Success is Simple
Success is Simple
Success is simple to understand. All you need to do, is add value to other people.
Strive to add value to your family;
Add value to your friends;
Add value to your colleagues;
Add value to your suppliers;
Add value to your kids, if any.
There are three kinds of people in the world:
- Those who DO add value to others.
- Those who do NOT add value to others.
- Those who TAKE value from others.
The people who get on well in life and who succeed, are those people who strive to add value to others.
Successful Businesses Add Value
All successful businesses add value to their customers.
For example, customers who regularly buy McDonald's meals, value the meal more than they value the money they have to pay in exchange for the meal. If people decided to keep their money rather than have a McDonald's meal, then McDonalds would soon cease to exist.
If Virgin airlines customers valued their money, more than they valued their flights, then Virgin airlines would soon cease to exist.
All businesses succeed, to the degree to which their customers perceive that the products and services offered by the business, add more value than the price of the product or service. If the customers do not perceive any value added, then they don't buy the product and the company dies.
This is the nature of human relationships. Either business or personal.
In personal relationships the same principle is true. Or at least in good, healthy relationships, it is true. In a healthy relationship there is a perceived mutual exchange of values.
That means that both parties should feel that they are gaining as a result of being in the relationship. The moment that one person is "doing all the giving" and the other person is "doing all the taking", then the relationship is maladaptive and the one doing all the giving is in a bad relationship.
The one doing "all the taking" is violating the rights of "the giver".
Question: Have you ever seen an example where the relationship is lopsided? As a result of being in the relationship one person is gaining and the other person is losing. No relationship can last unless there is a mutual exchange of value. Each is giving to the other some perceived value.
In good, healthy, successful relationships, both parties are gaining as a result of being in the relationship.
Both parties gain when each strives to make the other person's life better. Both are giving mutually. This is a good relationship.
How to Succeed
If you want your business to succeed, then do everything you can, to add value to your customers.
If you want your career to succeed, then do everything you can, to add value to your boss.
If you want your relationships to succeed, then do everything you can, to add value to your partner.
If you want to succeed in any aspect of life, in any human system or society, then learn to add value to the system.
Don't think about how much you can take FROM the system. Think about how much you can help.
If you were to gain the reputation for being the person who is always a great help; someone who is terrific to have around, then your business, professional, and family life will be a blessing to you.
On the other hand If you were to gain the reputation for being the person who is always on the take, but is not so quick to give, then your business life, professional and family life will be in a sorry state.
If things in your life don't seem to be going well, try to figure out how you can add MORE value to everyone you meet. Things will soon get better - Guaranteed.
It seems so simple, because it is.
As president John Kennedy said: "Ask NOT what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."
Ask not what your boss, (customer, wife, husband, parents, and friends) can do for you; ask what you can do for your boss, (customer, wife husband, parents and friends.)
That is how to be more successful.
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Definition: add value
In work and life, to add value means you give help, skill or goods that others judge as worth more than what they give up. You first learn what they need, then meet that need so both sides gain and want to keep the link.
Show CG4D Definition
- Gives a gain others rate higher than their cost.
- Starts with clear knowledge of the other person’s need.
- Uses skill, time or goods to meet that need.
- Creates lasting gain for both giver and receiver.
Article Summary
Success is simple: give more than you take. When you add value to customers, leaders, friends and family, everyone wins. Firms grow because buyers feel the service is worth more than the price; careers rise when bosses trust your help; relationships thrive when each side makes life better. Ask daily, “How can I add more value here?” and profit, trust and joy soon follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What does "add value" mean in simple terms?
Why is adding value key to business success?
How can I add value at work every day?
Can adding value improve personal relationships?
What happens when one person only takes value?
Are there quick ways to spot a value gap?
How can I build a habit of giving more than I take?
Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!
Did You Know: Key Statistics
A 2023 Salesforce report found that 88% of buyers say the help and service they get is as important as the product itself. Gallup’s 2022 study of 112,000 work teams shows groups with high staff engagement earn 23% higher profit and 18% higher output than groups with low engagement.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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