Measuring Your Value Within an Organization

Though it may not always feel like it, we are constantly asked to define our value to our employers. Every decision regarding who receives specialized training, who goes to conferences, and who gets promoted rests on the calculated trade-off between cost and expected benefit. Having been the subject of this analysis countless times, I’ve had to state my case to various decision makers who weighed my assertions differently based on corporate culture, their role in the organization, and individual personality, among other factors. However, more often than not, the decision simply came down to whether we had the money to do it and/or if it was believed to result in a monetary return on the investment. My experiences have led me to believe that..

The amount of money you bring into an organization is the only unequivocal measure of your value within it.

This is not to say that there are not other ways in which to define your value, but it is the only unequivocal one; i.e., it is the only measure that everyone accepts.

An organization functions on the money it earns: money pays for office space, equipment, and salaries. If an organization receives enough, it can grow by expanding its operations and developing its staff. Everything anyone does in the company can be tied to this singular, functional purpose. A closer look through this lens may uncover new ways in which to justify future requests for spending internal money on you or your pursuits. Here are a few of the organizational roles I encounter in my field:

Technical Directors and Contributors: These are domain experts who plan, lead, and perform technical work. They do not always have a direct role in winning contracts, but it is their talent that convinces the customer you can do what you say you can do. Top talent also begets top talent, further reinforcing your organization’s ability to deliver.

Line Management: These leaders are responsible for recruiting staff, overseeing their utilization across projects, and advising them as they develop their careers. The best line managers curate an impressively deep bench of talent that works together and with others in the organization to execute on the work. More effective teams are more successful, which brings in new contracts.

Program Managers: This role focuses on project execution, ensuring an effort has all of the resources it needs to succeed, such as staffing, financial allocations, and other logistical matters. In addition, this person typically holds the customer relationship. They are responsible for correcting course if a project is failing to meet milestones or if a customer is disappointed. When everything is going well, they work with the customer to define ways to extend and build on current work.

Business Capture and Development Specialists: Those in charge of Business Development (“BD”) establish strong, long-lasting relationships with customer organizations to build and maintain a pipeline of projects. Their actions most directly result in the contracts which are received, but their success depends on an organization which is capable of performing the work, staff who are appropriately allocated, and projects which are executed to the customer’s satisfaction.

There is a caveat to all of this. Yes, organizations need money to function and grow, and bringing in those resources is a clear indicator of your value. But the whole reason an organization is given money is because it provides something of value to the customer.

This is the ultimate mission of an organization: to serve those who benefit from its products and services.

Technical directors and contributors deliver solutions to the customer’s engineering challenges, line managers ensure the team is positioned to continue producing those results, program managers guide technical direction and project resources to meet (and exceed) the customer’s expectations, and BD specialists work closely with customers to understand their needs and communicate how the organization will address them.

I still believe there is power and simplicity in conveying your value in terms of the amount of money you bring in, but it is vitally important not to lose sight of your work's ultimate purpose. What do you think?

--Eric

Note: This is not an academic post. I trust these topics have been well-researched and are actively studied. If my personal observations seem misguided, inadequate, or woefully unaware, please chime in. Feedback is an opportunity to learn.

This work is not sponsored by any corporate or government entity. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are solely those of the author.