Creating Unique Value

“It’s not how hard you work that qualifies you for a pay raise or promotion, it is how you understand and make known the unique value you bring to your organization that truly matters”.

While our primary motivation for the work we do within our organizations is not focused on advancing our careers, organizational leaders are always looking for new ways to test our leadership by expanding our scope of influence.

So far in this series, we learned the value of creating strategic relationships through learning from mentors (those you know and those you may never meet) and creating peer learning and accountability groups called masterminds.  We also learned the importance of training your mind to think in both strategic and operational ways. In this third installment we will cover the mindset of the value proposition we bring to our organizations with each project, task and challenge.

This is part three of a three part series covering Three Entrepreneurial Practices Every Organizational Leaders Should Adopt.  Click here for Part 1:“Strategic Relationship Building” and Part 2: “Ambidextrous Thinking” to bring you up to speed.

Part 3: Creating Unique Value

Collaborating and cooperating as a member of a team is not inconsistent with the idea competition.  We are constantly evaluating and judging others and likewise are consistently being subjected to similar judgment. Accepting this latent scrutiny and using it as motivation to be more conscious of how you are contributing to your organization helps you better understand your strengths and prepare you for new opportunities.

Always Comparison. Always Competition.

Entrepreneurs use the fact that they are always being compared with others’ products and services as a learning motivator. Depending on the type of organization you work in, the mention of competition between colleagues could draw an audible gasp or an assenting nod. The reality is, that it is in our nature as humans  to compare individuals to one another.  So rather than fight against this natural tendency might it be a productive exercise to embrace it to some degree?

Who is your internal competition and what can you learn from them?

• Do a quick evaluation around your organization to get a sense of which of your colleagues are in similar roles and choose who you would classify as the top two or three in that role.
  • What do most admire about how they do their job?
  • Identify a specific area for each person that you feel they excel beyond you.
  • What lessons can you glean from how they perform that you can begin to incorporate into your own workstyle or practice?
• Try the same process for other you might know in your field but outside your organization.

Personal Value Proposition

Entrepreneurs are always ready to present to potential customers how they differ from competitors and provide unique value to customers.  Those with some background in business may be familiar with the term value proposition.  A value proposition is a quick summary statement that a business presents to its potential customers highlighting the unique value their business offers versus similar competitors.

The key to the value proposition is to understand the problems of your potential customers and discover new ways solve those problems in a way that provides true value.  For your organization this means finding and bridging the gaps in the needs of the organization or department. Here is what I would suggest:

• Take an honest look at the type of work that you are doing and how you are occupying your time at work
  • How is what I am doing on a daily basis adding value to the organization?
  • Take a look at my previous post “Schedule Your Promotion” for some specific strategies on how you can use your calendar and a few reflection questions to aid you in this effort
• Think about those who colleague/competitors from the previous section
  • What are the areas of organizational need that is not being filled by your colleague/competitors that your experience and skills can cover?

Remember, it’s not how hard you work that qualifies you for a pay raise or promotion, it is how you understand and make known the unique value you bring to your organization that truly matters.

What are ways you go about uncovering the unique value you can bring to your organization?  Would openly introducing the idea of comparison and competition be a positive or corrosive factor in your work setting?  Have you implemented similar practices  and do you find them productive? Let me know in the comments below.

Visit thyrone.com where you can read past blog posts and we can connect on LinkedIn and other media.  Follow me on Twitter @thyrone and if you are in the Columbus, OH area @careercolumbus and I will let you know when part three of this series is posted.