36 - 42 Ways To Add Value To People

Posted in Relationship By admin on October 15th, 2008

I continue archieve the important point of the way for improving our value to other people. Read it each one with careful.

36. Leave early for a meeting or appointment so that you have time to talk informally with people and engage them on a more personal level. Want to get the real scoop on a meeting? Get to the venue early and offer to help set-up! I used to get to all the student council meetings early as a freshman, sophomore and junior class man; I would help set-up by passing out agendas and sharpen the pencils, all the while listening to and learning from the upper class man as they debated over the new business topics, etc. By the time that I was a senior, I felt very qualified to be head of the student council.There is something to be said for putting in your time!

37. Build space into your schedule that is dedicated to adding value to people. There has been marital advice handed down to me from my dad: “don’t nag your husband, just be supportive.” Sounded a bit 1960’s to me at first, but now after 13 years of being a wife…well, I think I get what he meant! Don’t we all do better with encouragement? In the spirit of building people up, try making an effort to take a couple minutes everyday to reach out to someone in a positive and supporting way. On your break place a sticky note with an upbeat message on a co worker’s coffee cup or send a text message that says,”you can do it” to a spouse that keeps forgetting to take out the trash! This could work wonders for your special recipients’ morale!

38. Don’t view people as they are but as who they have the potential to become. Do your best to draw the very best out of people. Teachers and Business Managers have to do this everyday, don’t they? That is why good teachers call themselves, “facilitators of learning”. If you look at yourself as a facilitator of valuing others, you cannot help but to draw the best out of people. Toss the proverbial softball to someone who you know needs to hit one out of the park! Help someone get back into the game by stoking their flame, not by intimidating them! It is great to be on a team with people who recognize the need to be respected for the person they are striving to become! I had a boss/trainer once that never beat us up about mistakes that we made at work; he would just outline the issue, suggest the solution for the future action and end the brief meeting with, “Now get back to work, My Champions! (Because of his understanding approach he is my favorite boss to this day!)

39. Catch somebody doing something right and praise them for it in front of others whom you’d like to see exhibit similar behavior. This is such a great piece of advice for all of us; whether we are teachers, managers, or moms and dads! There was a term that was big when I was doing my student teaching in East Los Angeles: Behavior Modification. Because in the inner-city we were dealing with a lot more than the three r’s in the classroom,we had to find a way to reach our students in a positive and affirming way. Our detention halls were filled daily and our truancy rate was astronomical! What really helped in turning our students around was the Positive Reinforcement we gave them when we “caught them being good” At weekly assemblies we would honor 10 students per grade that were being acknowledged for doing the right thing during the course of the week. A pizza party for the 40 honorees would follow the assembly! How can you celebrate someone’s value by putting them on a pedestal for a job well done?

40. Encourage someone who seems disappointed or discouraged. (hmmm: through a card, a hug, or just by being there with them.) Can you remember a time when you were really disappointed? We are going through it right now with my son, as my husband is on a 9 day business trip and he misses his dad. I told my husband that it would help Danny a lot if he could email him while he was away! This is working out great….don’t you love the many ways a computer can bring us joy?! Danny feels validated by his dad because he is being understood and creatively involved in his trip! We are getting pictures from my husband of his hotel room and of the tractors on the fields that he is driving by…all very interesting to a 4 year old! We are all little kids inside, we still get disappointed when there is a big change that no one consulted us about! Be a friend to someone that you know is having a hard time. An email, a card or even a flower from your garden can brighten someone’s outlook and they will remember that you were there when the going got tough!

41. Help people find their niche - the place where they can add the most value to others. A niche is a place where people feel a sense of belonging. It is a place where people feel they can make their greatest contribution. I can remember being selected to serve on long-standing committee. The people on this committee had been together for a number of years and I felt like I was on the outside looking in for the first few meetings. Near the end of one meeting, the group was trying to figure out how to put together some publicity for an upcoming project. I finally spoke up, “I would be willing to create that.” None of them had any expertise in that area and were more than willing to let me run with it. I created a small marketing campaign for the project, complete with posters, flyers, postcards, and web elements. After that, I became the go-to person in that area. I also established my credibility and demonstrated my value to the group.

42. Model the right kind of behavior for others and they will have a proper example to follow. People do what people see. Some people are book learners. They can read about how to do something in a book and then turn around and perform it. Most people are visual learners. They need to be shown how something is done and then they can imitate it until they learn how to do it on their own. If you want people to be cheerful, be cheerful. If you want people to be on time, be on time. When I’m coaching Little League, I will model the proper footwork or glove work and then ask my players to do it. I’ll also find a player who’s doing it right and tell the other players to watch him. 43. Respond to people in a proper time frame. Call them back within 24 hours. Return an email within 48 hours. If you miss an appointment, meeting or special occasion - respond as soon as possible. I know what it’s like to continually leave a message for someone and not have them get back to me. I don’t feel that I’m very important to that person. Of course, it depends on the type of relationship you have with someone. But I try to get back to people within a reasonable period of time. Even if I can’t take the time necessary for a full response, a partial response stating when I’ll be able to provide my full attention is better than nothing. There will always be exceptions, but figure out what your routine will be. Then occasionally surprise someone by responding immediately or more quickly than anticipated.