Adding Value At Work

It is much easier to retain your job, gain promotion or conduct a successful appraisal if your colleagues and bosses recognise the value that you add, over and above your job description. Which is why a value added strategy constitutes an essential part of career management.

We are all capable of adding value in different ways, but a good value added strategy can be built around three simple qualities: Competency, Enthusiasm and Dependency.

It goes without saying that you need to be competent at your job. But merely having the ability to do the job is not enough to demonstrate value. Demonstrating competency in the workplace means being able to show that even when the tasks exceed those normally expected of you, you are able to carry them out successfully and effectively. It is not just having the skills to do the job, it is having a sufficiently wide range of skills to be able to cope with the unexpected. So to be seen as competent you may wish to engage in training, or gain experience, that allows you to expand your skill base beyond the bare minimum.

Dependency is an essential quality for fostering trust and confidence. A dependable team member is one who is there when they are needed, who can be relied upon to perform a task when required, particularly the less pleasant ones, and who is seen as supporting their managers and colleagues. Dependability is, logically, the single most important quality in making yourself indispensible at work.

Enthusiasm is the art of making other people feel positive because you are seen to be positive. An enthusiastic team member appears to be glad to be doing their job, is better placed to override obstacles and minimise conflict. People enjoy being around an enthusiastic person and enthusiasm will boost your standing in the eyes of your colleagues and bosses. It is hard to display enthusiasm externally unless you are enthusiastic internally. But even if you do not enjoy your job, it is possible, with the right support, to develop and demonstrate an enthusiasm for it.

Enthusiasm, Dependency and Competency. They are all small things. But as part of a structured value added strategy they can save your job, or get you a better one.