Adding value to your organization or the people you serve should be your number 1 priority. Watch this video to figure out why.

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Video Transcript:

Adding value to your organization or the people you serve should be your number 1 priority. 

In this post, I would like to discuss the importance of shifting your focus to adding value to the organization that you are working for.  

I consider myself lucky because I learned two big lessons early on in my career.  

Lesson # 1:  

“When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.” – Oprah Winfrey

 I was a fresh University graduate; I was 21-22 years old when I got my first dream job. Since I was a child, I always wanted to know how cars are built. So I got a job at one of the largest vehicle manufacturing companies. It was really a dream job come true for me.  

There was a problem though. In the company, they hired many fresh graduates from Universities because they were building a new Quality Assurance Department. They actually didn’t have definite plans on what to do with that newly formed department. So most of us ended up being in a job that was not well defined; we didn’t have clear roles and responsibilities. There was no processes or procedures either. So after a while, despite my eagerness to learn every day, I realized that I’m not feeling the growth in my job. 

It was until six months passed the shape of the new department, that our team was invited to a meeting with the upper management. It was a roundtable meeting. The question that the top manager asked was, “Tell me what you have done in the last 6 months?”  

My colleagues started talking about the great things that they did. I was thinking, “Wait a second guys, come on… be honest… we haven’t done anything, rather than reading some processes and procedures. What did we do? Why are you exaggerating?” It was until my turn to talk. So my answer to that question was brutally honest. I told the top manager that I haven’t done anything rather than reading some processes and I’m frustrated. I expressed all the issues that I’ve faced throughout those six months.  

That honest discussion caused my immediate supervisor to get fired immediately. This made me really upset because I felt guilty that I caused him to get fired. However, he taught me a very important lesson that stuck with me to this day. I’m so grateful for him and the lesson that he taught me.  

He organized a meeting with me a day before leaving the company and told me something very profound. He said, “Shohreh if you don’t see the value of the work that you are doing, how do you expect others to see the value of your work.”  

He was right. I didn’t see the value of the work that I was doing, although I was learning. So how do I expect others to see the value?  

Lesson #2: 

Work in a way that makes you happy and excited for the accomplishments that you have made. Sooner or later people will recognize and appreciate you for what you have done.  

A day after my supervisor left the company, I was desperately looking for help to relieve some of the bad feelings I had about the situation. I talked to one of my trusted colleagues. I told her, “You know, I just graduated from the university, I’m going through my masters now, and I’ve learned so much in the University. I want to apply my learning here but I haven’t found many opportunities. I’m so capable; I know that. What can I do? How can I show that I’m so capable?” 

She taught me another big career lesson that was so profound. She told me, “You know what? You don’t need to show off. You don’t need to work in a way that shows that you are capable. Work in a way that makes you happy and excited for the accomplishments that you have made. Sooner or later people will recognize and appreciate you for what you have done.” That was such an important lesson I’ve learned from her. 

These two big lessons were the foundation of my practice at work.  

I don’t get into anything, any engagement or any initiative at work, unless I know, first of all, I can do that to the best of my ability. Second, I can add value to the organization or the people whom I serve, and third, I’m going to feel happy and satisfied by doing the tasks that I’m assigned to. That has been the basis for me. That has been something that I’ve been following throughout the years in my career, and it has really paid off.  

In the first year of my career, I got a 55% raise in salary just because my main focus was learning and adding value to the organization. I got numerous recognitions and rewards from my clients, my supervisors, and my managers; because they saw the impact that I was making in the organization I was serving. The main reason for that was the fact that adding value was my number one priority in any work that I was engaged in.  

I hope I have accomplished my mission of adding value to you through this post and the previous posts that I have shared with you. 

I urge you to consider this important lesson; “consider adding value to your organization as your number one priory at work.” I know many people are looking for jobs that give them a better salary or better bonus packages and things like that but I advise you to shift your focus to “how can I add more value to this organization?”  

Believe me, the moment that you shift your focus to adding value; things start to happen for your own benefit. You start seeing the rewards and recognition. People will recognize the impact you’re making to the people around you and to the organization. Believe me, it really works.  

When you put the priority on adding value to the organization that you are working for, the money also follows naturally!   

Until next time, I encourage you to do your absolute best in everything that you do, add value to the organization that you serve, and make a difference.

About the Author, Shohreh Ghorbani

Shohreh is the founder and director of Project Control Academy, the leading provider of comprehensive online training programs in Project Controls. Shohreh has served tens of thousands of professionals and several international corporations build their technical Project Controls knowledge and shave off years of trial and error in learning the vital skills in controlling their projects.

Shohreh is a licensed project management professional (PMP) recognized by Project Management Institute (PMI) and holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering.

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