How Do You Increase Your Value?

I had the privilege to chat with undergraduates and new graduates at endurance races. I am suitably impressed with these bright-eyed athletes who show their commitment to physical training and the rigors of racing – endurance races are hard work, be it a 10K run, 1.5K open-water swim, marathon, or half-Ironman triathlon. Above all, I enjoy the conversations we have about their experiences and learning. It seems that Generation Y is not all about social media tools, apps and gadgetry.

Do all these extreme sports like triathlons and marathons enhance the value of these young adults? They do, if the sportspeople themselves think it adds value to their lives. Value is what you perceive something important to you has. We perceive something as valuable if we believe that it has value to us. The same applies to staff in an organization. If you add value, and continue to build value for your company and yourself, you become valuable. If you enjoy triathlons and appreciate the value that it brings to you, keep doing it. There are secondary benefits beyond training to keep fit, to socializing, to enjoying the emotional shifts of racing and completion.

Staff have promoted extensively, albeit unfairly, that nobody is indispensable. I disagree. I have met people whom I believe who extend and expand their moments of indispensability. They know when to be valuable and dependable, especially during crisis. As a business owner and hirer of talent, I am aware and discerning of the human resources I source for and recruit on my projects.

I look for leadership qualities, including values that I admire and delight in. I appreciate education and educated people, yet it only one aspect of the person’s value proposition. I am more interested in the productive conversations we can engage in, and that add richness and meaning in my interactions. I prefer the person who can communicate with me, face-to-face, and leave me bigger, bolder and brighter at the end of a conversation.