a short but extremely important reason why data analytics are so useful.
Take on jobs no one else wants.
This may be the most important effective habit of all. If you are willing to take on the jobs no one likes, by default you are indispensable and you earn the admiration of all those around you. Money.cnn.com covers what I find phenomenal in this economy. I would add configuration manager to that list.
Don't be a jerk.
This should not even have to be mentioned, but unfortunately it does. I know in this economy we have all been asked to do more with less, and work stress is rising. But count yourself as fortunate; the other options are not pleasant either. Payscale.com offers ways to recession proof your career by having a positive attitude.
Go public.
No, they are not talking about Facebook or LinkedIn. They are recommending that you make yourself valuable to both internal and external groups with which you work. This should always be your policy. Being the go-to person can only help your career. On Skip Weismans’ website, Weisman ties great external customer service to great internal customer service. I think he is right on the money.
Don't become literally "indispensable."
In other words, don’t keep your cards too close to your chest or you may find yourself stuck in a position where you can’t be promoted. InfosecIsland offers us a way to spot an information hoarder. Do you fit the criteria?
Know when to fire yourself.
This one may be the toughest one for any professional to do. When leaving a company, you have many factors to consider. But sometimes you have to leave, and if you’re honest with yourself, you will know when that time is. Christinekane.com gives us the seven signs it’s time to fire yourself, and this holds true in every aspect of your life.
There seems to be a common theme in this message about how to become indispensable. You are in control of most of the reasons why you are indispensable—no need to look further than the mirror.
That leads to one question we all should ask: “Are we truly indispensable?”
