Enhancing professional value: the crucial role of knowledge, relationships and reputation

1. knowledge2. relationships 3. reputation

Learning. Learning must find practical application. If I claimed to know all the recipes of Italian cuisine by heart without ever having cooked in my life, I would not be credible; learning to create value for others. Aristotle wrote that the purpose of knowledge is action. Passive learning creates knowledge, but only active learning develops skills. A former boss of mine once told me that he only took people seriously when they 'were sweating', an inelegant but very clear phrase. I understood what he meant years later.

Here are 3 rules to increase knowledge

Rule 1: congenital curiosity

In every single moment we have the opportunity to learn. However, learning does not only take place in a classroom or university lecture hall but in our minds: learning is a mindset, not a diploma. Therefore, the first rule is not to limit learning to a single subject. And remember, the key element is to be open to exploring new territories to satisfy curiosity.

As Steve Jobs said in his moving inaugural speech at Stanford University, we will be able to make backward connections. Jobs once explained why Apple products were so elegant, clean and perfectly designed: as a student, he had taken a calligraphy course. He wanted to translate that aesthetic into his company's products. And the design of the Apple products has become emblematic.

Rule 2: failure is part of learning

Let's play a game. I tell you a word and you have to find the opposite: simple, right? Well, let's begin. Cold. Yes, the opposite is hot. High, low. Rich, poor. Hard, soft. We get it. But what is the opposite of success? Think about it. At my seminars and workshops, many people answer without hesitation: 'failure'. But, wait a minute. Failure is NOT the opposite of success, but rather the sometimes painful but always necessary process that leads to success. We have learnt this in our life, haven't we?

Rule 3: learning never ends

In my workshops, I often ask if anyone believes that the knowledge and experience they have acquired up to that day will be sufficient in five years' time. Almost everyone answers no, because we are all convinced that the best investment is in oneself and one's own learning. At that point, my second question is: what have you done or are you doing to continue learning and growing? If we buy a new car today for thirty thousand euros,what will its residual value be in five years? At the most, it will correspond to twenty or thirty per cent of the value current. The same concept applies to our skills.

Today, your skills and experience are worth one hundred. So, five years from now, the residual value will be a fraction of what it is today: you have to invest in yourself, the best investment you can ever make.

I want to let you in on a secret: how to be happy. A study carried out by the Harvard Medical School has highlighted something we know about but have no control over. "The surprising finding is that our relationships and our degree of happiness in those relationships affect our health in important ways," says Robert Waldinger, director of the study and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "Taking care of your body is important, but cultivating your relationships is also a form of self-care. I think that's the revelation'. The quality of our relationships with others, starting with our family, is an essential component of our well-being and happiness. I asked Gianfranco Minutolo, a true expert in networking, how to develop a network of lasting relationships based on trust.

Here are his suggestions

1. Value active listening. Take an interest in the person in front of you; identify their strengths and needs.

2. Get to know people better. Hone your curiosity, including through social media.

3. Cultivate reciprocity, offering opportunities whenever the opportunity arises. It is a quick and reliable way to establish a person's trustworthiness: their appreciation and availability over time will make them worthy of being part of your network. Reciprocity allows you to create connections and multiply the opportunities of each network member, who will then be able to rely not only on his own skills and knowledge, but also on those of all the other members.

My advice? Always carry out your commitments. 

Cultivate your network. The fertiliser is continuity: every day, water and tend your 'field' by gently eliminating pests and become an example of networking based on trust.

Some time ago, I listened to one of the best and most entertaining presentations I have ever attended. The speaker selected ten profiles of ten different people from four different platforms: Linkedin, Facebook, TikTok and Tinder. He started with LinkedIn. First profiles: flawless, perhaps with too many buzzwords to describe jobs and responsibilities. The speaker asked the audience of about five hundred HR professionals: "Would you hire them?". The answer was overwhelmingly positive. Then, he showed the same people on Facebook and TikTok. I'll let you imagine. Here is the austere investment banker winning the bet to drink five pints of beer in three minutes. The grey accountant singing Freddie Mercury in his underwear.

The teacher together with a paramilitary group with Nazi sympathies. Oops! The amusement was turning into embarrassment. The audience started to feel uncomfortable. The best part, said the speaker, was checking the profiles on Tinder: some of the photos didn't leave much room for imagination. At that point he went back to the profiles on LinkedIn and asked: "Would you still hire them?" Surely you can imagine the answer. Within five minutes he had changed the minds of those present. The speaker had some legal problems because he destroyed the reputation of some individuals. He was certainly wrong to do so, but the presentation raised a question. Presence on social media is the easiest and quickest way to verify someone's reputation. What goes online stays online, regardless. I know several people whose careers have been distuntrained or hindered by an instant of madness. Avoiding a negative reputation is vital. But the best thing is to create a positive one.

Do something for other people without expecting anything in return: lend a hand to someone who is having a hard time, call a colleague who has lost his job and introduce him to a friend or introduce him to another company. Help out, be available and offer a coffee to someone who needs to talk, do something unexpected, stay in touch, or send an article or book. Reputation is what others say about you when you are not present. If you think about it, it is your ethical imprint. Ethics is defined by what you are NOT willing to do to achieve your goals. We want to get ahead, but not at any cost: we want to do it by being decent people.

You can calculate your professional value using this simple formula.

Professional Value (VP) is equal to Knowledge Capital (CCN) plus Relational Capital (CRL) multiplied by Reputational Capital (CRP).

VP = (CCN + CRL) × CRP

Why don't we just add up the three capitals (C)? Because if you multiply any number by zero, the result is zero. So if you have invested in CCN and CRL but your reputation is zero, your professional value will also be zero. Therefore, protect your reputation with the same energy and care as you protect your family. We can be fantastic portfolio managers ourselves, increasing our value by investing in learning, relationships and reputation. It is the real value we offer to society, communities and the people we love. I have seen too many people terrified of losing their jobs: they have a point and the concern is legitimate. But one should not hold on to a job at all costs, but always invest in one's professional value. That is the only insurance we can take out: not a job for life, but a role in which our value is recognised and respected. So that we remain valid and employable because we have increased our professional value.

It is up to us, not others. From now on.