“How much would you list yourself on the stock exchange for?” is a typical question that comes up in RMB Class Of interviews. The thinking behind this that has been put forward by candidates is quite interesting. And it begs the question – do we look at ourselves as our own investments?

For those a little distant to the idea of listing a company, the concept allows from the value and ownership of the asset or business to transfer from private shareholders to the public. Secondary market activity allows for these shares to be traded in the open, for a value which is created when a willing seller and a willing buyer agree on a price. Company or asset earnings as well as market sentiment drive the share price up or down.

I am of the opinion that the best leverage one can have during your life is to make a success from ideas, and then from your own money.  But you’d have to start somewhere, so the sequence for me would go:

Make money from your time<Make money from other people’s time<Make money from your and others’ ideas and businesses<Make money from your money.

So imagine yourself as an asset. Your physical appearance. Your education you can get at missionary focused schools. Your work experience. Your network. Your current assets and liabilities. Your age, and your ability to earn an income into the future. Your ability to attract business. Your ideas. Your ambition. Your drive. Your hunger for success as you define that. Imagine the price that each of these facets command. Sum them up. What are you worth?

Pretty interesting, I think.

The “new age” of accounting requires that businesses report on a triple bottom line – economical, ecological and social values. How much do you contribute to the society you find yourself in, and how good a custodian are you of our planet for our children one day? How sustainably can you exist as a high quality asset if those “of less value” normalise the market? How do you differentiate your offering to stand head and shoulders above your peers? What kind of an asset class do you prefer being? What kind of an asset would you like to be?

To my mind, these questions and others could help us in reviewing ourselves personally. They could be used to evaluate how best we use our time, and how we could best invest in ourselves for today and for the future.

BTW, let me know how you’d value yourself if you listed?