It’s nice to feel valued by your boss. It’s especially rewarding to be told by her that you’re so good at what you do, you’ve become indispensible. You know you’re lucky to have job security, so you don’t want to complain. But what if you’ve become so essential at your job that you’re no longer growing professionally?

Sometimes, workers find themselves in a situation where they are so specialized that no one else can do what they do. Or, the boss becomes so dependent on them that they can’t seem to move out from under her shadow. If you’re experiencing this, and you’re happy with how things are, that’s great. Some workers prefer to remain specialized and have a lateral career path, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. But if you’re missing out on promotions because of it, or you aren’t able to work on interesting projects outside of your scope of work, it’s time to speak up.