Hi there, it’s Jill!

In today’s post, I want to share what I’ve learned about becoming a truly valuable member of any team—insights distilled from my own journey across four very different job functions.

If you’ve been in a team for over a year but still feel like “the new bee on the block,” or if you have great ideas that somehow never seem to be heard, this post is for you.

Key takeaways:

🧠 How to solve a problem effectively

📢 How to communicate your solutions so they’re noticed and valued

Let’s dive in!

Problem solving can be broken into two parts:

Every solution starts with a clear understanding of the problem—and that requires depth of knowledge in your industry.

Problems often feel easier to solve over time because you’ve built up domain knowledge. You’ve lived and breathed that world long enough to recognize patterns and connect dots.

That’s why it’s so much harder for someone new to a team to work independently—not because they’re not smart enough, but because the information simply hasn’t flowed through them yet.

So, how do you speed this up?

Check out this article:

Your First 90 Days: How to Succeed After Joining a New Team

Once you’ve gathered enough information, you’ve laid a solid foundation for the next step: processing it.

Every industry has its own must-have skills and tools—SQL and Python for data science, Figma for UX design, and so on.

If you’re already on the team, you likely have the baseline skills. But there’s one universally valuable skill: analytical thinking.

Analytical skills help you find the “break point” in a problem—the leverage point where your effort creates the biggest impact. They allow you to detect patterns in raw information and organize it into a clear, actionable story.

Once you’ve solved the problem, the next challenge is making sure your work is seen and understood. This is how you amplify your value—and ensure others don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

If your goal is to teach others—especially if you have direct reports—focus on:

The aim is to give them a full framework so they can tackle similar challenges next time. This also opens the door to expanding their role and responsibilities.

Coaching is one of the most valuable skills for building strong teams and multiplying your impact. Your value is measured not just by what you achieve, but by how much better those around you become.

When you’re presenting to decision-makers or stakeholders, there are two key questions:

For design, study how consulting firms like McKinsey structure their decks. Their slides are not only aesthetically clean but also strategically organized to guide the audience. Well-crafted visuals help hold attention from start to finish.

For storyline, preparation is everything. Do a dry run with colleagues who aren’t deeply familiar with the project. Their questions will expose blind spots and help you prepare concise, confident answers.

Remember: solving the problem may take 80% of your effort, but presenting it well ensures your contribution is recognized. Visibility is a big part of being valuable—when people know you’re the go-to person for a certain type of problem, you’ve carved yourself an indispensable place on the team.

Being valuable isn’t about working the longest hours or having the flashiest title. It’s about mastering two things:

Do both consistently, and you’ll not only stand out—you’ll become the teammate everyone wants on their side.

— Jill

Founder of Anchor Growth Newsletter

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