Are You a Valuable Employee?

In 2008, Bob Burg co-authored The Go-Giver, a book about finding success.

Since its publication, The Go-Giver has been translated into 21 languages, selling more than half a million copies.

“Your employer believes they’re receiving more in value from you than what they’re paying you,” said Burg in a recent podcast interview. “There are probably hundreds of ways to communicate value, but they tend to come down to 5 elements …”

The 5 Elements of Value:

There’s nothing magical about being successful.

Success is the product of sustained value production for others. That’s it. But what’s value? How is it defined and measured?

Here is Bob Burg’s breakdown, an assemblage of valuable elements every professional—in any role and every field—should strive to display:

1. Excellence:

Excellence encompasses a couple things:

1. Competence: Are you great at your job? Do you continuously study your space, honing your craft? Are you confident?
2. Personality: Are you a nice person to be around? Do you make people feel good about themselves, about working alongside you? Are you courteous? Tactful?

“You don’t have to jump through hoops and be a doormat,” says Burg, “but if you do things in such a way that people always have a good feeling about you … that’s excellence.”

2. Consistency:

Consistency is a rare, which makes it valuable on it’s face.

Furthermore, besides establishing your reputation as an accountable, relevant employee, consistency also enables your employer to accurately measure your performance.

“When we provide excellence and consistency,” says Burg, “right there, you’re [already] communicating exceptional value.”

3. Attention:

Shortly after Steve Jobs’ death, Vic Gundortra posted a note on Google+, the social platform he led to fruition.

He wrote that one Sunday morning, while he was attending a religious service, he received a call. The caller ID said “Unknown” so he let it go to voicemail. After the service, he was surprised to hear a message from Steve Jobs …

“Vic, can you call me at home? I have something urgent to discuss.” Vic called back.

Jobs picked up and explained there was an “urgent” issue to address: The second “O” in Google didn’t have the right color gradient on his iPhone. “It’s just wrong,” said Jobs. “I’m going to have Greg fix it tomorrow. Is that okay with you?”

Vic never forgot that call, that moment when the CEO of one of the largest corporations in the world called him, on a Sunday, to fix a shade of yellow.

Your attention to detail is a reflection of your character, your personal brand. So go ahead, sweat the small stuff. Because if you don’t care, why should others?

4. Empathy

Empathetic people easily identify and experience the feelings of others.

“It’s perhaps the most important human skill,” says Burg, “as well as the most important business skill there is.”

He goes on to note that being empathetic doesn’t require literally knowing how another person feels. It only calls for your acknowledgement that he or she feels something—and that you’re there to listen, understand and, if possible, help.

That’s true empathy.

5. Appreciation

Gratitude, like every emotion, is a choice.

We can choose to say thank you, to smile, to express how lucky we are to have something or someone. We can choose to be appreciative. Those of us that do give off good vibes that make others feel happy, engaged.

The Gist:

There are plenty of ways to communicate value to an employer, plenty of metrics that quantify growth and progress—and they all boil down to 5 elements.

These elements are what employers are looking for at the end of the day.