On August 20th I will run in the Falmouth Road Race on Cape Cod for the 8th time. Hard to believe. During that time, I have received thousands of dollars in donations as part of the Charity Team program, and I am grateful to those donors who loyally support me each year.

Not sure if they do so because I am brave or stupid, but I appreciate their faith in me. My first donor this year, John from Cincinnati left a note with his donation that simply said: 'Be careful,' understanding that I am right on the brave-stupid border.

Last year, for the first time, I ran for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and I am doing so again this year. I ran for Elijiah, 'a real trooper', who is a young boy and the son of a business contact. Hearing his story, and the hope he has for the future was, and is, inspiring.

A new medication called Trikafta was recently approved for his age group and he started it over the weekend. It should be a total “game changer” for his current and future health. His parents are feeling so blessed that this is available to him but know it’s available because of people's willingness to raise money for his disease.

When I run for someone like him, it helps most when the next hill is screaming at me 'stop and walk' or the heat and humidity are yelling at me, 'find some shade.' There is nothing better than being totally exhausted, with aches and pains everywhere, and still two miles to walk back to your car and feeling like you've made a difference for the future.

I don't know if I would still be running in this event without the kind of inspiration provided by someone like Elijiah and the confidence that I have that the world will be a better place because of the work of this foundation.

I am not the fastest 72-year-old. I am not the best conditioned, and I don't raise the most money. In fact, I am not the 'best' at anything associated with this event except for one thing. It is hard to believe that anyone running in this race tries as hard as I do. It is the one thing I have control over, and with the temperature, humidity and the hills, not to mention the seven-mile distance, it is a good thing to control.

Ed Doherty Falmouth Road Race Webpage

Recently, in the course of my consultant role, I’ve had the opportunity to do some feedback/coaching sessions with a wide variety of people, including a group of talented individuals just starting their careers.

In the course of some of those discussions, I shared my theory about how and why organizations value contributions made by employees. The more I espoused it, the more and more sense it made to me, and the fewer holes in the concept I could find.

In a sentence, the theory is that businesses, and other organizations pay a premium for three specific types of contributions above all others. Those contributions are:

1. Generate: Individuals who are able to generate revenue, whether that means new business or developing loyalty among existing clients or customers are very valuable to an organization.
2. Direct: Individuals who can direct the efforts of others in a meaningful and productive manner are very valuable to an organization.
3.  Solve: Individuals who can resolve/solve problems are very valuable to an organization.

Almost all activities related to the professional world fall into one of those three buckets and almost all employees have a primary role to perform one or more of those functions, and in most cases, that role began the day they were hired.

Revenue Development

Roles or functions that generate new revenue are the cornerstone of business growth and so organizations are ready, willing and able to reward people who can generate more income. Salespeople are among the highest paid employees. 

Let me rephrase that: good/successful salespeople are among the highest paid employees. Obviously, a commission-based role, like an automobile salesperson or a media salesperson, reap the fruits of their efforts immediately, but non-commissioned leaders who generate new leads, new business or new opportunities are also rewarded handsomely for those efforts.

Being responsible, in whole or in part, for generating revenue is a premium compensation role in almost any organization.

Those that generate revenue are highly compensated because their efforts ‘self-fund’ the compensation pool. 

Even the National Basketball Association player who earns $50 million per year, is paid that much because they are anticipated to generate at least $50,000,001 in revenue. 

The sales manager for a radio station, although likely making less than $50 million, is still likely to be compensated well above average for education, age and experience, because they generate revenue above and beyond their salary.

An individual just starting out may be put in a position to generate some revenue, but generally that role is reserved or ‘owned’ by more seasoned professionals.

Organizations pay a premium to those who can generate revenue.

Directing Others

The ability to provide effective direction to others is a talent that companies gladly pay a premium for because high skill in this area is not a common attribute for most. 

Providing great direction generally requires a natural attribute or strength, professional training, and experience. Two out of three of those skill generators are not typically available to those just starting their careers. 

Ultimately, as people season, they and their employer recognize that they are either good at providing direction to others, or they are not. 

If they are good, they get more responsibility (and more money). If they are not, they may be well compensated, but not at the level they could be compensated at if they could direct others.

Directing others is not easy. Professional training, like Situational Leadership, can greatly improve an individual’s ability to direct others by helping them to understand and how to adjust a style based on the readiness of a follower to perform a specific task.

But, as we all know, practice makes perfect, and it takes the opportunity to direct others, and learn from mistakes, to be a really good supervisor.

The ability to direct others is also the area where mentors can play a big role. “Mentoration” is a term I invented years ago as I ran my first half-marathon, when my trainer Sarah provided me with advice and insight into how to accomplish the seemingly impossible task. Mentoration means taking full advantage of a mentor’s wisdom so that their mistakes don’t become your mistakes.

Of the three ways to reach maximum compensation in an organization (not talking entrepreneurship), directing others is probably the one that is most likely to be learned through on-the-job experience and formal training. Rare is the 40-year-old who isn’t better at directing others than the 20-year-old.

Organizations are hungry for individuals who can effectively direct others. Think about it. Would you rather have 5 very effective people on a team, or ten very ineffective people? 

A good portion of the ‘effectiveness’ of people and teams comes from…the direction they are provided. You can take a talented team and poorly direct them and get marginal results, or you can take a less talented team, effectively direct them and get superior results.

Organizations pay a premium to those who can direct others effectively.

Solving Problems

Of the three ways to maximize personal value in an organization, solving problems is the one that even an entry level individual can excel at. Sure, the problems that an entry level employee can solve might not be mega-problems, but organizations love, love, love, people who solve any size problem.

Solving problems depends first on identifying the cause, and in many cases that doesn’t rely on age or experience. Most people can identify the cause of problems like running out of gas, or getting an F on a test, or losing a client. Most causes are obvious. What isn’t as obvious, and where the problem solver comes in, is what to do about it. Experience adds to the knowledge base with which to identify causes and is most valuable in unusual or complex problem solving. But most problems are neither unusual nor complex.

In my experience

• Problem solving can be split into two areas. The one we think about most often is the one where ‘fixing’ something is the outcome. Fixing a leaky roof, flat tire or typographical error come to mind as examples of this.
• The ability to fix things as a problem solver is very valuable and very much appreciated by organizations.
• However, the premium method of solving problems is actually…preventing them.

Preventing problems is generally easier, less costly, and more impactful than solving problems after…fill in the blank.

• Preventing the typo by double-checking or proofing the document before it makes it to social media is easier and costs less in time (and/or embarrassment).
• Preventing the flat tire by inspecting the tires and knowing that 50,000 miles is on the edge of the replacement zone is easier than than handling a blowout.
• Preventing the leaky roof by paying attention at the first sign of a problem, whether that is moisture or a breeze from above is easier than setting out buckets to gather the rainwater and redoing the whole roof.

Whether someone prevents problems or solves them or both, this third method to become valuable is available to 100% of employees and totally within their control. It doesn't depend on the whim of a supervisor or the job description. It is the first, and maybe the best way an employee can distinguish themselves quickly and effectively.

Consider:

• Being put in a revenue generation role is the choice of the organization.
• Being put in a 'directing others' role is the choice of the organization.
• Being put in a problem-solving role happened the day you were hired. 

Taking advantage of that, and knowing where your value to the organization starts, can be a powerful tool to achieve your goals.