Is adding value the purpose of life here on earth? It is certainly every leader’s main task.
At some point in life every human being asks the question of purpose. It is a decent question, and it has puzzled people for thousands of years. But if we ask this question by using ourselves as the focal point, we will get the wrong answer.
The first line in Rick Warren’s book ‘The Purpose Driven Life’ reads: It’s not about you.
Adding value is a principle which emphasizes collective well-being and (hopefully) has lasting impact. It also means leading by exemplary example of servant leadership. Good leaders are very conscious of the example they set because they are in a position to influence people, some of whom can easily be led astray by seeing the leader misbehave.
Chris Edmunds defines servant leadership as “a person’s dedication to helping others be their best selves at home, work, and in their community”.

An absolute certainty is that adding value requires being intentional. It is not an accidental disposition or method of leadership.

As I have mentioned in other articles, the gifts and talents we were born with were not given to us for our own exclusive use. Furthermore, we cannot take any credit for them, because they were given to us. We were born with them. We are mere custodians of these gifts while we are this side of eternity. We may take some credit only if we have developed those gifts and talents and used them for the greater good. Please refer to my article on being a Good Steward, in the Accelerated Growth ‘Library’.

The very heart of adding value is the desire to add value to others, to the team, to the company, to the neighbourhood, to the country, and to the world. The concept of adding value is to be a river, not a reservoir. God’s gift to us is potential, and our gift back to Him is developing that potential. This involves intentionally discovering our gifts and strengths, developing them, and then using them. It is my belief that this process is closely associated with finding our purpose, and perhaps even our calling. Adding value to others enables leaders to move from success to significance.

Having said that, before we can add value to others, we must first add value to ourselves because we cannot give what we do not have. So, let’s make sure we have ‘something’ to give and that we use our position of leadership wisely. Quite often we do not see the results of our input, but this should not stop us as leaders from trying to add value all the time. Sadly, many will not respond the way we hope because they are stuck, and either have not come to realise the benefits of growth, or are comfortable where they are, or are not committed to the team. Another way of adding value is encouraging people by believing in their potential, just as we believe in ours.

Here is what I experienced.
After I sold my business to a JSE-listed company, and after completing the year of contractual obligation, I left for (apparently) greener pastures. Several of my salespeople left and started their own enterprises and three of them went on to great success. Much of that success can be attributed to the years of Friday afternoon coaching and training sessions leading up to then. In the previous Millenium, many parts of industry slowed down before the weekend, and many people simply extended the Friday lunch and abandoned work altogether. I did not waste that time but rather used it to improve my sales team’s efficiency in the field. I was improving their skills for my benefit and that of the company. I did not realise it at the time, but I was also adding value to them and unknowingly investing in their future. It was a good investment for me and benefited the team members in their future endeavours. It was an example of planting trees under whose shade we may never sit.

Among the tasks of leadership coaching and training in business is to emphasize the correct order of importance, i.e. people, products, profits…in that order, and to prioritise resources accordingly. In any business, the most valuable asset is its people. They represent the business and are largely responsible for its wellbeing. Some are the interface between the products or services and the outside world. Others play a support role and are less visible. Both groups are a part of this valuable asset pool and are worthy of investment. How sad it is that so many companies get people and profits mixed up. Company employees do not sign up to experience the highs and lows of its quarterly profits and to be used as ballast to shore up its balance sheet.

Adding value often requires taking a longer-term view, a broader view, keeping the big picture in focus, and not allowing temporary or seasonal circumstances to distract us on the journey. Sometimes we must take a few steps back to make a better jump. There is a maxim that says we should not make permanent decisions for temporary problems.

Adding value speaks of a desire to leave the world a better place than we found it. It is an attitude which changes the question from “What can I get?” to “What can I give?” If personal gain continuously outweighs serving others, there is a problem with my leadership because of the motives. Sooner or later people stop responding positively to self-serving and over ambitious leadership. It has a nasty habit of destroying team spirit and runs the risk of contagion.

Adding value as a leader will always have positive results albeit not always short term. This style of leadership has yet another wonderful side-effect: It is part of your legacy.

The standard question we ask here is: ‘Are you where you want to be?’
It is the stated intention of Accelerated Growth, its programs, the contents of its website, and its interaction with visitors and clients to add value, by first asking: ‘How can we help you?’

Please click on the ‘programs’ tab for Leadership, Communication and Personal Growth details.