Becoming an ‘irreplaceable employee’

One of the most popular articles on thefabricator.com this week is “Help wanted: Character, not skill in high demand.” This article, authored by Amanda Carlson, editor of The WELDER (formerly Practical Welding Today®), is based on an interview with Kyle Layman.

Layman, the co-owner/general manager of Layman Fabrication Inc., a small but growing job shop in North Vernon, Ind., was frustrated with the lack of soft skills he found in prospective employees. He took to LinkedIn and wrote a post that many small-business owners in the metal fabricating arena can relate to: “Where are all the skilled, motivated, hard-working people?”

When asked what circumstances led to the LinkedIn post, Layman said, “The hardest thing for me has been finding good, quality, skilled help. Actually, it’s not even so much the skills as it is finding people who possess the basic characteristics of a good employee. We were dealing with people who were OK with just not showing up to work. Oddly enough, those same people would ask for a pay raise.”

As Carlson noted, this is a pervasive problem, not only in metal fabricating. After years of bemoaning the lack of workers with technical skills, employers now are exasperated with an apparent shortage of soft skills—communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem solving, critical observation, conflict resolution, and leadership—along with a general lack of responsibility and accountability in prospective employees.

Where, oh where is the work ethic, and why is it that some highly skilled employees find themselves being voted off the island?

If you are looking for a job, you would be well-served to acquaint yourself with the soft skills and characteristics employers are seeking. The right skill set can set you apart from others and help ensure a fruitful career.

The Forbes article, “How to Spot an Irreplaceable Employee,” is a good place to start. “Employees and employers have a shared interest in discovering the attributes that define the all-time favorite employees. Employees want to be the most-favored, and employers seek to attract those individuals who seem irreplaceable.” (The keyword being seem; in reality, everyone is replaceable.)

At a meeting of a CEO roundtable, Michael Gottlieb, founding partner of Momentum Law Group, a firm that serves entrepreneurs, asked, “What attributes would you use to describe your all-time favorite employees?”

No Drama

“At the top of the list: Lack of drama. These favorite employees don’t complain. They don’t seek attention. They don’t gossip. They simply perform their jobs without a need to draw attention to their professional or personal challenges. They don’t see a need to remind others of how challenging the task might be. They don’t call attention to the fact that someone else didn’t complete their task.”

I’m here to tell you that drama kings and queens are a pain and a drain on management and their co-workers. They have a negative effect on morale and productivity, which can trickle down to the bottom line in many ways. Interestingly, the Forbes article notes that “most high-drama people don’t see themselves as dramatic.”

Operational Focus

“The next item is commitment to operational execution. Top employees don’t just talk about ideas or identify problems. Rather, they always focus on how to accomplish the task at hand. These talented individuals know that there is a big difference between having intention and getting things done. The most valued employees know that nothing matters until it is implemented and achieving results.

“Top employees know that their commitment to customers and accomplishment can help to grow the business and engender customer trust. These superstars always follow-through and don’t need reminders of what is important.”

Initiative: Confidence and Internal Motivation

“Top employees don’t wait around to be told what to do. Once they know the goal and they are self-motivated to move toward that goal each day. Nothing will get in their way. Some might see them as stubborn. Most see them as possessing superpowers.

“Their greatest superpower is the ability to receive and internalize feedback. They have sufficient confidence and self-awareness to accept constructive criticism as a way to improve, without seeing the input as negative.

“This superpower only surfaces in work environments where employees are not punished for taking risks. Confident self-starters will happily take constructive feedback. If you punish them for taking initiative, they’ll sit back — probably while searching for a new job where they can unleash their initiative.”

That last paragraph is important for employers to keep in mind. When you are fortunate enough to land these “irreplaceable employees,” you want to hold on to them.

Finally, an illustration of what it takes to go from “hard worker” to “irreplaceable” can be found in another Forbes article, “What It Takes to Be a Great Employee: The Parable of the Oranges.” Well worth the read.