Be Game, Like Erin Burnett

If you want job security in this rocky market, you've got to make yourself indispensable. Not just indispensable to your organization, as is—but indispensable to its future health and success.

CNBC's Erin Burnett is a good example. She's been making the rounds on NBC and MSNBC to break down the complexities of the credit crunch and evangelize for CNBC and business news in general. If she cooled her heels but hit her marks in CNBC's studio, she'd almost certainly keep her audience. But she's reaching further than that. (She's not alone—certainly Jim Kramer and Dylan Ratigan are doing similarly.)

To really make yourself essential to the future success of your company, you've got to know how it's going to make money in the future, so you'll need to have vision. If that's not your strength, you'll have to attach yourself to someone else who has vision. It's not a good time to hug tradition (unless tradition is the most successful route for your company and reckless innovation seems to be spelling your end).

So, to be indispensable, you've got to make the larger effort and have the vision. But mostly, you just need to be game. "Game" is a great word and a perfect adjective for the quality that will likely differentiate the stronger employees. "Game" means to be ready and willing—to have the necessary spirit.