The Lost Art of Demonstrating Value–Why Every Executive Should Learn It

Your Value Proposition to Your Current and Prospective Workforce

The Interview

Your eyes snap open, heart racing, and you’re greeted by the surprise of an alarm-less awakening, thanks to an early jump on the day. You take a shower to calm your nerves, like a starting quarterback on a beloved college football team. After a good breakfast and an infusion of caffeine, you are ready for the interview. Your palms sweat as you trudge up the steps of the building, and you wait patiently in the lobby as you rehearse your skills and conjure up better answers to the questions you studied on GlassDoor. 

Moments later, you’re ushered into the interviewer’s lair. You extend a poised handshake and, settling into your seat, launch into the most vital sales pitch of your life: the promotion of your own skills and experience.

The interview seems to go by in a blur, as the nervousness plays tricks on your memory. Finally, you find yourself at the closing stage, where the interviewer poses the standard question, “Do you have any questions for me?” Most candidates reply with a polite, “No, thank you, I have all the information I need.” But here’s a curveball: why not ask the one question that rarely escapes anyone’s lips in that crucial moment – “Why should I choose to work for YOU?”

 

The Interviewer

The person I’ve just described sounds like a panicky mess, however, in reality, this contestant is incredibly well-rounded, talented, and qualified. You have something to offer– a job, an opportunity for growth, and a steady income. However, is that enough to convince them to accept your offer? 

The lost art of demonstrating value begins with the interview, and should continue throughout the entirety of one’s career. By demonstrating your own worth to this new employee, you are attracting and retaining talent, and in turn, lowering turnover. While every interviewee should ask, “Why work for YOU?” Every interviewer should have an answer. 

While the initial enticement of your management style should be apparent at this infamous interview, it is really right after the interview that you should look to demonstrate your worth. Taking that nervous but impressive applicant under your wing as a new employee and placing an emphasis on coaching to get them on the right track can set them up for the entirety of their time with you! The easiest way to demonstrate your own value, ironically, is based on how much you as a leader do for your team. 

 

The Value of Your Proposition 

This starts with getting to know your team. Understanding each individual’s strength and weakness sharpens the image of your managing capability and allows you to allocate and open more resources for these workers that they otherwise wouldn’t think to access. Whether it be organizational design, clear instructions, or better training policies, you should always be thinking about how your actions and guidelines will affect your employees. 

While a manager handles day to day operations and leads, a leader has the ability to inspire. Advocating for your team and inspiring a culture of effective communication as well as accountability is a milestone that every leader should be eager to reach! Part of this communication is understanding that your team’s needs might change, and being adaptable to that. In a world that is designed perfectly for the 10-second attention span, human error is unnecessarily frowned upon rather than seen as a growth opportunity. The true value in any human being is the intrinsic capability of learning from your own mistakes. 

Communicate Value Early and Continuously

Everyone’s version of the “ideal leader” will look different. However, everyone can agree that a fantastic leader will have an even more impressive team standing loyally by their side. This is why it is important to wow each of those people from the very beginning, as well as set them up for success. Whether it be a method of constant communication, accommodating policies, or consistent patience, each decision you make as a leader will be valued by someone else… so demonstrate it as early as you can!