The indispensable employee. EN

Carmen López

Psychologist. Master in Human Resources.

Looking for talent doesn't mean that you have to read a lot of curriculums, but to follow the trace it leaves: An excellent work. Because the most important thing is not what you learn, or the companies in which you have worked in. The most important thing is what you do.

You need five things to make your work exceptional: Energy, focus, time, creativity and an total commitment to quality.

Behind these five pillars there's just one thing: Motivation. Motivation is the difference between the world champion and the second classified. Motivation makes a runner run to the finish line when he has no more stamina left, a climber reach an impossible summit, a creator fight against himself until his work is perfect. With motivation you find time where there's no more time, motivation keeps your energy level and your focus at the highest level, and makes you see the world differently. When you are motivated you are capable of throwing away an almost finished work and starting it again until it is excellent.

The motivation is generated by the necessity. It's clear: If someone is hungry, no doubt he will put all his mental, physical and time resources to satisfy that necessity. The necessity is the motive; the necessity shoots the motivation up. This isn´t new. In the 1930's, Abraham Maslow proposed a theory about the human needs. According to it, the people who mobilize their resources do it on account of a necessity: Eating, sex, money, belonging, acknowledgement or self-realization.

But to find the source of Talent we have to look beyond the necessity. There´s no doubt that the physical needs subjugate the rest: Hunger, thirst, to avoid pain... but in developed economies, these needs are very often covered. Most of the people are motivated by the superior needs in the Maslow Pyramid: Money, power, belonging, freedom, acknowledgement or self-realization. And how the marketing experts and the sales people know very well, the needs can be created, changed or slanted. You just need to control one thing: the beliefs. If someone is absolute convinced about something he becomes unstoppable.

The beliefs are the origin of everything else.

As an employee, if you want to stay in the company you are in, it is essential that you know what your value is. If your value is low, you run the risk of being fired. If it's high, maybe it's time to ask for a raise and a promotion.

Performance evaluations should make this value clear, but unfortunately, they are

often not totally honest, either for fear of confrontation or because those involved are

holding back information to gain a negotiating advantage. So how do you know what your value is to the company?

First of all, you are an asset to the company, and your value is equal to what you produce minus what you cost. Try to calculate your contributions to the company in money and subtract your salary and other expenses such as social security.

Second, you can calculate your value based on how difficult your skills are to find. If there are only two people in the world who have your knowledge and expertise, you can demand whatever salary you want.

Third, the value of employees depends on their ability to solve problems. Are you one of those people who will pitch in at the first opportunity? Or are you one of those who answers "That's not my job" when there is a crisis?

Fourth, your value is only worthwhile if the person who pays your salary, knows you and your value. It's not enough to be good. You must prove it. Shy people are at a disadvantage, because if you don't highlight your achievements, you don't get very far. It's unfair, I know, but people value what they see. What we don't see... doesn't exist.

So, don't just think about your rights and what the company owes you. Think about what you do for the company, how you could improve, and how to communicate your achievements more effectively.