I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.
~ Mikhail Baryshnikov
In a busy, competitive world, our attention and energy can easily become focused on addressing the external expectations and demands of our jobs.
And, we may find ourselves so distracted by this outside noise, that we neglect hearing our own voice; establishing our own set of criteria for what we want and need from our career and life.
Taking the time to assess, embrace and articulate our true talents and gifts, as well as our preferred skills and core value sets, can provide the foundation and focus to be the best we can be at work; allowing us to create an advantage – a way to “stand out” in the workplace.
The notion of “brand”, or what I prefer to call “Unique Value Proposition” (UVP), is an important component of career planning that includes:
1) Discovering, identifying and articulating your unique talents, strengths, and preferred skills.
2) Creating a vision statement that will clearly and succinctly describe who you are and what you have to offer.
3) Experiencing success by focusing and honing your unique set of skills, interests, experiences, and strengths; while honoring your values, needs and wants.
I encourage clients to consider creating their unique value proposition from an entrepreneurial perspective:
- Think of yourself as providing a service and/or product, much as you would if you were a business.
- Identify how your would describe and market this service/product as well as who would be your ideal recipient/client/customer.
Crafting your Unique Value Proposition requires time to develop and practice. This can be facilitated through a process of guided reflection and self-assessment.
Your Unique Value Proposition can become the essence of your life/work story:
- incorporated in your “pitch” or “elevator speech”;
- developed more fully into the experiences and accomplishments you highlight within your resume;
- provide core themes as you describe yourself in interviews;
- offer an inner compass as you plan and act throughout your life and work.