We have been talking about roadblocks that prevent career success this month.  Today, let’s dive into the concept of "valuable vs. value-add."

While this week's topic and last week's topic are separate, they do tie together to a degree.

Last week we talked about the concept of “I gave you everything" or "I've tried everything."

If you listened to last week's episode, you will recall that we talked about giving what we wanted to give, what we felt safe to give, or what we felt like we should give and then called that "everything." The problem with that is that giving those things may or may not create success for us in our careers.  It depends on whether the company values that behavior or not.

So today, let’s talk about value.

As you know, I talk about The 1 Rule of executive success.  The 1 Rule is to add consistent value within your career.

Who defines value?

The company is the entity in this relationship that defines what is valuable vs. what isn’t valuable.  

Therefore, if we are going to add value, we must do so as defined by the company.

This means we must give what the company asks us to give and perform in the ways the company asks us to perform.

We can’t sacrifice in ways that we feel comfortable sacrificing. Nor can we sacrifice in a way that seems appropriate to us but is not appropriate in the eyes of the company.

It all boils down to value.

What does the company value? 

What does the company define as valuable contributions to the point that they promote individuals for those contributions? 

What does the company value when it bonuses individuals for those contributions?

The company shows what it values by promoting and bouncing those behaviors and contributions and "value-adds."

A common roadblock to success is the desire to be or feel valuable vs. actually being a value-add.

These could potentially be the same thing (being valuable and being a value-add), but when we are talking about a success roadblock, these two are not the same.

When we focus on being valuable, it’s mostly a selfish act.  We want to feel safe and appreciated.  We are seeking something to serve ourselves.

Being a value-add on the other hand is a selfless action.  When we add value, we focus on contributing and meeting the needs of someone or something (in this case, the company) in a way that best fits that situation.

Most people mix up valuable vs. value-add.  When you are adding value, you become valuable to the organization.

However, when you are focused on being valuable, you are focused on self-preservation.  This is a self-centered act that rarely leads to value-added contributions.

Careers fail when people focus on being valuable over being a value-add.

We can’t be selfish.  We must focus on serving and adding value at the highest level.  Then we will have career success both defined by us and defined by the organization.

Be Legendary.