Many professionals spend their careers negotiating for higher salaries. The wisest professionals spend their careers increasing their value. Remember, your income seldom exceeds your value for very long. Increase your value, and your income will eventually catch up.
“Your level of success will rarely exceed your level of personal development, because success is something you attract by the person you become.” — Hal Elrod
Michael and Hassan graduated from the same university. Like every fresh graduate, they were optimistic about the future and eager to begin their careers.
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A few weeks after graduation, Michael paid a visit to Mr Jude, his mentor who had enjoyed an outstanding career in business and executive leadership. They attend the same church. He is the coach that helps them with career discussions and programmes. He decided to make him his mentor and he had done a great job of upgrading his thinking and understanding much more than his peers.
After congratulating him, his mentor asked, “So, Michael, what is your plan after graduation?” He confidently replied, “I want to get a good job and earn a good salary.” The mentor smiled. “That’s interesting, but let me tell you something that changed my life several years ago.” He leaned forward and said, “I was told to pour value into my mind, that my mind will pour money into my pocket.’ Never pursue money directly. Pursue value. Money always answers to value.
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Michael listened quietly. His mentor continued. Your university degree will help you secure your first opportunity, but it will not guarantee your success on the job. From the day you start working, your income will depend less on your certificate and more on the value you bring to your organisation and the marketplace.
Then he added words Michael would never forget. “If you want to earn more, become more. Invest in yourself until your value becomes too obvious to ignore.” Those words became Michael’s career philosophy.
That evening, he met Hassan and shared the conversation. Hassan just laughed it off. “See the four years we spent earning this degree was not easy. We went through thick and thin to become graduates. Now, someone is talking value. We are valuable already abeg. What we need is a job, once we get good jobs, we’ll be fine.”
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Within three months, both of them secured employment with reputable organisations. They started on similar salaries. The difference was not in where they worked. The difference was in how they approached their careers. Their philosophies to work was different and it affected everything else.
While Hassan was satisfied with performing his assigned duties, Michael became obsessed with personal growth. He enrolled in professional certification programmes. He attended leadership seminars, continued his sessions with his mentor. He took every session very seriously.
He learnt project management, digital productivity, negotiation and data analysis. He improved his communication skills. He read books, he ensured he was getting better on a daily basis.
Whenever the company introduced a new technology, he volunteered to master it first. Whenever difficult assignments arose, he stepped forward. His colleagues often teased him. “Why are you stressing yourself? Your salary isn’t increasing. You’re spending your money on courses instead of enjoying life. You behave like your father owns the company. Please take it easy o.”
Michael simply smiled. He remembered his mentor’s words. “Money answers to value.” After a few years, the difference between him and Hassan and his colleagues at work became increasingly obvious. Hassan’s salary increased occasionally through annual increments, but he was constantly searching for another employer willing to pay him more.
Michael’s growth followed a different path. His expanded knowledge made him the first choice for strategic projects. His ability to solve problems earned him rapid promotions. Professional associations invited him to facilitate workshops. He constantly got consulting opportunities. He was invited to serve on advisory panels.
Recruiters approached him with offers he never applied for. His income no longer came from one salary alone. It came from the value he had spent years building. One evening, Hassan looked at his friend and asked, “Tell me honestly, what happened? We graduated together.” Michael smiled. “The difference is what I’ve been emphasising over the years, while you were looking for better paying jobs, I was becoming a better professional. The market eventually rewarded what I had become.” Hassan now understood what his friend has been saying. He slowly decided. “Mike, teach me, I’m ready to be like you.”
We must all understand that the marketplace does not permanently reward certificates. It rewards competence. It rewards solutions. It rewards expertise. It rewards people who continually invest in becoming more valuable. If you haven’t started, start investing in yourself today, the rewards will trickle at first and rush in later on.
‘To double your income, triple your investment in personal learning.’ – Leadership expert Robin Sharma
‘When you upgrade your skills, the market upgrades your value.’
Jim Rohn explained the same principle another way: “You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.” Ensure you are always bring value to the table.
How to Earn More by Becoming More
1. Make Personal Growth Your Greatest Investment
Never stop learning simply because you have graduated. Ensure you invest in yourself. Your knowledge is the engine of your wealth
2. Acquire Skills That Make You More Valuable
Acquire skills that improve your productivity, profits and increases your solve problems ability. In one word become indispensable. The marketplace rewards value.
3. Never Allow Your Degree to Become Your Destination
Your qualification opens the first door. Don’t turn it to a stagnation tool. Don’t forget, continuous learning opens every other door, by first making you valuable.
4. Stop Chasing Compensation, Start Building Capacity, that’s the Way Forward.
Become the kind of professional organisations compete to employ. Income eventually follows competence.
5. Develop Multiple Sources of Value
The more problems you can solve, the more opportunities you create for yourself. Don’t depend solely on your salary. Develop expertise that attracts consulting, speaking, coaching or leadership opportunities.
6. Work Harder on Yourself Than on Your Job
Jim Rohn wisely advised: Work hard at your job and you can make a living. Work hard on yourself and you can make a fortune. Please work hard on yourself.
7. Measure Your Progress by Who You Are Becoming
At the end of every year, don’t just ask, “How much more did I earn?” Instead ask, “How much more valuable have I become?” The answer to the second question will eventually determine the answer to the first.
Many professionals spend their careers negotiating for higher salaries. The wisest professionals spend their careers increasing their value. Remember, your income seldom exceeds your value for very long. Increase your value, and your income will eventually catch up.
You will succeed!
Yemi Adetayo is a leadership consultant and transformational catalyst. He can be reached through: [email protected]
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