Dilbert-style ass-licking and treachery is one way to play the game
That's not what I'm advocating. You can get ahead without being sycophantic and treacherous, but you also need to know that other people will be, and you need to do whatever it takes to get enough credibility to defend yourself.
Acquire credibility. This doesn't mean "kiss ass" or "screw the other guy". That shit blows up as often as it works. It means that your job, when you start a new job, is to figure out what makes some people credible and others not, and either (a) to do what is required to be in the first set, or (b) to leave. I prefer option (b) over being slimy and sycophantic.
being indispensable because you solve unsolvable problems is another.
No one is indispensable. No one. Never forget that. I've seen companies fire their best people, losing millions of dollars, over inane political bullshit. Ego trumps money, which is just one way of keeping score to most people. Some people are more painful to part with than others, but there is no such thing as an irreplaceable employee.
> [being sycophantic and treacherous] is not what I'm advocating.
Indeed; I was just outlining a third option, between dumb submission and preparedness for job hopping.
> No one is indispensable. No one.
Replace "being indispensable" with "being perceived by your hierarchy as indispensable". Which, as you outline, can be two very different things, usually to the detriment of the delusional company.
That's not what I'm advocating. You can get ahead without being sycophantic and treacherous, but you also need to know that other people will be, and you need to do whatever it takes to get enough credibility to defend yourself.
Acquire credibility. This doesn't mean "kiss ass" or "screw the other guy". That shit blows up as often as it works. It means that your job, when you start a new job, is to figure out what makes some people credible and others not, and either (a) to do what is required to be in the first set, or (b) to leave. I prefer option (b) over being slimy and sycophantic.
being indispensable because you solve unsolvable problems is another.
No one is indispensable. No one. Never forget that. I've seen companies fire their best people, losing millions of dollars, over inane political bullshit. Ego trumps money, which is just one way of keeping score to most people. Some people are more painful to part with than others, but there is no such thing as an irreplaceable employee.
The rest of what you are saying I agree with.