OG Tuesday Issue #190

✅ Today’s checklist: 

• Estimate your worth at work
• Tech literacy made easy
• TA Reader Hunter advises us to seize the moment

🤔 Riddle me this:
Visual beats, cultural feats,
Airwaves filled with musical treats.
Three letters strong, I’ve tagged along,
Shaping the industry all day long.
What am I?

(Find the answer at the bottom).

Many of you have been struggling to figure out what you’re worth at work.

We know (and hope you do too) that your overall worth goes beyond quantifying.

We also understand that how your colleagues perceive your worth at work is both crucial for success and challenging to pinpoint.

It can be hard, impossible even, to understand how much your managers and colleagues notice and value all you bring to the table.

They say you’re good at your job, but what does that really mean?

Wondering how to bring some objectivity and structure to answering this question, we naturally thought of a quiz.

While it won’t tell you how everyone at work truly perceives your worth, we hope it gives you an illuminating estimate and points out some areas you might be excited to develop.

But before you get into that —

Never forget that you have immeasurable intrinsic worth that can’t be lessened by any external opinion or annual review feedback.

Your worth at work has as much, if not more, to do with your work and your workplace than you.

It’s based on perceptions — it’s relative and also dynamic.

Rounding out some skills or even pointing out something you’ve been working on may be all it takes to give it a boost.

👇 Take the Quiz

Rate how strongly you agree or disagree with each statement on a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 representing “Not at all” and 5 representing “Absolutely. This is so me.”

Add up your ratings to get your overall worth estimate. (75 is the highest possible rating.)

Look closely at any statements you rated at “3” or below. These indicate potential areas for development.

1. My colleagues recognize and celebrate my talents.
2. I’m consistently proud of my accomplishments.
3. I make a concerted effort to improve my existing skills and learn new ones.
4. I hold myself accountable to goals and commitments.
5. I’m not afraid to challenge myself.
6. I put a lot of effort into supporting my colleagues.
7. Managers and co-workers acknowledge specific skills I use in my work.
8. My colleagues understand who I am as a person.
9. My colleagues appreciate my opinions and my knowledge.
10. I often identify solutions to problems I see.
11. My hard work is apparent to everyone on my team.
12. I prioritize my professional development.
13. No one else can do exactly what I do exactly the way I do it.
14. I find ways to learn from my setbacks.
15. Colleagues frequently ask me for help or come to me with questions.

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One TA Subscriber needs help keeping up with rapidly shifting tech trends:

AI! So many new tools and software out there and I can’t keep up 🙃.

Start by establishing a purpose statement.

Clarifying exactly why you want to keep up with new tech will help you narrow your efforts to a manageable level.

For example, each of these motivations demands different tactics:

• Improving hard skills with the intention of earning more money
• Streamlining specific work responsibilities
• Pivoting to a new tech-focused career
• Bolstering the case for that promotion you’ve been thinking about

Don’t reinvent the wheel: Read reviews.

Bookmark websites that aggregate reviews of new tech products.

Reading what others have to say can help you get the gist of new offerings and determine which ones are worth investing time and energy in trying.

This is also ideal for those who just want to stay informed without using every new tool that drops.

Some trusted resources:

• SHRM Workplace Tech Pulse
• CNET
• Techspot
• Gartner Peer Insights
• Ars Technica

Decide what software criteria = worth your time.

Most organizations rely on standardized vetting criteria to determine what solutions to even consider offering on a wide scale.

Standardization makes it faster to compare similar tools and creates a collective knowledge base.

(One person’s vetting work can save hundreds of people from signing up for free trials just to understand what a tool is supposed to do.)

Here’s some basic vetting criteria to start with. Keep your responses as specific to your work or personal intentions as possible.

• What problem might it help solve?
• What needs might it address? (List all you can think of.)
• What are three ways it might change your work?
• Do you already use any tools with similar functions?
• How easy will it be to learn and use? (Ex: Will it require a training period or could you start using it today?)
• Does it integrate with any other tools or applications?
• How much does it cost?
• Does it include a free trial period for experimentation?
• What are current users saying?

Make your software journey more social.

You probably have friends and colleagues who also want to stay up to date but can’t find the time.

💡 Form a learning pod. Everyone in the group can choose one new tool to research and report on when you meet once a week or even once a month.

Sponge up tons of information at big events and conferences.

Attending one big tech conference a year can provide more than a year’s worth of intel.

A few quality real-time interactions with developers can demystify tools you’ve been trying to adopt for months.

And now you can try it for yourself!

For the first time ever, Bonusly is offering HR decision-makers a chance to trial their full platform for 14 days — absolutely free.

Experience firsthand how their intuitive recognition and rewards system can increase employee satisfaction and foster a more positive work environment.

Not only is Bonusly beloved by our own team, but 3,300+ other organizations like Chobani, Headspace, Workday, etc., have also given their seal of approval.

See the difference Bonusly can make in your organization.

Get the free 14 day trial.

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