Do You Know Your Numbers? Why You May Be Selling Yourself Short

Numbers tell our worth, our potential and allow us to build confidence in our ability.  However, we seldom quantify our accomplishments, results and outcomes in numbers.

Without numbers, it’s difficult to promote our value.  This leads to lower salaries, credibility and respect.

Numbers that increase your value

Money:  In the world of business, money talks.  Whether you’re a leader or aspire to be one, it’s important to know how much money flows through your area, how much money your area saves and/or generates.  Few of us know our budgets.  Whether we are responsible for the budget or not, our worth is based on dollars.

Results:  I often say that there’s nothing worse than being successful and no one knows about it.  Quantify in numbers or percentages what your area produces, improves, decreases or enhances.

Talent: Selecting the right talent and tracking their success is important and increases your value.  Retention, engagement and productivity are good numbers to track.

Knowing your numbers help you promote your value, contribution and potential.  They also come in handy when you’re outlining your accomplishments on resumes, in interviews and during performance appraisals.

Rarely do we show our value in numbers.  Instead, we often show our value by outlining our responsibilities and processes by describing how we accomplished a goal, not the results or outcomes.

So, how successful are you?  Don’t sell yourself short. Know your numbers.  You may be surprised to find that you’re actually more successful than you thought.