On Value Over Function

I had a chat with one of my mentees today, and a topic came up that I needed to write about before it got lost in the flurry of things to wonder about.

Are you the kind of person who, when asked what you do, immediately starts thinking about your daily tasks - only to struggle to put it into words in a way that doesn’t make your mouth dry up before the words even come out?

Oddly specific? Maybe. Just know you're not alone.

So, how do you describe what you do?

I believe the struggle comes from how we perceive our Value (who & how we are) versus our Function (what we do). And we often conflate the two.

Value vs. Function: What’s the difference?

• ?? Value: Your unique pattern of being - everything that makes you, YOU. Your personality, accumulated experience, behavioral patterns, curiosity, the energy you bring to any table, your values.
• ?? Function: Your expertise, skills, tools, methodologies, craftsmanship - the ways in which you execute your WORK.

The two are related, of course. Your value fuels what you do. When you feel driven, you do your best work. When you feel curious, you're likely to pick up a new skill, or absorb new knowledge deeper than you would if you'd be doing boring, repetitive tasks (these are important, too).

But here's the catch: When we prioritize Function over Value, we overstep, overdo, and burn out. And burnout directly reduces how much Value we can bring to the table.

As such, protecting our Value - our inherent worth, energy, creativity, and unique strengths - is not just an option. It’s a responsibility.

What do you prioritize: Value or Function?

Whether consciously or subconsciously, we all lean toward one. Trained by the pattern of behavior we've been engaging in for years (and often all our lives), our minds will keep placing all its chips in one bucket.

Where do you place yours? Value or Function? We'd like to believe we understand our Value and we know who we are. But, let me ask you another question:

Which ones are you more likely to include in your resume? Which one are you more likely to describe to a potential recruiter?

Maybe you recognize the relevance of both, but chances are, you’ll list your Function.

Why your Value is important.

Early in our careers, we often lean too heavily on Function. It's a pattern developed early and it's likely we stick with it. It feels professional, specific, and safe.

And if you're looking for a job where you check boxes, get paid, and move on - that works. Alright, I say, alright. Nothing wrong with that. It is a great way to land the job and keep it. Potentially, maybe a few years down the line, you are put up for a promotion, maybe you get a raise here and there. But, almost assuredly, if you're leading with your Function, you are waiting for someone to acknowledge the work you do, before you consider yourself worthy.

If you’re looking for a career - one where you grow, develop, and engage in meaningful work, work that means something to you, too - you need to recognize more in yourself than just your Function.

Your list of responsibilities in your role don't need to be a limit, a boundary, but a baseline upon which you can pour in your Value. When you lead with value, the baseline (and your compensation with it) naturally grows. But, compensation and worth are not what this article is about, so I hope you forgive me for briefly brushing over it, for now.

Stay connected to your Value.

We’ve really all done it - listed out bullet points under job experience that read like a job posting:

? "Wrote design documents."

? "Created prototypes in [engine]."

? "Hooked up assets in [engine]."

And yet, there are likely things you didn’t include in your resume because:

? “It wasn’t my job.”

? “I didn’t think it was important/relevant for this application.”

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people bring immense value without realizing it. They go above and beyond their "signed" responsibilities, without hesitation. They are driven, hungry for growth, yet they feel as if their Value is defined by the spectrum of work they operate under.

So when it comes time to speak to their managers about it? When it comes time for a promotion? For a new job search? They forget to mention it.

When I ask, “That sounds like you made a huge impact on that feature - why isn’t that in your resume?” I often hear:

?? “I didn’t think it was important.” or, one of my favorites:

?? “Well, when you put it that way...”

It isn't sugar coating it. It's a very non-biased, objective view through the lens of seeing you as a person of inherent value, that if driven, will engage with the work in a meaningful way, and create something useful. Often times, something incredible.

So, let’s put it this way: ZOOM OUT OF YOUR DAILY TASKS. What do you really do?

You’re not just writing design documents - you’re aligning vision across disciplines. You’re not just updating documentation - you’re ensuring clarity and confidence in your provided source of truth across the team. You’re not just making prototypes - you’re experimenting, validating ideas, and preventing wasted development time on theory.

You'll see someone who cares & knows how to channel that into productivity.        

When you start seeing yourself as more than a list of tasks, you realize you have so much more to give.

Protect your Value.

To bring the most value to your work, your studio, your projects, the people that you work with - you need to take care of yourself. You can’t bring your best self to the table if you’re exhausted, overworked, or being contemptuously undercompensated for it.

This is what it means to prioritize Value over Function. Your Value is something inherent in you - and it enhances your Function, not the other way around.

While companies often focus on numbers (which are still important), and while job descriptions focus on functions, you have the responsibility to stay aware of your own Value.

It's what I hope to see more and more out there - people turning on their lights & not being afraid of being visible. The world will surely start to feel like a brighter place.

If you can't see it yourself, identify mirrors to your Value.

This is the perspective I bring to every resume I review, every mentee I work with. Because many of us need someone to hold up a mirror and show us the value we bring.

But nothing will change—unless we start seeing it for ourselves. And once we do?

We start calling it out in each other, too.        

Thank you for reading, and I hope this helps put things into perspective for you. Enjoy your weekend, get some well deserved rest.

And remember, you've got this.

Kindly,

Agnes? ??