Workplace Jiujitsu #10: Make Yourself Replaceable

One of the worst compliments an engineer can get:

“We don’t know what we’d do without you.”

Workplace Jiujitsu #10: Make Yourself Replaceable

It sounds like trust, but it's actually a risk. If the system relies on you to function, you’re not secure.

You’re the single point of failure.

The myth:

Be indispensable to stay relevant. The better move: Be replaceable to stay promotable.

What replaceable looks like:

• Docs that reduce decision friction.
• Systems that catch issues early.
• Fewer repeat DMs, more team clarity.

You’ve scaled your judgment into the work, and now the team can move, even when you’re offline.

This unlocks two things:

1. Better work-life balance You can step away without the whole thing stalling.
2. Promotion readiness You’ve built durable systems, not dependencies. That’s what leaders notice and what you can advertise to your skip manager.

At senior levels, it’s not about doing more. It’s about making sure things run without you because of your clarity and execution.

That’s how you scale trust. And that’s Workplace Jiujitsu.