“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.” Albert Einstein
We live in a dog-eat-dog world. It’s every person for himself. If you don’t watch out for you—who else will? If you are going to get ahead, it will probably be at somebody else expense.
Right?
As sports broadcaster and former football coach Lee Corso would say: “Not so fast my friend.”
While there is no doubt a prevalence of folks who live the “me first” approach to succeed in life, I would argue the real measure of success is building a great team through the process of building up others. I’m talking about intentionally working every day to add value into the lives of those around you.
Adding value is how we use our skills and expertise to guide, nurture, counsel, encourage, inspire, affirm and challenge others at work, home and in the community. By adding value into the lives of others, we strengthen our teams, our organizations and our families. As the saying goes, a rising tide floats all boats. If we help others grow stronger—everyone wins.
Here’s why you should live a life in which you seek to add values to others:
- It shifts your focus. Amazing things happen when we focus on the lives of others. By losing the “me-first” approach, our success becomes intertwined with theirs. Knowing that you played a role in helping others achieve their goals brings a level of happiness and satisfaction unlike any you’ve experienced;
- The bottom line is you’ll have a better bottom line. Adding value to others helps improve the performance of the entire team. As the team grows stronger, so too will the measurable like productivity, efficiency and profitability.
- It’s contagious.Adding value shows that you care. It builds trust. Others take note and begin to follow suit until the process of intentionally adding value becomes wired into the DNA of the entire team. It becomes part of the cultural way of life.
- It makes you more valuable. Adding value to others is one of the trademarks of great leaders. Your established track record of helping others develop their potential and achieve their goals will enhance your leadership skills and reputation, which brings us to the last point;
- There’s a dividend on your investment. You should always seek to add value without the expectation of a return on your investment. That said, there will be returns, all of which are positive. Job satisfaction and engagement levels for yourself and others will soar. Trust, respect, happiness levels will also increase significantly. The team or family unit will be stronger and more cohesive.
Adding value is all about making a deposit into the lives of others. Who are the people around you that can benefit from a dose of your skills and wisdom? What will you do today to add value into the lives of others?