I must admit that when appraisals come round, I get a case of the butterflies. This is not because I think I’ll be in any trouble, but rather because it is an exciting and slightly anxious time when I tend to overthink my role and question my value, which can be a daunting experience.
My main ponderings tend to revolve around the following questions:
The last question is perhaps the most important to me, because while many people may focus on promotions, salary increases or what they can get out of an appraisal, I think it all boils down to whether or not we add value to our companies. This is not only what underpins our professional success and determines our ability to rise up through the ranks, but is also essential to our ongoing job satisfaction and how happy we feel to come into the office every morning. When we add value, we have purpose, meaning and motivation in our professional lives. Adding value also leads to recognition and retention, giving us development, growth and security as we forge our career paths.
In the complex and constantly evolving PR industry, I believe that adding value happens on three levels, and that we should be addressing all of them when we ask ourselves whether we are valuable to our companies.
With this in mind, I will spend the second part of my blog delving into the methods I have developed for proactively adding value across all three levels, which have allowed me to thrive at work while also deeply enjoying what I do.
Lovelyn Rodrigues is the Senior Account Executive of Cicero & Bernay Public Relations. An independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai and offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across MENA. | www.cbpr.me