You Think You're Output Is High, But This Will Change Your Mind

I was talking to an old friend recently, who was explaining all of the things they did inside his organization.I run this . . .I manage that . . .I monitor these . . .He went on and on about all of his responsibilities. This list was impressive.After he had talked for a while, he noticed that I hadn't said anything back.He asked: "So, I should be getting paid more, right?"Ugh. Tough question to ask a friend who genuinely wants to help.Instead of rolling over and responding with an easy "of course," I redirected his attention."It's obvious that you've got a lot going on, but do you know how much value your work has to the business?"I said.He replied, "what do you mean?"I recast it, "I mean do you know how many clients, happy customers, or how much money your work outputs for the business? I don't know what your metrics are, but do you know how you're being graded?"Silence.

Moral of the story:

Before you go off on a rant or claiming that you're busy all the time and can't get a break and work without recognition, give yourself a quick reality check.What are your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?What are your sales goals?What are the axes on which your boss will grade your performance in your annual review?If you can't point to clear data, don't expect to move the needle on your projects or get a pay raise.

2 Minute Action:

If you work for an organization in which you want to rise, ask your supervisor how you're being graded and (in VERY specific terms) what you need to do to get to the next level.If you're working on your own projects and want to increase your output, you need to define what metrics are important at the stage you're in.Take 2 minutes to get the first draft down.