Add Value to Yourself

As I look back on the good fortune I have had in my career, from a Graduate Assistant making $2,000 a year to an Assistant Coach with the 2008 NBA World Champions, to speaking 60+ times a year to varied audiences (all virtually this past year, of course) I keep coming back to one recurring theme: LEARNING and PERSONAL GROWTH.

The ability to move up the ladder coupled with improving your salary – in any profession -- is all about developing and increasing your own personal value. Too often I have heard coaches and business people say, “I don’t get paid enough” and my first thought every time is maybe you’re not valuable enough. In my opinion, our salaries are not the responsibility of our employer, but more our responsibility to bring a greater value to our employer.

As you move forward with your career, I encourage you to continue to learn more, do more, and produce more. Read everything you can on your subject; listen to everything you can; talk to as many people who have been there and done what you are doing; create your own Circle of Advisors – people you can go to for information and guidance. I have taken this advice and have made and continue to make these investments in my career.

One problem I see with many people trying to move up the ladder is that there is a feeling of entitlement rather than a commitment to investment. Invest in your future by attending the seminars, bringing speakers in, watching and reading all you can, listening to podcasts, and constantly trying to become better than you were last week! Ask questions, take notes, study the best in your profession, and become better this week than last week. Take notes on what you see and what you hear; I always get nuggets when I do this. 

Do everything you can every day to increase your value. Just as no coach ever wants to lose their Most Valuable Player, your employer does not want to lose their Most Valuable Employee. Invest in your own personal growth. It works….it took me from a Graduate Assistant to the bench of the World Champions. I wish you the best as you continue to improve!