Relevance is about more than having skills and competencies. It’s combining them with the right attitude and application in a way that brings value to the organisation. So, how relevant are you? Try this quick relevance audit.
What do you have that others need:
You must be clear about what you offer but it’s more important to know what others think you bring. Listen out for both formal and informal feedback from colleagues and others to know what they value in you.
How nimble are you professionally:
Are you ensuring your capacity to deliver? How do you demonstrate that you are capable and dependable? Most people have more skills than they use on their regular job. Relevance requires that you hone even the skills you don’t apply daily so that you are able to deploy them when needed.
Can you engage intelligently in more than one area:
Organisations have to be agile and can’t afford employees who pigeon-hole themselves. Of course, you can’t be a ‘Jack of all trades’ and neither should you be a ‘one lane operator’.
Are you aware of what matters most in your environment:
Sometimes people insist on applying only what they know. Make it a point to keep abreast of how agendas are shifting to align accordingly and tune into making top priorities happen.
Do you understand the significance of your role:
This calls for appreciating the purpose of your role beyond the activities you do daily. For example, if you are a customer service person, being pleasant is part of your job. But the wider purpose is to give customers a good experience of your organisation so that they do more business with you. Your job isn’t just about getting tasks done, it’s also about drawing on all the positive contributions you can enlist to get the best result.
Now take action:
On a scale of 1-10 of your relevance, 10 being highest, what would you score?
