Cocktails with Carl
Written by Carl Monty, Director and Partner at June Co.
The Art of Adding Value and Exceeding Expectations
Years ago, when my 2 daughters started to earn money by babysitting, I would ask them what they thought they needed to do in order to meet the parents' expectations. Most of the time they would look at me quizzically then reply with the basics: keep the baby/kids safe, feed them, play with them, bathe them, get them to bed, etc. I would then follow up with an additional question, what do you believe you need to do in order to exceed expectations? This one really confused them and they would usually reply by saying that they didn’t understand.
What I was doing was starting a conversation about adding value, a concept that most 13-year-old girls don’t contemplate much. Actually, I would venture to say that most people don’t think about how to add value in any capacity in their lives. It’s a concept that needs more time and attention–now more than ever!
Let’s stick with babysitting and use that as an example of how to add value. It would have been easy for my girls to execute on those basics they cited, receive their money, and perhaps even get a call back for another gig when the time came. Maybe. However, if they were looking to build a roster of babysitting jobs, firmly cement themselves at the top of each parent's call list and exponentially grow babysitting income over time, there was a way to take the guesswork out of all that by adding value. In this case, adding value could mean a lot of things: folding laundry, vacuuming carpet, cleaning a kitchen, loading the dishwasher, etc. These are all things that nobody is specifically asking to be done, but could be easily tackled once the baby/kids are in bed. The parents would arrive home and eventually notice that little something extra that was completed. They’d also have a new favorite babysitter; one that doesn’t lay on the couch staring at her phone for the final few hours. Win/Win.
As a business owner, I talk periodically to the team about adding value, but I don’t emphasize it enough on a regular basis. This has been a mistake. Just like my own daughters (and myself when I was a very young employee) our team needs to be taught how to add value and encouraged to exceed expectations. It’s not always apparent how and when to do this and as imperfect human beings, our natural default position is usually to do the bare minimum. I also believe that this is a life lesson that once learned, can be applied in any capacity moving forward, personal or professional.
So, how do we “add value” exactly? Below are some examples to get you in the right mindset. They range from very simple to more complex. Once you start thinking creatively about how to add value to your own situation, you’ll be surprised by how easy it is to identify these opportunities in the future. Eventually, it will become second nature within your own personal operating system.
Offer solutions to problems, even if outside of your specific job responsibilities. Many of us working in smaller, entrepreneurial businesses have the advantage of being exposed to almost everything that is going on. Go ahead and make recommendations to help solve problems, even if you are not asked.
Provide key data/metrics that measure areas of success in your company that has not been considered prior. Sometimes people that work for a long time within certain “systems” (ERP or otherwise) get so myopic that they lose sight of all its capabilities. If you’ve recognized an important measurable that is not getting addressed, figure out a way to extract it and share it with the team.
Rewrite a broken or outdated process, building in new efficiencies that have never been contemplated or tried before. Again, businesses can get lazy and blindly follow a specific process because “we’ve always done it that way”. Change the game.
Propose 1 additional idea above and beyond what has been asked for. If you are in a creative business (advertising, marketing, product development, design, etc.) this is a great way to add value. The internal team and/or customer may not buy it, but they will most definitely recognize the effort and give you credit for going the extra mile.
Take out the garbage! This actually applies to any of those menial tasks around your office. If you work in a small business, chances are that you don’t have a service that takes care of all of these things. Go ahead and take care of it yourself when you see the need.
The responsibility to add value doesn’t just fall on the shoulders of employees either. As business owners, my partner and I are always thinking about ways to add value for our team. Over the last few years, we’ve really made an effort to make our company a much better place to work. We’ve done that through increased benefits and perks like: full flexibility to work remotely, permanent summer hours (½ day Fridays all year long!), provided lunches, fully stocked snack pantry and beverage refrigerator, more social events outside the office, contributing dollars to further education, etc. I would guess every one of our team members would agree that all of these things have “added value” in one way or another.
To wrap up, I would encourage everyone to adopt adding value and exceeding expectations as a way of life. You’ll personally experience much more enjoyment out of life if you do and the benefits are plenty. Just think how much better your day goes when you make breakfast for someone or deliver a hot cup of coffee in the morning. Amazing, right? This is adding value! So put down the phone, embrace the mindset and invest some time and energy into it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised with the following results: boosted confidence, stronger relationships, faster career advancement, higher pay, and a great reputation.
Good Luck.
October Cocktail: Amaretto Sour
October seems like a good month to change it up and try something new.
What you will need:
1.5 ozs Amaretto Liqueur
1 oz Simple Syrup
¾ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
1 Orange Slice
1 Maraschino Cherry
Fill a cocktail shaker with some ice and the first 3 ingredients. Shake well and pour into a cocktail glass filled with ice. Garnish with the orange slice and cherry..