If you try to teach a pig to sing, two things happen:
You make the pig mad
You waste your time and your money!
Each of us gets paid, whether we own our own company or we work for someone else, for our contribution to the marketplace. Its the quality and quantity of that contribution that determines our value to the organization and the corresponding income we earn. Want to earn more money? Find a way to improve your service to others.
Years ago I came across a formula that has stuck with me. It’s more like a natural law than anything else. You and I are paid in direct proportion to:
The Demand for What We Do
Our Ability to Do That Job
The difficulty of Replacing Us
The most powerful asset you have is your earning ability. By applying your knowledge and skills to your work, you bring value to the customer, value to your employer, value to yourself. You could lose everything (and I have a couple of times) your house, your car, your job, your bank account, but as long as you still have your earning ability, you can make it all back and more besides.
Hey, I know times are tough for many of my readers. 401k’s have become 201k’s. Clients are asking for more and more for less money. What CAN you do? Well, one strategy is to go to work on your skills and knowledge. Go to work on what you bring to the table. Be honest with yourself. Take stock of your unique talents and abilities.
Would you say you are World Class at what you do? Best in the Country?
Best in the State? Best in the County? Best in the City? Best in Your Community? Best in Your House? Pick one. Be honest. Then go to work.
A question I have been asking myself for over 20 years might just be the very thing that allows you to keep your job in tough times. It might be the very thing that creates the idea for a new product or service. Here it is:
“How Can I Increase My Service To Others?” Simple. Powerful. Rarely asked or answered.
Here are some additional questions for you to ask yourself on paper in your journal early in the morning or on the next long drive or commute. Keep a pen or tape recorder handy, they are powerful questions:
>What is the best and highest use of my time?
>What is it I do especially well that few people can match?
>What am I really good at?
>What comes easy to me?
>What has been responsible for past success AND was fun and easy for me?
>What have I received praise and compliments for?
>If I could do any part of my job what aspects would I choose that are high leverage?
>What is my contribution to this organization and how can I increase it?
More on the next post…
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