Adding Value to Others

Written by Dave Rothacker on December 9, 2021

“...the bottom line in leadership isn’t how far we advance ourselves but how far we advance others. That is achieved by serving others and adding value to their lives.” - John Maxwell

A servant leader puts the needs of others first and helps them to develop and perform at a high level. The interaction between the leader and their people is a relationship. Relationships either add to or subtract from a person’s life.

The following are three guidelines that Maxwell created to help add value to others.

1. We add value to others when we truly value others. Servant leaders believe in their people before their people believe in them.
2. We add value to people when we make ourselves more valuable to others. The more intentionally we’ve been in growing personally, the more we have to offer.
3. We add value to others when we know and relate to what others value. There’s only one way to know what others value: Listen.

What do people in your department value? Observe their actions. Ask and listen. Their answers will involve more than the day job. In order to add value we must know what others value.

I will be launching (at least) two John Maxwell masterminds in January. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and Developing the Leader Within You 2.0. Each is based on a Maxwell book by the same name. I recommend reading the book(s) in December.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership - The book in which to begin building your leadership foundation on. As we’ve seen here, every person in your company is in need of fundamental leadership education. Go here to sign up.

Developing the Leader Within 2.0 - I recommend this mastermind if you’ve already taken The 21 Irrefutable Laws mastermind. That said, it’s not necessary. This book contains fundamental lessons for becoming a good leader. Go here to sign up.