You’ve heard the saying, “Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.” When it comes to your career, your value is in the eyes of your employer!
 

I had a somewhat unique reputation during my career. I was an investment leader who knew how to market the firm to sales prospects. Consequently, while performing well on my investment job, I also helped our sales professionals land new accounts. This had a direct impact on our profits, which caught the attention of the business leaders who were my advocates during bonus time. By diversifying my skill set and helping our business, I built my value and reputation.
 
How highly prized you are to your employer should be a matter of ongoing importance. Among the sources of your value are:

• Your proficiency and achievement on the job
• Your contribution to the financial well-being of the organization
• Your ability to develop others
• Your ability to work successfully in teams and in projects
• Your ability to solve problems and lead initiatives
• Your willingness to go above and beyond the job description

 
In a nutshell, it’s not simply how well you’re doing your own job, but also how you’re contributing to the broader enterprise. What are the benefits of being a highly valued employee? They are many:

• Higher compensation
• Greater promotability and leadership potential
• Greater job security during layoff periods
• Opportunities to participate in high impact projects
• Industry recognition (headhunters will call!)
• The intrinsic value associated with being well regarded by others

 
As you progress in your career, always ask what you can do to become more valuable to your employer. If you can diversify your skill set to improve the financials or reputation of your employer, you’ll be that much more valuable to them and win those prized promotions along the way!
 
What are you doing to build your value in the eyes of your employer, both now and throughout every step of your career?  Check out our blog archive for more ideas on how to be the best and most successful YOU possible! Pass the information along to a friend or young person in your life, and share your ideas and comments below; we’d love to hear from you!