Are You Necessary?

When I was a broadcast journalist working for WGN radio in Chicago, we used to ask a question that would help us determine whether a story was a legitimate news story or not worth including in a newscast. It was, "Who cares?"

In other words, how many people really care about this issue or that problem? How many people really care that this event or that event happened? Who cares?

It was not something we did overtly, but just kept in the back of our minds. If the answer was that enough people cared, we'd use the story or try to get more information. If the answer was that it really didn't affect that many people, it probably didn't make it into our newscasts. In life, we need to ask a similar question. 

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We need to ask, "Who cares?" about what we do. Are we really necessary? We can talk all day about our titles, degrees and awards, but unless and until it matters to anyone, who cares? Unless what we do has an impact in our department, division or company, who cares?

If we want to add value to our business, to our customers and to our co-workers, people need to care about whether we show up. People need to care about what we do. People need to care if we're not there.

So, ask yourself: When it comes to my work, am I necessary? Who cares? 

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