Adding Value to Others

Jack Welsh on adding value to your direct report:

"The only way you're going to stand out is to grasp this simple principle: when your boss asks you a question, he already knows the answer he's looking for. He just wants you to confirm that what he believes is true. Most people do just that. But here's the different. You must understand that the question is only the beginning ... you must sink your thoughts into not only answering the question, but going above and beyond it. That means presenting three or four other ideas that he'd probably not considered. Your goal should be to add value to the idea by exceeding expectations. This is true not only with questions, but assignments, initiatives and everything else ever given to you to do. If you understand that the question is only the beginning, you'll get out of the pile fast, because 99% of all employees stay in the pile because they don't think."