Early this year, I spoke at Encourage Her Network, a women’s networking group that focuses on promoting and connecting women in business. The topic was “Know Your Value.” When Shannon Johnson, founder of Encourage Her Network, gave me the title for their Signature Event, I was immediately inspired because it meant two things to me. First, the title implies that each person is valuable and second, that each person needs to know their value.
As the keynote speaker, I felt the responsibility to remind the women of how valuable they are and also to tell them why. So I decided to focus on four key areas:
Know Your Value as an employee, as an employer, as a leader, and as a person.
But before I get into each of those areas, let me describe the word “value” and “valuable.” The Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “value” as s a noun to mean “relative worth, merit or importance; monetary or material worth.” As a verb, value means “to calculate the monetary value of something, to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance, to regard or esteem highly.” So what determines if something is valuable? In regards to material things, it’s what people are willing to pay for the specific item, product, or service. In regards to people—every human life is valuable.
Each person has gifts and talents—a special natural ability or aptitude, what comes easy for a person to do. It’s important for a person to discover his or her gifts and recognize that every gift is valuable. It is also important to recognize the gifts and talents that others have. Then people can be ready to share their gifts with others and also learn to humbly ask for help when they need talents they don’t have. Why is it important to know your gifts and talents? Because each gift is valuable!
Know your value as an employee: Following the concept that each person has unique gifts and talents, it is easy to see that you, as an employee, bring your unique talents to the organization you work for. You bring your contribution to the team and also your individual potential to grow with the company.
Know your value as an employer: Many of us have the opportunity to be in management and leadership roles as well as owning your own business where you hire people. As an employer, you have a great opportunity to discover the gifts in the potential employees of your company and put them to use to fulfill the vision of your organization. Hiring people is a great privilege and you should not take it lightly. Also, as an employer, you bring value to your community by offering your products and services and thus you are contributing to society.
Know your value as a leader: Not everyone is a leader. Leadership is a gift and it should be taken seriously. If you are in a position of leadership, are you using your gifts to further the vision of your company? Are you leading others by helping them discover their own gifts? These are good questions to ask yourself that will help you recognize how valuable you are.
Know your value as a person: Why is it that we need to be reminded that we are valuable? We forget because we don’t hear it enough from others, not even from those who love us. So today, I want to remind you that you are unique. You are valuable! Knowing that you have value and that you, as an individual, are valuable is not just positive self-talk. It is a fact that you need to embrace. Once you know that you are valuable, your self-confidence will increase and you will be able to help others find their value too. You will become a stronger person and will inspire others to succeed in life.
So today I want to encourage you to Know Your Value as an employee, as an employer, as a leader, and as a person. You are unique. You are valuable!
The photo is a painting done by my sister and artist, Isa Tyler, called “Happy Flowers” and it’s included in my book The Friendship Book.
More information available at www.marciamalzahn.com.
Marcia Malzahn (Marci) was born in Nicaragua, Central America. In 1979 she left Nicaragua due to a revolution and moved to the Dominican Republic and lived there for seven years. Marcia moved to Minnesota in 1986 and started a career in banking with Marquette Banks that continued for the next thirteen years in the areas of Cash Management, Private Banking, and Retail Banking. In 1995 Marcia became the first Online Banking Specialist in the Twin Cities.
In 1999, she moved to the IT field and started working for Living Word Christian Center (LWCC), a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. At LWCC, she held the positions of Y2K Project Manager, Director of IT, Associate in charge of Finance, Human Resources and IT, and was Corporate Assistant Secretary of the Board. She managed a budget of $31.5MM and 28 employees.
In January 2005, Marcia moved back to the banking field and helped start a new bank in Edina, MN, Tradition Capital Bank, now at over $400 million in assets. From 2005 to 2013, Marcia was the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the bank. In January, 2014, Marcia’s role changed to EVP/COO and was promoted to Chief Risk Officer. Marcia was also the Corporate Secretary of the bank’s Board and of the holding company’s Board.
In October 2014, Marcia started her own bank consulting firm, Malzahn Strategic, focusing on Strategic Planning, Enterprise Risk Management, and Talent Management for community banks. Marcia is also a public speaker and speaks on motivational/inspirational/leadership topics as well as banking topics such as Enterprise Risk Management. She holds an Associates of Arts degree from North Hennepin Community College and graduated with a B.A. in Business Management from Bethel University. Marcia also graduated from the Graduate School of Banking in Madison, WI.
Marcia is involved in the community. She was a member of Financial Women International for sixteen years and held several board positions including president of the local group and of the District. She is a member of the Minnesota Women Economic Roundtable and served as treasurer for two years. Marcia is also chair of the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities. Marcia has also volunteered in other organizations including Matter, Pulse Movement, Opportunity International, Way to Grow, Feed My Starving Children, HopeKids, Meals on Wheels, and Farmers Market Youth Project.
Marcia was the recipient of many awards including:
• 25 On The Rise award given by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in December, 2005.
• Forty Under 40 award given by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal in May, 2006
• Virginia D. H. Furman Outstanding Woman of the Year award from Financial Women International in September, 2006
• Top Women in Finance award from Finance and Commerce Newspaper in November, 2008
• Outstanding Women in Banking award given by the North Western Financial Review magazine in November, 2009
Marcia is the author of her book Devotions for Working Women – A Daily Inspiration to Live a Successful and Balanced Life published in 2006. Marcia published her second book The Fire Within – Connect Your Gifts with Your Calling in October 2015. Marcia and her husband Tim live in Minnesota and have two children: Nicole and Patrick. Marcia enjoys spending time with her family, working out, singing, writing, and public speaking.