Most people like feeling useful. And when they are, they appreciate being seen as such. They may not need much recognition, but without recognition, they’ll start to focus on finding ways to receive it.

The less able they are to appreciate their work themselves, the higher the risk that they’ll search for means to become irreplaceable.

Others find themselves in a different situation. They do their job so well that the job they are good at easily comes back to them. They become the go-to person for these jobs and are at risk of becoming irreplaceable.

The more they have become recognized for their ability to do their job, the bigger the responsibility they are confronted with. The fluidity of the process they contribute to puts the organization at risk as it has become taken for granted.

When the person becomes associated with her job, neither she nor her task can be recognized anymore. Both have become invisible.