Know why, how you matter
By Andrea Kay
If new managers walked in the door of your organization today and had the pick of the lot, would they keep you around? It depends on how much you matter.
Of course I matter, you're thinking. Why if it weren't for me, they wouldn't be able to ... er, hmmm, let me think. ...
If you can't explain exactly why they would fight tooth and nail to keep you on the payroll, you better figure it out. Because you never know what could change tomorrow. Your division could be sold and new senior managers would want to know why you take up space. Or someone who does know his worth could come along and persuade your boss he has more to offer than you.
When the Business 2.0 magazine staff sat down recently to compile its list of the 50 people who matter, they came up with the business executives, entrepreneurs and innovators who are changing the world we live in today and reshaping our future. To identify the top 50, they emphasized two questions: What have you done for us lately? And what will you do for us tomorrow?
Those are the same two questions you need to answer to know how much you matter to your company. And if job hunting, you must explain what you did recently for your last employer and what you will do for the new company if it hires you. You also need to answer: Would my company rehire me today, and if so, why?
These may seem like daunting questions. So to help you get to the crux of whether you'd pass muster, I'd recommend scheduling several hours in a quiet place with a pad of paper pondering and writing answers to these questions:
The Business 2.0 article describes media mogul Rupert Murdoch as someone with a "flair for bombastic populism." Genentech's president of product development, Susan Desmond-Hellman, is "focused on creating drugs that make the difference between life and death," contributing to the company's positioning as a pioneer.
You may not be helping turn cancer into a manageable disease, but what you do matters. Figuring out what that is can do wonders for you — renewing a belief in your talents that leads to new goals.
But then you need to make sure others know why that matters to them.
