With the current state of the economy ^[2], there are tons of articles about “bullet-proofing your job.” I personally don’t think any job is 100 percent bullet-proof and certainly there are very, very few employees that are irreplaceable ^[3]. But there are ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd and make yourself more valuable to your employer and that’s the key: adding value.

A Great Employee is Involved

By getting involved in whatever project is important to your boss, you’ll shine as an employee. If your boss is keen on how paperwork is processed, find out exactly how she wants it done, then set up a checklist so you always do the right way … HER way. If she focuses on customer relations, get deeply involved with your company’s customers and set up files and dossiers on them so you know every little tidbit about your customer’s lives, their likes, dislikes, birthdays, business background, and preferences.

An involved employee adds value by listening ^[4], and by shouldering responsibility to make sure the boss’s priorities rule. Whatever she says is your top priority, get THAT done.

A Great Employee is Flexible

^[5]As with everything else in life, sometimes your boss’s priorities get changed by customers or by his boss. A great employee doesn’t cop an attitude and say, “But you said the Henderson project was my top priority, now you’re putting me on the McMillan case?” Instead, a great employee will understand that in the world of business, as in life, sometimes things just come up that move to the front burner. The boss isn’t indecisive, he’s simply forced to be flexible with HIS time and resources and there are times that he has to allocate those resources to the most pressing need at the moment.