You know the value of every merchandise, but you do not know your own value - that is stupidity... Rumi (1207-1273, Persian poet, jurist, and theologian)
He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others. William Hazlitt (1778-1830, English writer)
Frequently over the years, I recounted a story allegedly about Federal Express because I thought it was funny.... that is, until today.
The story goes as follows: When FedEx started out in one of their first facilities, the workers on the assembly line reported that the conveyor belts suddenly stopped moving. In fact, many things came to a grinding halt because of that. The president, in his distress, called several companies to come and fix it. Finally, one said they could send someone immediately.
The repairman showed up and asked where the main box was located. The president pointed to it. The repairman opened the box, took out a screw from his toolbox, and replaced one of the screws. Almost instantly, everything was humming and the conveyor belts were moving as before.
The president was ecstatic and asked the repairman how much he owed. The man said "That's easy. You owe $10,000." The president was shocked and asked him how he arrived at that number. He said, "The screw costs 10 cents." The president was astonished and questioned how could the total cost be $10,000? The repairman responded - "the difference you are paying for is my expertise in knowing which screw needed replacing."
A few days ago a friend and I replaced my thermostat after calling the help line with a few questions. It was working except that the temperature would not go lower than 78oF no matter how I programmed it. So I called again and they told me to switch the two wires inside into the opposite position and that should fix the problem. After switching, the temperature would not go lower than 74oF. At that point, I thought it's likely not a thermostat problem but rather a problem with the furnace, so I called two places for estimates. One was $59 and the other $89 for the house call and then whatever parts, etc.
I told the one for $59 to come and see what's going on. He arrived, checked a few things at the furnace, and then opened the new thermostat I installed. He immediately said "No wonder, two of the wires are touching and that means it automatically overrides the set temperature." Relieved that I didn't need a major part, I said I'll give you the $59. At that point, he said, "Oh no, you owe $89 plus tax." I insisted that I was quoted $59 for a house call. He said, "Yes, and then there's my labor." I said, but you didn't do anything but tell me that the wires were touching. And just like the FexEx guy, he said "I was able to find and fix the problem and that's what you are paying for."
So that has me wondering....
How many times has someone offered expert advice and you didn't value it?
AND, more importantly,
How many times have you provided expertise and didn't think it was worth much?
INVITATION TO EXPERIMENT
The next time you help someone in some way - whether it's providing a skill, finding a solution, figuring out a shortcut, training someone, sharing important information, helping someone become aware of something, or simply giving your time, think about the value you provide. Not in terms of how much you should be paid, but rather in terms of not diminishing your worth.... something we minimize far too often.
Very best regards,
marion@lifecoachinggroup.com
(c) 2004-14. All rights reserved. Marion Franklin, www.lifecoachinggroup.com
Comments? Feedback? lllfeedback@lifecoachinggroup.com
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