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Selling versus Adding Value

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The phrase “I don’t sell, I add value” has become a popular badge of authenticity in today’s business culture. It sounds noble—and in principle, it is. Yet, if we pause for a moment, we have to ask an important question: How do you know what’s truly valuable to someone until you know them? Many of us use “adding value” as a catch-all phrase to share tips, give away content, or offer discounts. But here’s the problem: what’s valuable to you isn’t always beneficial to your audience .  A motivational quote might inspire one person and mean nothing to another. A time-saving tool might thrill a manager but frustrate a creative who prefers customization over efficiency. When we assume what others value, we slip back into a self-centered mindset disguised as generosity. We may still be “selling”—just wrapped in a different package. True Value Begins with a Relationship To really add value, we must first establish a relationship. That starts with curiosity . Ask questions. Listen deep...
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Leading Remote Teams

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I have been working remotely for two decades, leading teams for half of that time, and fostering engagement has always remained top of mind.  Working solo provides excellent opportunities for fast execution; however, team feedback gives us a chance to improve the deliverable because others can see our blind spots. Once, while leading a global training project, a team member saw a huge gap that I had been too close to see. I spent three weeks coordinating training times across three time zones and felt accomplished once each region had a schedule that accommodated its time zone. When I shared the schedule with the team, one of them quickly noticed that our dates would fall during the daylight savings time change and throw the schedule off by an hour — too early for one region and too late for another. Pouring over the schedule was like putting together a 100-piece puzzle, so I didn't look forward to reworking it. However, if the time wasn't conducive, it would be worse, so I was...
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Fostering Relationships while Maintaining P roductivity One of the constant challenges leaders face is building relationships while staying on top of all of the other daily demands. It's a delicate balance because both are equally important, yet achieving both often feels like walking on a tightrope. In the early days of my leadership journey, I erred on the side of productivity. As an emerging leader, I was too focused on the numbers, which made my leaders happy, but my direct reports were not. It took several years for me to balance people and productivity, and the primary change was prioritizing people by: Keeping scheduled one-on-one meetings Utilizing one-on-one to get to know the person--not the professional Sharing more about my personal life Maintaining a DRM (direct report management) Like CRM, DRM systems helped me improve the relationships. I noted whatever was important to them and was intentional in inquiring during our meetings.  The four commitments enabled me to ach...
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