Who we are now represents a point in time. It’s a coordinate point. It’s static. It’s where the car is parked. It’s present value.

Who we are becoming is our journey. It’s a vector. It has direction and velocity. It’s where the car is heading. It’s future value.

We are always assessing ourselves and one another. Whether it’s in the context of our relationships, careers, health and well-being, we’re always in the process of figuring out where we and others stand.

When others assess me, do I want to be assessed based on who I am now or on my trajectory towards who I am becoming? Similarly, when I assess others, which of these gives me the more accurate picture of who someone is?

I choose future value. I care more about who someone is becoming than who they are now. It helps me understand; are they improving, stagnating or regressing?

Whether you’re choosing a partner or building a team, it’s not enough to assess an individual based on who they are now or their current capabilities. Great executives see potential and recruit based on future value. So to should we consider the future value when selecting a partner.

Future value is already how we frame our thinking around our financial investments. So why not apply it to how we think of the investments we make in our teams, our relationships and ourselves?