Definitions (from the employee perspective)

UVP (Unique Value Proposition): This is your professional edge. It’s what you’re known to do well that directly benefits outcomes. Think of it as your strategic offering.

UVD (Unique Value Disposition): This is your natural mode of value. Not what you do, but how you consistently show up and the unspoken value that creates for others.

Here are a few examples of what UVD can look like in real people, real teams, real moments.

1. Maya: The Grounding Presence

UVD: Brings calm and clarity under pressure

How it shows up: Meetings go sideways. People are defensive. Maya listens, then cuts through noise with a clear question: “What decision are we actually trying to make here?”Her timing shifts the room. Her neutrality opens space. People reset. She doesn’t need to lead the conversation. She anchors it.

2. Deji: The Unofficial Historian

UVD: Connects the dots between past and present, helps teams avoid repeating mistakes

How it shows up: When teams propose something “new,” Deji gently reminds them of what happened last time. “Remember Q2 last year when we tried a similar vendor? The timeline slipped because legal got involved late.”He’s not blocking progress. He’s helping people think. His memory is sharp, but it’s not nostalgia, it’s risk management through story.

3. Lena: The Emotional Thermostat

UVD: Picks up on tension before it explodes

How it shows up: Lena walks into the weekly check-in and senses something’s off. Before jumping into updates, she says,”Seems like we’re all carrying a bit today. Want to do a quick pulse before we dive in?”People laugh. They exhale. She doesn’t force vulnerability. She just names the moment. That five-second check-in saves the team thirty minutes of passive-aggressive derailment.

4. Ravi: The Connector

UVD: Sees hidden relationships, links people across silos

How it shows up: A colleague’s stuck trying to solve a process issue. Ravi says,”You know who you should talk to? Priya from Finance. She’s dealt with this exact problem.”He makes intros casually, but they change everything. He sees networks where others see departments. He’s not a manager, but he’s a bridge.

5. Grace: The Challenger with Heart

UVD: Says the hard thing, but always with care

How it shows up: Leadership unveils a shiny new initiative. Everyone claps. Grace pauses. Then she says,”Can I ask how this will affect the teams that are already understaffed?”She’s not undermining anyone. She’s protecting people who don’t have a voice in the room. She names tension, not to shame, but to build better. And people trust her for it.

6. Mo: The Quiet Optimist

UVD: Keeps hope alive when things get heavy

How it shows up: When morale is low, Mo doesn’t give speeches. He doesn’t sugarcoat. He just reminds people what they’ve come through before.”We’ve been in worse spots. And we figured it out. Let’s start there.”His presence doesn’t erase the challenge, but it makes it bearable. And sometimes that’s enough.

Why This Matters

Each of these people has a different UVP, they’re analysts, designers, managers, ops folks. But their UVD is what shifts the room. Shapes the team. Sets the tone. And in most orgs, that part of their value is never tracked, never named, and never rewarded. Until it disappears.