There are many ways to be noticed at work. You could be the first person answering e-mails in the morning or the last one to log off at night. Working the longest hours, however, doesn’t always mean you are doing the “right things,” Martin Zwilling argues in Inc. 

“The team members valued the most are the ones seen by others as indispensable or ‘go-to’ people,” he explains. “The challenge we all face is how to be one of these without overworking, while still getting the right things done.” 

Zwilling lists six traits that will make you indispensable at work while working smarter, not harder. 

Build influence by doing the right thing for others 

“You get influence by facilitating success in others around you, by always doing the right things, and adding value to every single opportunity,” Zwilling says. 

Being able to influence other people means those people trust your input. If you can build influence, it will result in others making good use of your time. 

Know when to say ‘no’ and how to say ‘yes’ 

Zwilling says that “yes” is where the action is, but it doesn’t end there. If you respond “yes” to someone, you better know how you are going to deliver what they are asking for.  

“Every ‘yes’ must be timely and preceded by some due diligence and a focused execution plan in your mind,” he says. 

The same goes for “no.” 

“A good ‘no,’ well decided at the right time, is a huge favor to everybody,” Zwilling says. “No one wins if you simply cannot do the job, are not allowed to do it, or you really believe that the work requested is not a good business decision.” 

Work smart by professionalizing everything you do 

“Professionalizing means following best practices in your field, capitalizing on repeatable solutions, and using available tools or job aids,” Zwilling explains.  

There are many ways to better yourself, whether it’s through meeting people through networking or learning a new skill with some online training. It’s important to take advantage of every opportunity you have even if you don’t see an immediate payoff. 

Don’t be a juggler, and finish everything you start 

Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Not getting your work done is worse than not doing it perfectly. 

“Take control of your time, break the work into bite-sized chunks, find openings in your schedule for each chunk, and keep your focus on results, rather than hours expended,” Zwilling says. 

Keep getting better at working together 

Relationships are key to being indispensable at work. Zwilling recommends being grateful to your collaborators while not finger-pointing if something goes awry. 

Promote collaboration throughout the organization 

It’s great to make yourself indispensable, but having other indispensable people in the organization is beneficial to everyone. 

“In addition to being a ‘go-to’ person, you need to create new ‘go-to’ people out of every ‘yes,’ as well as find and use ‘go-to’ people yourself,” Zwilling says. “Foster a culture where serving others is what being indispensable is all about.”