Every day when Teresa leaves the office, she asks herself one question: “Did I provide value to the company today?” As the VP of Operations for Propel HR, Teresa provides plenty of value every day to the company as well as to the clients and employees. Teresa has had much success in her career and has a reputation for excellence. Yet, she continues to ask this same question every day.
I find significance in the asking of this daily question. Since Teresa shared this ritual with me, I began asking myself this same question on my daily drive home.
If I am truthful, some days my value is minimal. I may have been busy all day, running around, emailing and checking things off my to-do list; but the value to the company was minimal. Other days, nothing is checked off my to-do list, but I may have had wonderful quality time with clients, employees or outside innovators which adds tremendous value to the company.
I am a Type A person that is constantly on the move. I multi-task like a champ and accomplish a lot each day. I love a to-do list and I love the feeling of gratification when I can check off an item. I guard my work time and don’t like to spend a lot of time on idle chat. Teresa’s question shakes up my whole theory of the value that I bring to the company.
By answering this question, I have learned that my true value is in brain storming, delegating, networking, questioning, and leading. My value is not defined by a list of items on a piece of paper. Every employee brings a different skill set which should add value to the company each day. Not only does Teresa ask this question to herself, she also encourages her team to be introspective as well. Everyone’s value proposition is different, but there are days when we all can answer, “YES, we brought value to Propel HR,” and those days are dynamite! Work is fun and what we can accomplish as a team is endless.
I challenge you to ask this question of yourself and to redefine what you consider as valuable. Challenge your employees and peers to also look at their work value each day.
Did you provide VALUE to the company today? You may be surprised by your answer.