What does it mean to Add Value?
I have previously mentioned the recent layoffs at my company. At one of the many meetings to explain the logic behind the decision making, an employee asked, "What can I do as a technical employee to add value?". Words were spoken to the effect of "adding value", but little other specific information came from the response. After "it" (the author) discussed this with the questioner the next day, we can to the realization that the only meaning from the phrase "be a value added employee" really meant "be a business value adding employee...as in SHOW ME SOME MONEY. This became the local mantra for a few days -- "add value".
While it provided some light hearted relief for a brief time. I began to realize that despite how I might personally feel about this notion, it will be my reality for the foreseeable future. Will the coming "job boom" (See my post dated 10/10) change this current reality? Probably not. Scott Ambler writes in a recent Agile Edge column, that even for technical employees business knowledge and solving business problems will take a back seat to technical skills. Further, he adds that those among us that focus purely on technical skills are fighting a losing game against highly-skilled, lower-cost competition.
So the question of the day, that I would love to hear from all of you is, "How do you add value?" Feel free to e-mail me.
A Couple other Notes about OutsourceIT
At least one person, wrote to ask what do you mean by "it". "it" is a reference to me. Since the name of the group is Outsource"IT", the lowercase "it" refers to any small peon/cog in corporate America that can be outsourced/eliminated. I figure I'm a likely a candidate as any. I also like it because the reference is cold and impersonal (and reminds me of "thing" from the Adams Family)
Second, if you are reading my blog, you will notice that I have added a subscribe button to be added to the mailing list. Please share with any of you colleagues that would be interested in "adding value" (sorry I couldn't resist) to this blog/mailing list.
"it"
I have previously mentioned the recent layoffs at my company. At one of the many meetings to explain the logic behind the decision making, an employee asked, "What can I do as a technical employee to add value?". Words were spoken to the effect of "adding value", but little other specific information came from the response. After "it" (the author) discussed this with the questioner the next day, we can to the realization that the only meaning from the phrase "be a value added employee" really meant "be a business value adding employee...as in SHOW ME SOME MONEY. This became the local mantra for a few days -- "add value".
While it provided some light hearted relief for a brief time. I began to realize that despite how I might personally feel about this notion, it will be my reality for the foreseeable future. Will the coming "job boom" (See my post dated 10/10) change this current reality? Probably not. Scott Ambler writes in a recent Agile Edge column, that even for technical employees business knowledge and solving business problems will take a back seat to technical skills. Further, he adds that those among us that focus purely on technical skills are fighting a losing game against highly-skilled, lower-cost competition.
So the question of the day, that I would love to hear from all of you is, "How do you add value?" Feel free to e-mail me.
A Couple other Notes about OutsourceIT
At least one person, wrote to ask what do you mean by "it". "it" is a reference to me. Since the name of the group is Outsource"IT", the lowercase "it" refers to any small peon/cog in corporate America that can be outsourced/eliminated. I figure I'm a likely a candidate as any. I also like it because the reference is cold and impersonal (and reminds me of "thing" from the Adams Family)
Second, if you are reading my blog, you will notice that I have added a subscribe button to be added to the mailing list. Please share with any of you colleagues that would be interested in "adding value" (sorry I couldn't resist) to this blog/mailing list.
"it"
posted by Mike McGowan at 5:38 AM
<< Home