When it comes to the workplace, to contributing to a team, or to a project or a task, many of us have asked the question at some point or another, “Why am I here?” Maybe it’s more along the lines of “What am I doing?” or even “What is my purpose?” These are the kinds of questions that make us wonder if our work is meaningful, or if we’re bringing any value to the table.
While finding our value and purpose in our lives may seem like an overwhelming ask, there are simple ways we can look inside ourselves and at our organizations to find how we add value there. Here are 4 tips on how to recognize the value we bring to work.
1. Recognize our own unique abilities and personal strengths
The first step in finding our workplace value is to look in the mirror. It’s hard for us to feel valuable if we don’t even know what it is we bring to the table. Each of us has unique abilities and personal strengths, and when we adjust the way we think about our purpose, we might be surprised by the strengths we find.
For me, making a list is a fun place to start. Try setting aside 5-10 minutes to sit down and write out what you consider to be your inherent strengths and your carefully-honed abilities. Many of us have had experience sharing our strengths in a job interview or on a resume, and this is a similar process. Maybe some of your strengths are the things you do naturally, without even thinking about it. Maybe other strengths are because they are skills or disciplines you've been practicing and working on for a while now.
If lists aren’t your thing, another option is to ask the people around you what they think your strengths are. Maybe it's hard to look objectively in the mirror. In that case, take a moment to invite someone who knows you well or someone who has seen you grow to share what they would characterize as your value or what you bring to the table. Sometimes it's helpful to see our value through someone else's eyes.
2. Act on strengths
Once we understand the things we do well, we can put them into action. Look at your list of strengths and see where you can apply those strengths in your daily life, at home and at work. When we spend our time doing things we’re good at, we are more motivated to keep doing them, and keep doing them well. I’m pretty sure it was Steve Farber who said, “I do what I love in the service of those who love what I do.”
Doing what we do well causes a natural outcome of "better" around us. It's almost inevitable. If you're great at music, and you play great music well, then the other musicians around you will also up their game when you're around. If you're great at encouraging, and you encourage others well, then the people around you are encouraged, and they can have better days! If you're great at accounting, and you do accounting well, then the organization in which you perform great accounting has better books and cleaner results!
And one more bonus - the people around us will notice when we perform well and to high standards. The more we do, the better chances we have of receiving raises, promotions, and advancing in our careers. When we advance our careers, we find more opportunities to do the things we’re good at, and the cycle continues!
3. Understand roles and responsibilities
We’ve looked in the mirror to find our strengths, and we've reflected on how to act on them — now what? How can we continue to feel like valued members of our teams at work? A great next step is to understand the ideals and beliefs of our organizations, and make sure we're aligned! In other words, why? What is our organization’s why, and is your "why" in lockstep with the organization's "why"?
When we are in step with our organization’s why, we solve many of our problems. We know where we’re headed and how to get there. Our time is well-spent. We’re more driven and motivated to get things done. We give meaning to our work and find value in what we do.
With the "why" also comes clarifying the roles and responsibilities associated with our positions.
I learned long ago that on some level, every employee simply wants to understand what's expected of them and how they're performing compared to expectations.
So within this organizational context of "why", what specifically, is my role to fill, and am I equipped to do so?
When it comes to setting and following roles and responsibilities, there are two main categories we can fall into (though we often fall into both).
For leaders - those who have positional authority over others - this could look like this:
- Setting clear expectations of roles and responsibilities
- Delegating tasks efficiently and effectively
- Providing training on how to accomplish the set expectations
- Ensuring there are tools and support structures so that the expectations can be reasonably met
- Providing timely and specific feedback on performance
- Answering additional questions and leaving the door open for future assistance
For team members - those who have a positional role to contribute collaboratively - this could look like this:
- Asking clarifying questions and ensuring we've got a clear picture of the end-goal
- Establishing work plans and internal deadlines and setting ourselves up for success by knowing and managing our own habits
- Admitting when we don’t know how to do something or when we need additional information
- Asking for help from mentors and leaders
- Implementing the help provided
- Ensuring effective and timely communication about our progress and our deliverables
- Documenting procedures and processes and keeping those updated to help others who might fill our role in the future
Team member or leader - or both - keeping things moving forward the way others expect is a great way to add value!
4. Find leaders who make individuals feel valued and encourage diversity
No one should have to settle for less than great workdays. We all deserve great workdays and we all have the ability to co-create great workdays. We know the kinds of places and environments we want to work in, so we shouldn’t settle for any less, and we should actively contribute to creating greatness wherever we go. One surefire way to do this is to seek out leaders who focus on humans and who make them feel like valued members who want to co-create greatness!
The best leaders seek out a variety of perspectives and encourage us to be our best selves. We need people with varying ideas, so we can learn from each other and learn how to work together better. No matter what our backgrounds are, if our workplaces are filled with people who don’t look or think the same, we have more opportunities to bring new ideas to the table.
When we understand our strengths, learn how to act on them, then learn and align with the "why" of our organizations and the what and how of our roles, and seek leaders who focus on their people, our work becomes more meaningful, and we feel like we bring value to the table. What can you do today to feel more valuable to your organization, or make someone else feel like they have a purpose?
Workplace value is essential to an organization’s success, because understanding our personal value at work impacts how well we work and what we’re able to accomplish. If we feel like we're valuable and adding value, we are better equipped and more likely to put the good of the organization first. Putting the good of the organization first is one of the core tenets of Your Clear Next Step’s Changemakers Certification Program! If you’re interested in more information, check out our resource page!
