“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” ~ Dr Suess
In a crowded marketplace if you simply fit in you will not get ahead. Fitting in is a sort term strategy. In this busy economy, standing out is what pays off in the long run. You have to stand out to maximise your success potential. A caveat on that comment is that you have to stand out for the RIGHT reasons. You want to ensure you are positioning yourself in a way that people can see the value that you offer and your unique skills. The things that only you do well. You may be a great influencer, top negotiator; a leader who can inspire and engage people towards a common goal, a great problem solver, the list could go on and on. The point is people need to see the value in you and only you can make that happen.
Often when I ask leaders what their value proposition is it can draw blanks. They are unsure or lack clarity on what their value is. And if they don’t know it then makes it even harder for others to understand and see what value they bring to the table.
For leaders in the current era this is becoming more and more important as the number of millennials is growing in the workforce. They are looking for a certain something in the leaders they choose to work for and follow. They also seem to have real clarity on what that certain something is. This generation is not only great at pushing buttons but also they are awesome at pushing comfort zone boundaries of leaders who may have just been operating at a particular level that did the job. Now leaders are forced to step up and step out and voice their value so they aren’t left behind.
So if you had to write down what your value is, could you? Succinctly?
If you know it, are you communicating it? Authentically?
This is not about self-promotion but about confidently positioning yourself and your leadership as something that is incredibly valuable, unique and attractive to your market and your people.
In this world that we are now living in, the hyper connected digital world of competition and challenge, we need to stand out and be heard. We need to be colourful, easily identifiable and have a message worth listening to. We really need to demand attention in an authentic way. It’s only when you know your value that you can do this. Clarity is the key!