Your value is bigger than you know.
Do you know how valuable you are? Have you ever really taken a moment and thought about the value you bring to the people around you? Or what value they bring to you?
Generally people think of value in terms of money, but value goes far beyond dollar and cents, especially when it comes to people.
When you think about the people around you, there are those who push you to be better than you thought you could be. There are the people who challenge you to see the world differently and in doing so, allow you to build new beliefs and ideas. There are the people who force you to be in the moment and remember to be grateful for everything you have and for everything you are. There are the people who, simply with a smile or a joke, let you know that everything is going to be okay.
Each of these individuals bring incredible value to you in your life, but how do you put a dollar figure on that sort of thing? Simply…you can’t and because of that, in those people we find the meaning of true value.
As leaders, we are all busy. We all get caught up from time to time in the next thing that needs to be done. We scurry with our lists and tasks and responsibilities and sometimes forget that the value we bring doesn’t necessarily come from any of that. It comes through our ability to lift people up and to bring value to them.
One of my favorite quotes is by Maya Angelou….
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Our value comes in the intangibleness of who we are and in what we bring to the people around us. Sadly there are many people who simply don’t know how valuable they truly are or how they influence those around them…either positively or negatively. How do you see your value to your team? How do you think they would see you?
To create value with your team, you need to first see the value in your team.
As I am sure you will agree, it is not often people walk around singing your praises or the praises of anyone else. However in understanding this, it is where your true value can shine.
What if you were the one out there being the cheerleader? What if rather than seeing the problems in front of you, you looked for the opposite? What if instead of worrying and complaining about all the things you needed to get done, you chose instead to tell someone how valuable they are to you. What if you took a moment to stop and listen?
What if you showed them your value by helping them see theirs?
Leadership isn’t all about how well you can do the jobs of your people or about how many tasks you can get done. It is about being able to set out a direction for your business and then figuring out how to encourage the people around you to join in making that happen. When you see their value, they will see the value in your direction and in you.
