We are becoming more and more aware of “value add” as
both a marketing and sales component in the K12 education space.
Teetering on so many other powerful constructs, concepts, and practices,
“value add” will soon become pithy or trite resulting in little or no “value”
to school and school system leaders let alone classroom practitioners.
Here’s why.
First - Defining “value add” is situational and requires
context. First step is defining what you mean by “value add”. A new
adage - "one person’s value add is another’s expected feature, function or
deliverable”.
Second - Once defined, “value add” must be measurable.
Value so often is in the eyes of the beholder. Therefore, it is
imperative that you understand how value is to be measured as well as the
metrics used to determine value.
If you haven’t thought this through you may find
yourself in a conversation that is uncomfortable and undermines any trust
capital you’ve built. Value intelligence underpins the context for
defining “value add”. More on value intelligence later.
Value add goes both ways.
For over 12 years I served as a consulting
superintendent working closely with over 100 different companies serving K12
education motivated through providing insights, input, and candid and
at times brutally transparent feedback about the “value” of product and
services intended to improve the quality of public education.
To be fair, companies would ask me “what
would be a value add” that differentiated our product or service from
competitors - a great question to ask Superintendents and one that caused me to
step back and ponder.
At first I struggled. I found myself attempting to
describe “good weather” only to realize, everyone has their own interpretation
of “good” weather. I need more substance and a way to communicate value
add. Finally, I came across a framework I have modified into a
"value add model”. Here it is -
My “value add” model has seven (7) levers: Time,
Technology, Team, Theory, Training, Tool, and Thought Leadership.
Simply,
Time - the value add must use time efficiently and
effectively
Technology - the value add must use technology
efficiently and effectively
Team - the value add must incorporate teaming
internally and externally with the solution provider - ongoing not “sell and
done”
Theory - the value add must be based on grounded as
well as evidenced base theory and proven results
Training - the value add must be 90% creating
capacity, competence, and confidence in my staff and 10% on how to use the
product or service.
Tool - the value add must be a “how” not a “what” with
respect to a vehicle, path to expected results
Thought Leadership - the value add must provoke,
guide, facilitate, and assist with helping our team and myself in “thinking”
different about the work, to know different, and to do different
Each of the aforementioned is worthy of a deeper dive.
Stay tuned - it’s coming.
Suffice it to say, I challenged companies to define
and articulate how their “value add” demonstrated each of the seven “T”s.
More often or not, once unpacked, the perceived value
add from the company’s perspective was not measurable. The absence of a
means to measure is akin to the “emperor wearing no clothes”.
My challenge, therefore, to both
companies as well as school and school system leaders is to define “value add”;
and define the metrics and how “value add” will be measured.
