04.08.12 The 8th Key for Adding Value as an Employee
8. Take Personal Initiative
My memory goes back to the day I heard that His Excellency the President of Tanzania would be opening a trade show where our airline was one of the exhibitors. We were just alerted a few hours before his arrival. Fortunately, the exhibition was in the same building as our office. I had to think very fast given that we had some other air carriers-cum-competitors in the exhibition. We needed something that the President would proudly display in his office and make our airline stick on his mind rather than those competitors. That was how I came up with the idea of suggesting that our Managing Director-cum-owner presents a big dummy model of one of our planes since we were the only ones using such aircraft in the country at the time. That particular beautiful plane had just joined our young but growing fleet. So, I was honoured when the owner of our airline agreed to present the gift to His Excellency the President.
We also see how Naaman’s slave girl took a ‘personal initiative’ to inform Naaman’s wife about Elisha’s healing abilities.
Value-addition requires that you take the personal initiative to perform activities that ‘grow’ your organisation rather than always waiting to be told or forced. The BBE version of the bible refers to that as being a ready worker. We find this in Proverbs 12:24. That scripture reads (BBE): 24The hand of the ready worker will have authority, but he who is slow in his work will be put to forced work.
One way that you could engage your personal initiative is by continually observing the operations in your department to identify different steps, activities or processes that require improvement, especially within the organisation’s priority areas, then setting out to work on them without being asked, especially if no financial resources are required. For instance, how can you save on the resources used to produce a given product or service? If you are in a managerial position, you could take the lead in exploring and implementing such a venture. Not only will that generate savings for the team or organisation, but it will make operations easier for your supervisor, thereby creating visible value.
Another way that you could show personal initiative is by accepting ‘extra workload’ during busy seasons thence relieving team members who may be having ‘full desks’. This will improve interpersonal relationships while enhancing team spirit, which are all forms of ‘value-addition’. Such gestures often build reciprocity in that your colleagues will also offer a helping hand in case you get loaded with work in the future. Be ready to take ‘personal responsibility’ for your actions.
If you are in a leadership position, take the initiative to motivate your staff by being available for them; modeling the role that you want to see, and coming up with innovative ways of creating a positive and non-toxic work environment, building belongingness and commitment to perform. Such an approach will boost the value that you add as an individual and that of your team, thence enhancing the value of the finished product or service.