Daily Mantra: Contribute 10× the Value You Capture

I have a little mantra I say to myself whenever I walk in the door of an employer.

“How will I save or gain at least 10 times my daily salary for my organization today?”

This question challenges us, especially if we are buried in the beast of a large organization. We might not even know how we add value. But the confusion just points out that we have a responsibility to figure it out.

Once you figure out how you contribute, you should say to yourself, “Well how do I measure that?”

Once you measure yourself, you might wonder how you can do better. You start experimenting with what you are doing, and measuring outcomes.

Your personal experiments don’t have to be rhythmic, but if you measure and reflect with a rhythm (hint: virtually all businesses and religions seem to reflect weekly), you are doing Scrum.

Experimentation helps people innovate and forge a better lives and careers. We usually do this unconsciously, so why not be conscious? Life is short. We should contribute to the world while we can.