"Who?"

A friend made a comment the other day that really caught my attention. He said we should all ask ourselves the question "who am I".

Who you are determines a lot of things abut your career. You will attract a certain type of clients based upon who you are. You will work well with certain managers and peers and not so well with others. Who you are will determine what companies you will be most successful at, as you need a good match of philosophies, ethics and products.

This really got my wheels spinning as I thought about how I would answer that question. But I quickly realized that he was not asking for my opinion... instead he was asking how clients and my network see me. Then I started to think about how I wanted to be viewed... so the real question he was asking is how my clients would say who I am.

So how would you want your sphere to answer... and are you really that person? Are you...

• Reliable
• Detail oriented
• Honest
• Client focused
• A good communicator
• Available when clients need you
• Subject matter expert
• Trustworthy
• Educator
• Helpful
• More...

You probably know what you think you are... but the real question is how do others see you. So I thought of 3 ideas that can help you determine who you are.?

First I would say ask. Call 10 clients and 10 friends and ask them for honest feedback on how they see you. It may be a little painful, but it would be a great way to better understand you image.

Second, use surveys after every sale to collect feedback.

Last, look at your social media, your marketing and your past reviews to see if they are presenting an image of who you are, or better who you want to be.

Hopefully you find that you are happy with "who you are". If not, it is not easy to change your core behaviors and beliefs... but it can be done.

"Who am I" is a great question. The answer is a key ingredient to your success.