The biggest lever for creating professional success

Written by Alex Poeter

Have you ever wondered if there is one specific thing anyone could do to create professional success? A universal approach that can be applied to any type of job or industry? I think there is. And I felt incredibly lucky when I discovered this approach. While I often see people using it successfully, a lot of them probably aren’t even aware that they’re using it. However, there is a lot of evidence out there that it works, and that when applying it consistently, professional success seems to be inevitable.

I’ve found that the best approach for creating professional success is to become a "value creator”. Being a “value creator” means keeping your primary focus on creating things and experiences that others find truly valuable. Here are some of the reasons why I believe this approach is so effective and some ideas for how you can apply it.

From a philosophical perspective, it seems that one of the biggest reasons and purposes for being on this earth as humans is to create value for others. I think that’s what any job or career is all about: creating or doing something that others find valuable. In fact, for many of us, our lives seem to revolve around our jobs and careers. So many of us spend most of our time engaged in activities related to our professional identity, or in other words, “exchanging the value of our skills, time and services for the value of money."

Creating value for others can feel quite fulfilling and joyful if we can find ways to do work that aligns with our values, passions, and talents while also allowing us to earn the kind of income we want.

I’ve learned over the years that whether we’re employed, self-employed or business owners, when we prioritize creating value for others, our professional success tends to keep increasing. The key is to create value for others intentionally and deliberately, and not just by default.

Also, creating value for others doesn't have to mean sacrificing our own needs for the sake of serving others. In fact, sometimes prioritizing our own needs can be of great service to others. For example, taking time to rejuvenate and replenish our energy levels allows us to give more to others and serve them at a higher level.

I want to invite you to experiment with the idea of creating value for others in your work, but also in other areas of your life. You can start working on becoming a “value creator” today by asking yourself questions such as:

What’s one way I can create value for others today?

What’s something I can do today that those I’m serving through my work would find truly valuable?

How would I know by the end of the day that I was able to create significant value for others?

If you can shift your focus to putting greater emphasis on “creating value for others”, not only are new professional opportunities likely going to show up more and more for you, you’ll also experience much greater fulfillment in your daily life.