In my last post, Coaches not bosses, I wrote about the need for managers to think differently. More like coaches and less like bosses. But in every game, while it is important for the coach to have a player development strategy, there is a higher responsibility on the player to set individual goals, identify growth opportunities, and train to meet the goal(s). Each player has a different need and a unique personal goal, and it’s therefore important for the player to own her/his game.
With the ever-changing workplace landscape, the career field has changed as well, and so have the rules. We can no longer continue to play the same game. To be successful in this game, it’s important for each player to change your mindset and think like a CEO. Regardless of where you are in the game or your tenure with the team, in order to thrive it’s important you understand the value you bring to the game, what makes you stand out from the competition and how you plan to own the playing field.
What is your value proposition?
A company’s value proposition in simple terms is why a customer buys their goods and/or services. How is the company’s offering better than its competitors? What can customers be assured to receive if they work with the company? If you have trouble understanding this, replace the company with your favorite place where you shop or eat or go for a haircut. What makes them stand out? What is it that they offer to you that others do not. Why do you repeatedly use their goods and/or services?
Now, let’s do a bit of mental swap. 1) Swap the company with you, and 2) Swap the customer with the workplace. Now, if you are the company offering services to the workplace, think – how do I make myself attractive? What does the workplace need that I can help them solve? What makes me stand out from the competition?
If you are unsure where to start, I suggest starting with an understanding of your personality type. This will help you understand your innate nature, how you naturally think and, identify potential roles that attract you. There are a number of tools in the marketplace:
- Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): MBTI is largely an indicator of how you think internally.
- DISC: DISC measures how personality translates to external behavior.
- StrengthFinder: The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment helps identify the areas where you have the greatest potential for building strength. It measures recurring patterns of thought, feeling, and behavior.
Once you have a better understanding of your personality type, layer it with your skills and experience and you start to see a glimpse of your value proposition. For example, if you are a project manager who is creative, likes to create or work in structured environments, an extrovert who thrives when meeting and working with people, your value proposition will read something like,
“Detailed project manager thrives in bringing together teams by defining detailed project plans and clear deliverables. Leads through influence and relationship building. Several years of experience with creative/brand/marketing agencies.”
As you explore opportunities, think from a place of strength. What opportunities align with your skillset, as well as your personality type. Be clear of your value proposition and identify your key audience. Who is looking for your services and how can you add value to the team?
What is your near term strategy?
Some call this the red ocean strategy. Cutthroat competition turns the ocean bloody red implying the term ‘red’ oceans. I prefer to stray away from this terminology cause it implies scarcity. In my mindset, if you are clear on your value proposition and what differentiates you from your competition, there is plenty of opportunity as you are reaching out to a defined audience segment or companies.
The challenge I repeatedly hear from folks is, how do you remain competitive?
Now, If you were a CEO, could you leave the company as-is over the years, without continuing to invest in it or help it grow? Nope. Left in an operational mode with no investment or growth, a company, especially in today’s environment will be extinct. The same applies to you. As your own CEO, you have to find 30 – 45 minutes a week to invest in yourself. Some thoughts on how to do this are here:
- Focus back on your personality type. If you are the people-centric, extrovert, you will not thrive by reading a book. Instead, seek out a meet up where you can meet people and learn from them. For the introverted intellectual, keep a pulse on the market via a magazine subscription. Sign up for emails from industry leaders. If you have strict time constraints, take an opportunity at work to shadow someone or take on a new project.
- Find a non-profit to volunteer. Taproot is one such organization.
- Offer to speak at an event, or the local college or school
- Write a blog
What is your long term strategy?
Some call this the blue ocean strategy. Blue ocean denotes calm, unexplored waters where there is plenty of opportunity for growth. I think of this as the diversification or growth strategy. If you are thinking, how do I diversify, I strongly recommend a book that explains it well; The $100 Startup is full of real-life examples, an Excel wiz who discovered the need for his services across the world. The couple who printed a map and learned about the unexplored market for maps. And for the non-readers, there is an Audible version as well. In day-to-day life the opportunities are endless and it is about changing our approach.
- Think like an innovative entrepreneur at work. Yup, I know I spoke about diversification. But what happens if you think differently? You will see opportunities you did not see before. Ways to streamline processes to increase output. A new solution to an old client problem.
- Do you have a hobby or a passion that you can build on? Some real-life examples of people I have met or coached are – an executive with love for travel who ran small personalized tours every summer. A marketing professional who loved theater and turned to it full time during a reorg. Yet another marketer who loves dance and coaches a dance class on the side.
We have multiple interests, multiple skillsets, why not multiple careers? Start by defining your value proposition, and then layer the short term and long term plans over it. If you take small steps, it’s doable. I can assure you that this strategy will also lead you to feeling more satisfied, happy, and resilient.
I hope this post will inspire the players within us to action. What are your ideas on owning your game?
