Indispensable but Replaceable

I distinctly remember when I told my Accenture manager I was going to quit to join a startup. He replied: “Everyone is necessary, but replaceable.” That quote stuck with me because it showed me a harsh truth, and when I recently stumbled upon this saying, it came back to mind. 

The graveyards are full of indispensable people.

To which I would add: “And yet, the world still goes on without them.” 

To feel like one’s own actions make a difference, for themselves or for the people around them, is the primary driver of motivation. Indeed, that part is true: reality is shaped by our actions. Take a company, for example: if every employee did literally nothing all the time, it’s very probable that it would go out of business in no time (and Accenture’s shareholders would feel that 😥). 

Still, if a portion of employees suddenly decided to quit, maybe the company would slow down for a while, but it would eventually find a way to move on. If not, it would go out of business, and if what it does is needed for the world, then some other company would do that job. 

In some ways, it is similar to what happens during elections. In 99% of cases, a single vote won’t move the needle, hence it’s irrelevant if it is cast or not. At the same time, in the aggregate, it decides the winners and losers. 

All this to say what? It’s hard to come up with a conclusion like in the other blog posts because this one is completely subjective. 

One can think that their actions and their presence make a difference, and they would be right. I talked about it in this post about Waterloo. 

At the same time, believing that, with or without one’s actions, the world will still move on, is also true. This perspective has the benefit of liberating one’s actions. The world probably will not end because of a decision you make; don’t think about it too much. This too shall pass.