!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd"> Streamline Training & Documentation: The Value You Create

Monday, April 17, 2006

The Value You Create

How secure is your job? Or, a bit more generally, how employable are you?

Obviously, the answers to these questions depend on a number of variables, many of which are beyond your control.

For instance, you certainly don't control how volatile your industry's financial performance is. And, unless you're at the very top of management ranks, you don't control how quickly or slowly your organization lays people off when profits are under pressure.

What you do control, at least in part, is how you spend your time, how you frame the issues you work on, and how you organize execution of projects and tasks for which you're responsible.

If you like your current job, and want to do what you can to keep it, or if you're intent on landing a satisfying new position, there is nothing more important than focusing on specifics of how you personally can create value.

Here are basic questions you should ask yourself regularly. Having specific, brief, and persuasive answers to these questions will help you make the case that you bring reliable value to the table, whether you're talking to your current employer or to a prospective employer.

  1. Why am I doing this? What does it contribute to accomplishing the mission I'm responsible for? If you're working on a team, change "I'm" to "we're" in the second question.


  2. What will progress in this endeavor (and eventual success) mean for my organization (present or prospective)? What value will result?


  3. How can I leverage my efforts by collaborating with and/or consulting others?


  4. Who needs to know about my efforts and progress? What do I need to communicate? What's the best way to get the word out?
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