I want to share a story that’s personal, eye-opening, and unfortunately, all too common.
One of my closest friends, someone I deeply respect, was recently fired. It blindsided him. This wasn’t someone new to the workforce. He was a human resources executive who had personally terminated hundreds of employees during his career. If anyone should’ve seen it coming, it was him. But he didn’t. And it rocked him.
He was scared, embarrassed, angry, and confused. “I did everything right,” he told me. And from the outside, he was right. He did everything by the book.
So why did he lose his job? The truth hurt, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him directly: he was replaceable. He was a transactional employee in a world that rewards transformation.
The Truth About Transactional Work
When I asked what he did, he said, “I ran payroll. I never missed a deadline. I never made a mistake.”
He also answered employee questions about vacation time, benefits, and company policies. That’s when it clicked for me and it was not because he did anything wrong. It was because all of it could be automated or outsourced.
Here’s what probably happened behind closed doors: someone reviewed his job description and asked, “Can we get these same tasks done for less money without sacrificing quality?”
Payroll? Outsourced.
Employee questions? Covered by websites, handbooks, and automated systems.
And just like that, they didn’t see him anymore. They saw a cost on a spreadsheet.
Good Enough Isn’t Enough
Doing a good job isn’t enough in today’s workplace. If your contributions can be copied, automated, or outsourced, you’re vulnerable.
The solution? Become transformational.
Turning Lead Into Gold
I’m passionate about a concept I call Workforce Alchemy. Think back to the medieval idea of turning base metals like lead into gold. That didn’t work in chemistry. In business, it’s very real.
A mediocre salesperson generating $1 million a year becomes a $10 million top-performer after receiving the right tools, training, coaching, and systems. That’s transformation. That’s alchemy.
This kind of shift isn’t reserved for sales. It can happen in any role, in any department, or in any business.
The Value of a Transformational Executive
I recently asked a business owner with a $10 million payroll, “What percentage of their full effort do you think your employees give on average each day?”
He said, “About 60%.”
I said, “So you’re paying for $10 million in salaries and only getting $6 million worth of work accomplished for that?”
That’s a $4 million leak. Would you ignore a $4 million embezzlement problem? Of course not. But disengagement can easily cost companies that much or more.
A transformational executive would ask, “How can I help increase engagement by just 10%.” Then they would do it. That’s a $1 million gain in productivity.
That skillset and mindset is worth exponentially more to a company than the salary they pay. That executive is no longer a cost to be cut. That employee is an asset to be invested in and protected.
The Peaceful Feeling
When you start thinking like this, developing even more valuable skills, and putting them to good use, your salary becomes irrelevant to your employer. Your fees for service become irrelevant to your customers. Why? Because what you bring to the table far exceeds what they pay you.
Doing your job well in a transactional way won’t guarantee job security anymore. It won’t guarantee your department will exist a year from now. It won’t guarantee your company will exist a year from now.
If you want raises, promotions, and business growth, then focus on transforming your abilities to contribute to your staff, your peers, your leaders, and your customers.
I’ve seen too many good people lose good jobs, departments, and even their companies for reasons they never saw coming.
Don’t Just Do the Job—Redefine It
Make it impossible for your company to imagine operating without you. Make it impossible for your company to imagine operating without your department. Make it impossible for your clients to imagine working with someone other than your company.