Adding Value to Others

It was years ago that I had heard the phrase “Adding Value to People” which is something John Maxwell feels very strongly about! If you haven’t heard of John Maxwell he is a leadership guru that is all about focusing on the development of others. I’ve taken several of his courses and have learned a lot about his kind heart passion for others.

*The following is my interpretation of Adding Value*

When I come into contact with someone I can either make them feel really positive about themselves or make them feel badly. I can carry out my own agenda or seek to know them as a person. So everyday and every person we seek we have choices: are we going to make them feel good about themselves, make them feel indifferent, or make them leave with a bad taste in their mouth.

I want to share with you the first 7 of his 15 ways to add value to people. My explanation is based on his book but more how I see it in my own life. You can practice this on your friends, family, spouse, coworkers, and children:

1) Be Grateful: when someone does something nice, let it affect your heart and feelings. I have to remind myself not to just feel grateful but to express it with words and actions.

2) Put People First: it’s so easy for me to let tasks or other distractions make me forget to return a text or phone call. I don’t want to be attached to my phone always, but I need to be more consistent!

3) Don’t let Stuff Own You: my husband and I have a saying, “it’s just stuff”. We take care of our stuff but are never upset when something gets broken.

4) Don’t let People Own You: it’s easy for me to let people’s opinions own me, I want to have good relationships but it is important to have healthy boundaries.

5) Define Success by Sowing not Reaping: it’s not about what you get in return, it’s what you give. I want people to feel good after interacting with me.

6) Focus on Self Development, Not Self Fulfillment: Grow, read, and talk to awesome people. Everybody has different experiences and each person has some wisdom and perspective offer you.

7) Keep Growing and Keep Giving: Never stop learning (60% of university grads never read a book after graduation). Be generous with your time, emotions, and finances.

I learned so much from these principles in how I want to live and treat others. How I make others feel about themselves should always be on the forefront of my mind! Always be loving, always be growing, and always value the opinions of others!