04.08.06 The 2nd Key for Adding Value as an Employee

2. Be Ready to Adapt to Changes

At one point, we invested heavily in marketing a certain route only to hear that our passenger traffic had drastically dropped. A new airline was offering ‘cut-throat’ prices when they (new airline) had hardly spent a coin on growing that route. We reacted immediately by researching the weak points of that airline compared to our strengths, then threw a cocktail where we hammered prospective high-end passengers with the advantages of our seemingly expensive fares. The event was held on a Saturday and on Monday the following week, our traffic rose back to normal. Within four months, the competitor dropped the route due to poor passenger traffic combined with low thence unprofitable fares.

Naaman’s slave girl had an ‘intrapreneurial mindset’ in her own way, considering that she was adequately informed about Prophet Elisha’s healing ministry. She knew that Elisha had received a double portion from Elijah (2 Kings 2:9); that he was authentic (2 Kings 3:11-12) and a man of God. He had split the Jordan (2 Kings 2:14), purified the waters of Jericho with salt (2 Kings 2:21-22) and performed several other miracles. That dossier of information was more than what her bosses needed to be convinced to seek permission from their king and make the trip to Israel.

A value-adding employee must keep her eyes on trends and adapt as and when required, so as to continue adding ‘relevant’ value. Given the current highly dynamic environment, adaptability adds value to your employer since you are able to adjust to new conditions rather than causing the organisation to lag behind or be overtaken by the competition. Being adaptable gives your employer a return on the salary they invest in you. So, what changes are occurring in your internal and external environment? How are they affecting your work and the organisation as a whole? What changes do you need to make in order to deliver beyond what stakeholders expect?

Therefore, be flexible without losing sight of the strategic goals of your organisation. Be ready to make quick but sound decisions, should that become necessary.