Your Unexpected Value

I’m a huge fan of each one of us discovering our particular areas of professional value, and expanding our careers around them.

But, you know, every one of you folks out there provide some unexpected value as well. Value you may not even be aware of. There are so many wonderful people in my network – here are some that add unexpected value just by being themselves:

Bob Burg actively shares so much via social media. Yet he also models the power of being both positive and principled (oops – a bit of alliteration there) simultaneously. He recently let me know why there was a certain post he wouldn’t share because of his differing perspective. That’s refreshing, and only builds respect.

Shelly Kramer pumps out an amazing quantity of interesting stuff on her social feeds – but she’s not a “machine” about it. She’s still quite Shelly. While her customers may not directly pay her for her curation skills, I sure find it valuable.

Sam Fiorella has an intelligent and thoughtful take on the topics he writes about. But he’s also wickedly funny. Any day we engage in wordplay repartee is a brighter day, because, let’s face it – with all the crap going on around us, we need to laugh.

Geoff Livingston is someone who writes and acts with passion, and isn’t afraid to put himself out there. Geoff and I are very different in our worldviews, yet he is valuable to me because I want to always have examples of conviction and personal evolution in front of me.

Try new stuff. Try new stuff. Try new stuff. That’s Chris Brogan. I’m not a fan of the status quo, and I value personal transparency. I want as many Chris Brogans in my life as possible. I haven’t “bought” a lot of stuff from him (the expected value), but I’ve sure been encouraged, through Chris’ example, to create (the unexpected value).

Britt Reybould reads what I write – thoughtfully. She isn’t a customer or a provider, per se. She’s not an A-list social media rockstar. She’s a fan and a friend. And knowing that she reads inspires me to write. That goes for you, too, Jon Swanson.

While I value Tom Martin for all of his marketing prowess and creativity, I think the one thing that I value most is that he’s always THERE. A loyal friend and supporter. How much is that worth?

Kerri Sparling has a pancreas that turned out to be a lemon. So she has made lemonade living her life very transparently on-line (and off-line) as an inspiration to others with diabetes. Her openness and honesty inspire me to be less concerned with impression management.

I could go on and on, but here’s the point – don’t forget that you are not merely the sum of your links and blog posts <—(click to tweet this). There’s a whole other layer of value you give by just being you, and showing your heart and your passion. We may be inspiring others without any indication from our page views and RTs.

Why not shoot someone an e-mail or a Twitter shout-out today if they bring you (unexpected) value? You’ll probably make their day.

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Recently on the blog: What’s Your Magic?

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