Lessons in Job Security

There may come a time in your career when you are expected to train your own replacement. These past few days I've noticed that there is a very simple defence against this self-destruction.

Make your replacement feel stupid.

Not nice, certainly, but it seems to be effective. People obviously don't want to look dumb, especially at a new position (your position). If you preface everything you tell them about your duties with one of the following phrases, you can be sure that they won't bother you with a repeat question:

• "This is trivial"
• "I can do this, and I don't even have a degree in it"
• "There's nothing difficult in this part"

As an added bonus, if you use the right tone, it actually sounds like you're being reassuring and supportive.