Adopt a Management Value Added mindset

The concept of Management Value Added (MVA) is based on a simple question that you should ask whenever you’re making a decision about how to invest your time and energy: “What value does management add?”

One way to start using the concept of MVA is by sitting down with your boss to discuss his or her explicit needs. It shouldn’t take long for the two of you to agree on what they are and to prioritize them appropriately. Then ask your boss, “How do you feel I can add the most value?” You can flesh out the question with additional questions like these:
• “What are the activities I am engaged in when I am contributing the most?”
• “What are the activities that you and the company most need me to do?”
• “What do you consider to be the best and most productive use of my time?”
• “What do you think is the special contribution that I am best positioned to offer to you and the company?”
• “Of all the things that I’m engaged in on behalf of this company, what are the three areas where you believe that I can contribute the most?”

Listen carefully to your boss’s answers. It’s quite likely that the way he or she measures your value is different from the way you might measure it.

You can use the information your boss shares with you to help you determine how to spend your time, which projects to support, and which meetings to attend.

Abiding by the MVA concept helps you maintain a focus on the things that matter while earning the support of those you serve. Then, when your boss or someone else in the organization asks you to commit time or energy to an area that falls outside of the MVA priorities you’ve established, you can talk to your boss about how the new commitment may affect your main goals and reach a joint decision as to whether a shift in priorities is warranted.

When you follow this process and gain agreement, you’ll have a clearer understanding of where your focus should be each day. With clear focus comes a renewed sense of purpose, because you’re now spending your time on what truly matters—both to you and to your boss. And when everyone’s needs are being met in a way that supports the company’s vision, the result is a more productive and happier work environment.