Different(iated) From Every Other Rubber Ducky?

When you have a strong vocabulary to describe yourself, your description can clearly set you apart - and without sounding boastful or self-centered. Yet for most of us, talking about ourselves is the most uncomfortable job in the world. Here are ideas that can help you clearly communicate without sounding "big-headed" or cocky.

• Develop a personal mission statement that may run a half to full page in length. This statement addresses the question of why are you here on Earth now? Envision your legacy - what trace will you leave behind? To start the writing process, visit the free Personal Mission Builder tool on the Franklin Covey site. It will get you started with a very rough draft.
• Do you have a list of your values? Covey's site helps you with this, too. On your own, think about your code for life: what do you seek in friends, family, employers. and what do you want to be known for or as. Think about your values as related to what you want in life.  Do you aspire to create wealth? Many do! But each person lives the process differently.  Some want to make money without damaging the environment; others value speed, desiring to have funds to support a foundation. Still others value wealth attainment at all costs, valuing the freedom to care for self and family without financial restraint.  Your values are what guide you in decision making, in life choices, and in determining the kinds of people you prefer to be around.
• Can you list the characteristics and values of the work environment you prefer? Think about work environments and company missions. Do you enjoy work best when you are with a team, or working alone? When the company culture promotes open communication, or silent followership? Many job seekers assume a company will have a great environment, and assuming can lead to unpleasant surprises.  Have your ideal culture in writing, as this tool will stimulate your evaluation when an opportunity is at hand.
• What's your 100-year plan? Have it on paper? This does not need to be perfect: it just has to 'be.' Write or draw it, but start with a time line from today's date to the date your turn 100 years of age.  Now plug in important milestones, such as the date you hope to retire, years the kids leave for college, military, or other independent living situation, and so forth.  Be certain to consider events that will require your money and/or your time to achieve.  And don't ignore the dream goals, such as having a mountain cabin or traveling around the world or building a playground in your old neighborhood!
• Having a list of your strongest skills, knowledge, and abilities is equally key in describing yourself.  What do you know that could help a company reach its goals? When updating your Skills List on your LinkedIn profile, can you select and prioritize your top 40 - 50 so that the ones you enjoy most or do best at are also ones that employers seek - and that you enjoy using? For example, do you enjoy finding a more efficient method to completing a task? You may have streamlined procedures in an environment that is unlike your next one, but your vocabulary can convey your problem solving abilities along with willingness to learn a new product line.  The secret? Prepare and practice. Write and speak, using the vocabulary developed by tracing your life experience back to ninth grade in high school. Think about work, school, clubs, sports, volunteering, home life - what made you the person you are today? Just search 'free skill assessment test" and do some online questionnaires to give yourself a head-start.  Don't forget the Onet Interest Profiler and My Next Move websites, either!

When you describe yourself with straight-forward action verbs, you are depicting the facts of your life. If you add in modifier words such as 'expertly' or even 'awesome' you are upping the game and may convey self-importance that will be interpreted as boastful. Just stick with the verbs that show action. Did you supervise, budget, train? Those verbs say more than the general terms, led or managed. And 'budgeted for transportation of 1000 staff' may be clearer to a recruiter than 'expertly budgeted' or 'single-handedly accounted for." Once you have statements on paper, a career coach can assist you with the fine points, and you can increase your skills at this by reviewing for your colleagues.

Having this foundational work will make it simpler for you to develop your personal introduction, your STAR stories, your conversations with people whose backgrounds are from other environments. Military to civilian transitions often bring to light how effective your conversations are in helping the other person picture your world. With a strong vocabulary about yourself, alert attention to listening, and reliance on common ground, you can enjoy the differences in place of being baffled by them!  Don't forget the dialect of business - up arrow, down arrow, and the triangle (Delta) that measures change over time!  Think of what you have experienced that met goals by driving something up (like safety) or down (like waste), and how the change was measured on your watch (like decreasing customer complaints 20% within six months by training staff to make eye contact and smile within 5 seconds of customer approach.)

Taking to heart these ideas will increase the persuasive nature of your communications.  You will set yourself apart from the yellow rubber ducks by creating your own 'brand' or identify. Be known for that which you proud, that your treasure, that will be part of your legacy. That is not merely being different: it is differentiating yourself and what you contribute. And the clarity you portray about yourself is what leads to career opportunities that fit you, your goals, your values, and your intended legacy.

--Mary M Rydesky is a consultant in change management and career development in Alaska. Her slogan, ‘managing change in companies and careers’ is activated through training, coaching, and consulting. See her breath of experience on LinkedIn.