The Value Equation (and the best $70 I've spent in ages)

10/06/2026

You know how when it rains, it pours?

Last week had it all:

Kickstarting a new Value Alignment programme with an association
Facilitating the Leaders Impact Circle, my leadership programme for mid-career leaders in complex stakeholder environments
Closing speaker at the First National Conference
MCing the regional Architecture Awards on Friday night

Not to mention my son's fifth birthday party on Saturday!

Then, on Sunday, I joined our neighbours to plant 250 natives on the bank of our shared driveway.

We were 17 minutes in, when I jumped from the bank to the road, misread the landing and CRUNCHED my ankle.

I lay on the road writing in agony for 2 minutes.

And within 15 minutes, I had this cricket-ball sized lump ballooning off my ankle.

Enter the masterful physio

I was tempted to go to ED but didn't want to sit on an uncomfortable chair for 3.5 hours feeling embarrassed.

Instead, I lay on the couch and booked myself a physio appointment for 9.30am the next day.

This hero of a physio provided:
• a moon boot to keep the ankle steady
• crutches so I could actually walk
• a referral for an X-ray to check for breaks...

And then he said to me:

"Sorry I can't be more help."

What?

Can't be more help?

Are you freaking kidding me?

You're questioning your value after doing all that!?

The Value Equation

The closer we are to something, the harder it is to see its value.

In a tight economy, being able to clarify - and communicate - our value is critical.

We're seeing invisible battle lines being drawn where entire industries are being de-valued overnight.

Just look at this rude (and frankly ignorant) response to a professional copywriter.

(More on that story in the original LinkedIn post.)

If you think your value is intangible, then keep digging

In my work as a leadership speaker, facilitator and coach, I get to spend time with people from pretty much every industry under the sun.

I'll hear people say things like: "Oh, it's really hard to put a put a figure on the value we provide" or "our impact is quite intangible" or "people just don't see our value".

And I get it, but I want to challenge that too.

Because if we can't quantify our value, who will?

And what happens if we don't?

We're seeing a heart-breaking number of effective charities closing their doors this year, as they struggle to quantify their value in a system that's got much less to give.

So, my friends, please join me in obsessing about The Value Equation.

This is one of the key concepts from the White Paper I shared last week.

(As with any model, this isn't the truth, but truth can emerge from the model.)

Just look at the incredible value my physio provided:

The benefits? Not spending 3.5 hours sitting in ED. The crutches and moon boot have already saved so much time, and allowed me to walk again. I feel happy that I'm on the path to recovery.

The experience? Delightful. He treated me like a long-lost old friend, giving a suitably concerned "Ooooooh" when he first saw me, and offering his shoulder to lean on.

The cost? $70 - a reduced fee thanks to our Accident Compensation Scheme. (It ain't perfect, but that's a bargain in my eyes.)

The time? 22 minutes, the same as a Friends episode.

And still, he doubted his value.

If we want to do work that matters, we all have to get better at clarifying and communicating the value of what we do. It was important a decade ago; it's critical now.

Much love,

Paul

P.S. Check out The Value Proposition Playbook for Associations to go deeper into this.