Have you ever considered that adding value to your workplace is more than just bringing money to the table? It isn’t just about increasing the company’s net worth, either. In fact, some of the most effective ways that you can add value to your workplace are completely free!
Recently, our team read the book The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. It has since inspired us to think about how we can contribute to our workplace in meaningful ways. We’ve discovered that part of the value we add to our work is in our interactions with people – our co-workers, clients and vendors. As stated in the book, “Your income is determined by how many people you serve and how well you serve them.”
After a group discussion on this topic, we came up with five simple things that we feel you can implement to add value to your workspace.
1. Check in with your team!
Whether you’re the boss or an employee, ask others on your team how they are doing, and truly listen to their response.
Is there is anything they are struggling with or need help on? Offer your assistance! Even if we may not feel qualified to help, it will mean a lot to your co-worker to know that they have your support. Also, sometimes all people really need is someone to talk through things with!
For example, try saying something like this: “Hey Sarah, you mentioned you are swamped this week with quarterly reports. Is there anything I can do to make your workload lighter?”
2. Join the conversation!
Stop to really listen to what others have to share and provide thoughtful feedback. Your unique life experience has shaped a perspective only you can offer. Therefore, you can help others learn by showing them a different way to look at something. Variety is the spice of life!
At the beginning of a group meeting, you may wish to set the tone for open discussions by introducing an “ice breaker” question. This often relaxes and makes people comfortable speaking up in a group setting.
3. Be reliable!
If you had an emergency but didn’t know whether an operator would answer when you called 911, would you even bother calling? This same principle applies to working as part of a team: Show up for others and let them know that they can count on you to do your job.
However, life happens. Timelines may shift as new tasks come up. Being late with something occasionally doesn’t necessarily make you a less reliable person. As long as you are upfront and communicate the changes ahead of time with your boss and/or co-workers, they are likely to understand. They may also be able to assist you in establishing priorities for what is most important and needs to be done first.
Some deadlines simply cannot be pushed back; in the MBS world, payroll is a hard deadline! In this case, it may be all hands on deck – less experienced team members may be able to handle simpler aspects of the task and those with payroll expertise may be pulled in to do more.
4. Show others that you care!
Your co-workers aren’t robots. Just like you, they have a heart and feelings – even your boss does! Get to know them beyond their job description and connect with them on a personal level. Being there to celebrate their achievements and support them through challenges will make your co-workers feel valued and appreciated as people, not just employees.
On Monday mornings at MBS, we share some good news from our weekend at our weekly meeting. This gives people a chance to highlight things that they enjoy doing outside of work, and it usually leads to people discovering common interests between each other.
5. Invest in personal and professional growth!
Add more tools to your toolbox by taking steps to increase your knowledge and expertise. For example, attend local workshops pertaining to your industry or take a continuing education class. Challenging yourself to grow individually will benefit your team by inspiring growth in others!
As one of our core values, we are passionate about growth here at MBS. We are active members of our local Chambers of Commerce (Fergus Falls and Alexandria, MN, and Watertown, SD). Check out your local community calendar to see upcoming events that you can attend. You can connect with like-minded people to grow your network and open yourself up to new opportunities!
We love to offer opportunities for growth to other businesses and individuals by sharing our expertise. Several times a year, we offer Human Resource training and business seminars, as well as training in QuickBooks.
In closing, we encourage you to spend time to think about how “adding value” would look in your unique situation! Providing value to your company and team can be done in many more ways than just what is listed above.
The Go-Giver said it best: “The most valuable gift you have to offer is yourself.” Adding value is more than just dollars and cents; it is adding growth, increasing efficiency, boosting morale, enforcing consistency, being reliable, spreading kindness… the list could go on and on!
And hey, maybe your way of contributing to your company is letting them know how partnering with MBS could make their lives that much better! We believe that if you focus on people, invest in growth, dedicate yourself to reliability, and show interest in being a strong leader, you are already adding value to your workplace!