"Working In or Working On?" Flag #1: WDYD
It's a practical guarantee we've been asked the question.
Go to any networking event, and it's sure to be one of the first questions you're asked.
It normally is succeeded by the question: "Who are you?"
What do you do?
WDYD
The unfortunate reality is, we don't really know how to answer the questions.
Which is why this is question is a sure indicator if you're working on your description or working in your description.
How do you answer this question?
Normally, when people ask who are you- you say what you do.
Perhaps we resort to this answer because we're not confident in who we are -- worse yet, we've forgotten who we are.
And when we're asked "what do you do?" We normally just give a geographical answer.
"I work at _______"
or, if you're feeling more talkative "I'm the _______ at _________."
It was never meant to be this way.
If you're working in your description, who you are is enough and what you do is a bonus.
For too many and for too long, who you are has been transactional and what you do has been informational.
Aren't we all in the human business?
Having human experiences?
...who you are, then, is part of that human story, you, as you are, enough.
...and what you do, is what platform you use to contribute to the human experience.
So, friend, let's shift the perspective of what you do.
It's time to start working in our descriptions, not just on them.
Investor | AI Consulting Innovator | Founder, High Performance Consultant Academy? | Scale Your Consulting Firm with AI Automation, Predictive Analytics & NLP | Dominate Client Acquisition & Optimize Service Delivery
1 年Lathan, thanks for sharing!
Founder JMS Ventures Group
1 年Lathan , an interesting and thought provoking essay ! Often I’ve left a networking event at the Chamber or BMI with a few glossy business cards and have absolutely no idea who it was I actually met !
Love your post, it made me feel better for the time I spent reading it. That ties into what we should do in our business and life relationships. Love the quote - "People will soon forget what you said. They will never forget how you made them feel."