181: How To Become More Valuable To Your Boss [Podcast]

Company of One with Dale Callahan

Become more valuable to your boss in just a few simple steps. If you followed the last podcast, How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss, you can now learn how to make that data work for you so that you can become more valuable to your boss. If you have not done that work, you can either jump back and do episode 180 (How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss) or make your best guess and move ahead. Either way - we are going to dive into ways to make you more valuable at work. Today we will dive into the things where you add the most value at work. So if you found them by doing the work (from Episode 180 How To Calculate How Valuable You Are To Your Boss) or you just know what you did as the most valuable - here are the steps to make it work. What you need before you start A list of the things you did to add value to your employer over the last year. You might have that from working on Episode 180 or from just a list you made. Organize the list according to what added the most value over the year. If you are not sure what added the most value then just guess. How To Become More Valuable To Your Boss 1. Sort your list by value There are always things we do that add significant value and other things - where we tend to spend more time - that add less value. Now take a look at the list of items you did to add value. If they are not already in order or value, put them in the order by value. 2. Share your organized list with your boss Sit down with the boss and review your list. It is important that you share all the things you did and where you added the most value. At this point, you want to listen closely to feedback. 3. Make sense of the feedback What did the boss say? Did he or she agree with you on your listing of values? And, was it really clear that they agreed with you? If so, great. But be careful to listen for doubt. Your boss might measure values differently than you do. First, get them to agree on the top 3 things. Second, you want to get them to agree on what is at the bottom of the list - the least valuable things. 4. Change your job description OK now is the most powerful part. Ask for a change. Ask your boss to help you eliminate or delegate all of the lower value items you have on your list so you can have a bigger impact by spending more time on the high-value items. 5. Get agreement on the top line items Now get your boss to agree to the number on the high-value items. What value do they have to the company? It is best to think in terms of dollars for this value if possible - since you get paid in dollars. Once you get to this point, you have done two powerful things: You have communicated to your boss how much value you added last year (remember - marketing is about communicating value.) You have gotten agreement from your boss that will allow you to be even more valuable by taking away the minor things that are taking up your time at work. So the message it - you are looking for ways to add more value to the bottom line. Click here to listen now. Subscribe & Review in iTunes Are you subscribed to my Company of One? If you’re not, I encourage you to do that today so you don’t miss an episode. Click here to subscribe in iTunes! If you like what you hear, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast. I also love reading them and connecting with you. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you! Links mentioned in this episode: The Company of One Model Episode 174: Grow Your Own Company of One Episode 175: The Three Kinds of People at Work. Which one are you? Episode 176: Seven Things You Must Know About Your Boss Your Chief Operations Officer Role Episode 177: Become Better at Your Job