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As I scheduled my  sabbatical at the company I work for I  started thinking about what is my true value to my employer. Often we think of our value in terms of what tasks we can accomplish. In the past I thought my greatest value to my company was that I could do lots of things.  While the amount of tasks I can accomplish does establish some value it is important to note that most of these tasks could have been completed by employees who made far less than I did.  From there I though about what projects I could manage.  After all leading a project is a very valuable skill.  To a certain degree this can establish your value as well.  However leading projects is only part of the true value that customers and employers look for.  It is good to be able to have many skills and the ability to manage projects.  The root skill that establishes your value is not what you can do but your ability to make good descisions.  Do you have the discernment and knowledge to allow your manager or customer to delegate to you and know everything will be taken care of.

Let us look at the three stages or levels of value that you can provide a customer or manager.

Tasks and Skills:

The first level of competency and value is based on tasks and skills.  How many skills do you have and how many tasks can you accomplish.  This is where most of us start in any business endeavor whether self employed or dwelling in cubicle nation.  The number of tasks you can complete and the speed at which you finish them determines your value.  Can you create a web page or fix a computer? Do you prepare tax returns?  If so, this may be where you are at.  In this stage the worker wants to master the basics of whatever job they are doing.  Now on to the next stage.

Projects and Responsibilities:

Almost everyone in the skills and task phase wants to manage projects.  After all project leaders get awards and recognition while the task and skills drones do all the work.  Well, this may be true in some companies but leading projects is not the great panacea many consider it to be.  In the end, the one who manages projects is measured and valued by the number of responsibilities he or she holds.  The project manager needs to own many projects in order to be valued.  He or she is still in the business of quantity instead of quality.  If this is where you are, you will want to be a cog in as many important initiatives as possible.  At the same time, you want to manage your workload and learn how to say no.  Managing too many projects is a recipe for disaster.  This is why you want to move past project manager and be a decision maker.

Decision Maker:

The third phase for most of us leads to being a decision maker.  Now most people think of the decision maker as the executive who shouts out orders but that is not necessarily the case.  For instance, in my workplace I am a fairly low grade employee.  Not at the bottom but also not at the top.  However, I am a decision maker and my managers want me to be in positions where I can use a combination of knowledge, experience, and discernment to always do what is best for my company.  I can design and build a website but that is considered a waste of my time.  My managers would rather that I architect a website, build a team, and hand-off the task oriented work.  I recently accepted a position as a resource planner.  In this role, it is far more important that I make good decisions than it is for me to load up on tasks and projects.  If I make a bad decision a project could not have the needed resources to complete on time.  Is this pressure? Of course it is.  Will this move me up in my company faster than if I was project or task oriented?  Of course it will.

Summary:

In the end, we are all like insurance companies.  We offer peace of mind.  The more our customers and managers can completely delegate to us the more successful we will be.  If you are not in the level of value that you want to be in do not despair.  Work yourself into the positions you want.  If you are at the task level take the initiative to start some small projects.  Learn your business and master the basics.  From there you can show your decision making ability.  If you are not in the right company to do that then look for another job.  Do side work to help build your resume.  Show your customers or employer that you are the man or woman who will always do the right thing for them.  In doing so, you will increase your value.