ToothpasteforDinner.com put a finger right on the bruise with this cartoon (used by kind permission).
I think we all feel like this sometimes…
expendable.
replaceable.
forgettable.
It’s partly true. People exit and their companies carry on.
But I cling to the notion that we’re all originals no one can really replace.
For better or worse, nobody brings what we bring.
Each of us has a significant role to play in our workspace every day.
There are no understudies; there are only other actors.
If other actors show up, the show may go on. But it’s a different play.
The poet king David saw this as clearly as anyone ever did:
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
— Psalm 139: 14-18 New International Version
- Read the rest of Psalm 139 (including the chilling complaint at the end) and write a few paragraphs on how easy or hard it is for you to believe your contribution can add unique value to your company and customers.
- Are there challenges to bringing your most authentic offering to the table? Write about that.
- How would you extend these notions to your role as friend, spouse or parent?
