The Value of Value
Why success becomes much easier when you stop trying to extract value and start creating it
Dear Reader,
One of the most common mistakes I see, whether in fundraising, consulting, leadership, personal relationships or even social media, is that people approach relationships as an exercise in extracting value.
They want donations.
They want clients.
They want followers.
They want recognition.
None of those objectives are inherently wrong. The problem is that people often focus so intensely on what they hope to receive that they forget to ask a far more important question:
What value am I creating for the person on the other side of the exchange?
Recently, I found myself reflecting on how often we see this dynamic play out online.
A common LinkedIn post reads something like:
“I am honoured to announce that I have received this award.”
Whenever I see posts like that, I find myself asking simple questions: “Who is this serving?” “How is value flowing between the author and the audience?”
At best, the audience receives a small piece of information. More commonly, it feels like self-promotion. In some cases, it can even come across as virtue signalling.
Contrast that with someone sharing a lesson learned, a unique perspective, an observation from experience, or a practical tool that helps others solve a problem.
That creates value.
The exchange becomes asymmetrical. Hundreds or thousands of people may benefit while the author is asking for nothing in return. Ironically, that is often what creates the strongest return for the author. People are naturally attracted to those who make their lives better.
What Have I Been Learning?
The more I study successful professionals, organizations, and thought leaders, the more convinced I become that value creation sits at the centre of almost every meaningful achievement.
The challenge is that value itself is highly individual. Value is in the eye of the beholder.
People contribute to causes because they believe in the mission. Giving is rarely a sacrifice. Some people value the status and recognition that comes from being seen as a contributor. Others appreciate the feeling that comes from helping someone else. Others are seeking a sense of belonging and connection to a community larger than themselves. In every case, they are receiving something they personally value.
This is why I often challenge organizations that view fundraising as asking people to give something up. A donor who contributes to a cause they care deeply about is frequently receiving value in return. Not necessarily financial value, but emotional, social, psychological, or relational value.
The same principle applies to consulting.
The same principle applies to leadership.
The same principle applies to marketing.
The same principle applies to personal relationships.
People are drawn toward sources of value and pushed away by those who appear focused only on themselves. When you consistently create value for others, you pull people into your orbit. When your primary focus is extracting value, you push them away.
Where Have My Travels Taken Me?
This month, I have intentionally stayed put. After a year that has involved a fair amount of travel, I have been reminded that movement is not always progress. In fact, avoiding energy-consuming travel has created something much more valuable. Protected time.
The time and energy that would normally be spent in airports, hotels, rental cars, and transit has been redirected into creating value.
I’ve been making progress on my third book.
I’ve been thinking more deeply about how to share ideas through social media in ways that genuinely help people.
I’ve been exploring opportunities to create low-barrier resources that allow people to access my intellectual property without requiring a consulting engagement.
The interesting thing is that none of these activities are about scaling effort. They’re about scaling value.
If a single idea can help hundreds of people make better decisions, that creates far more impact than keeping the idea to myself. Sometimes staying in one place creates more leverage than traveling to ten.
What Am I Reading?
This month, I have found myself revisiting several books by Alan Weiss. One reason I continue returning to Alan’s work is that he consistently frames success through the lens of value.
His perspective is refreshingly simple. Create unique and meaningful value for others. Do it consistently. Do it better than anyone else. The rewards will eventually follow.
Too many people chase money, status, attention, or influence directly. Alan’s work argues that those outcomes are often by-products rather than objectives. The most successful professionals focus first on creating extraordinary value. Compensation, opportunity, influence, and reputation tend to follow naturally.
It is a deceptively simple idea. It is also one of the most powerful.
Closing Insight
The longer I spend working with leaders, organizations, and entrepreneurs, the less interested I become in strategies designed to capture attention. I am far more interested in strategies designed to create value.
Attention is rented.
Value is owned.
Anyone can attract attention for a moment. Very few people consistently create something that improves another person’s life, work, thinking, or results. The people who do become difficult to ignore.
This month, consider a simple question:
Are you spending more time trying to extract value or create it?
The answer may reveal more about your future success than any business plan ever could.
Until next time,
Kursten Faller