So Reader, the other day, my client told me that her CFO spent an hour lecturing the exec team about "adding value."

The CFO wrapped with a not-so-veiled threat: "Make sure your teams are adding value right now, because if not, cuts are coming." ☠️

Now, my smart, successful, and talented client was befuddled. She knew her team was working their bunions off, delivering project after project for clients as well as participating in three major internal projects, including one years-long tech implementation that's drained a few of her leaders dry. 🧽

"How much more value can we possibly create?!" she exclaimed during our coaching call. "And what does adding value really mean if it doesn't mean doing our f#%i#g work each day?"

(yes, you can swear during a coaching call if you like. My ears have heard it all. 👂🏽)

Maybe like my client, you've also been faced with deciphering the secret code of "adding value," whether in leading a team or just for your own role.

Here's the secret.

Value isn't what you think it is.

It's not the day-to-day work or the extra hours you're putting in so that others won't have to struggle.

It's not even "doing a good job." Nope.

Value is what others perceive it is, based on the results they care about most.

Or, to get a little more granular, do others value (ie., put a price on, whether that price be money, time or energy) the same thing you value?

It took me a while, but I learned this as a kid.

My mom and I would go shopping together. We'd come home and happily show my dad our discoveries: the new dress or cute blouse we found, often on sale. 🛍️

While Dad didn't begrudge the shopping, he couldn't understand how what he saw as $10 worth of material could cost $100+, even on sale. He didn't value the same things Mom and I did--good fit, sturdy material, great color, and how the items made us feel.

Neither perspective was right or wrong. He just didn't value the same things Mom and I did when it came to clothes. 👗

Later, I learned to say, "I'll feel great in these jeans during math class" or "This is the perfect blouse for my job interview"--both statements true. He understood—and valued—those things. #notafashionista

It works exactly the same within our companies.

My client might value her team showing up on time, responding to emails quickly, showing a positive attitude, and checking off the boxes on their shared project plans.

But her CFO doesn't care HOW the work gets done. He cares about the RESULT he values (and is measured on).

In this case, that's "does the work make or save more money than it costs to execute?"

Which leads to the ultimate question...

​I've shared three important steps here: How to Be More Valuable (In Any Economy. ​

So how about YOU, Reader? When's the last time you took a step back and thought about how you're adding value to your team, your company or any project you care about? And do others value what you value? I've found that most conflicts at work (and life!) come from competing values (wrote about this deeply in Ch. 3 of my book.)

To me, buzzwords like "adding value" are worthless unless we look under the hood and think about what they REALLY mean. In my client's case, it was a good exercise to look at where she'd been spending time, but where no one else really cared. Ta-da--fewer things on her list, and more focus. Win!

Thanks for being here, and keep soaring, 'cause we need you in our wild world of work.

Always, Darcy

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P.S. If you're in Southwest Florida, join me at the SWFL Inc. ThINC conference on Friday, August 28, where I'll be the opening speaker for a day of deep learning & leader development. I'll be talking about managing yourself and your teams through uncertainty (and plus, it's my birthday, so your presence is always a gift to me!). Learn more and register to join us here! --D