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Adding Value to Others

March 26, 2002

"When people think about you, do they say to themselves, 'My life is better because of that person,' or 'My life is worse'? Their response probably answers the question of whether you are adding value to them. 

To succeed personally, you must try to help others.  That's why my friend Zig Ziglar says, 'You can get everything in life you want if you help enough other people get what they want.'  How do you do that?  How can you turn your focus from yourself and start adding value to others?  You can do it by...

1. Putting Others First in Your Thinking
When you meet people, is your first thought about what they'll think of you or how you can make them feel more comfortable?  At work, do you make your coworkers or employees look good, or are you more concerned about making sure that you receive your share of the credit?
2. Finding Out What Others Need
How can anyone add value to others if he doesn't what they care about?  Listen to people.  Ask them what matters to them.  And observe them.  If you can discover how people spend their time and money, you'll know what they value.  And when you know people's values, you can add value to them.
3. Meeting That Need with Excellence and Generosity
The final step requires concrete action.  Once you know what matters to people, do your best to meet their needs with excellence and generosity.  Offer your best with no though toward what you might receive in return (Maxwell, 2000, pp. 105-106)."

Reference:  Maxwell, J.C. (2000).  Failing forward: turning mistakes into stepping-stones for success.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Do you add value to others?

Failing Forward is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2008-12-13, Updated: 2009-01-07