Yesterday, according to the New York Times(1), organizations around the world announced over 75,000 job cuts. How do you stay relevant? Today’s post is a reprint from last year*. Since writing this, I have continually referred back to it in conversations. It seems to be more relevant today than a year ago. The purpose of the original post was to help people move ahead in their organization. Today, many are hoping to keep their jobs. Regardless of your goal, the point is the same – if the value you add is based on the role you play, you are easily replaceable. If the value you add is based on your unique expertise (regardless of your role), then you can become essential.
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What’s so special about you anyway?

Take out a piece of paper and write down the ten ways that you add the most value to your organization.

Now go back through your list. Put an “R” (for Role) next to each item that would still be true for someone else who played your current role in the organization. Put an “M” (for Me) next to each item where you bring something special–your own unique skills, interests, or passions.

Count the Rs and the Ms. How did you do? Many people find that they have more Rs than Ms. The more Rs you have, the more you add value based on your role instead of based on who you are.

Just playing the role you were hired for may be holding you back—even if you do it very well. If you are a designated hitter, you may only get to play a few minutes of a baseball game. If you are a good financial analyst, you may only get to play when someone needs a financial analysis. In fact, the more you excel in your specific role, the more limited your opportunities may become.

Want to stand out in your organization? Want more opportunities to add value? Then find and bring something unique to the table–something that goes above and beyond your normal role.

High performers generate value from within
Look at the people around you. Who stands out? Who seems to be part of all the special projects and task forces? Who gets more visibility with senior leadership? Who is on the fast track? These people have found a way to inject their personal strengths and passions into every role or task that they encounter. They differentiate their value from the value of their role.

Have you ever said to yourself,, “I did my job really well this past year. I hit all my goals and made my customers happy. It doesn’t seem like that was taken into account.”? The reality is that it was taken into account. If you work in a high performing organization, most people are doing their jobs well and hitting their goals. You were hired to do your job well. If that is your contribution then you are only meeting people’s expectations.

Breaking the mold
Differentiating yourself from your role is not hard. It just requires focus and persistence. They key is to remember that every interaction has the potential to be a showcase for your own unique talents. There are three steps for standing out in the crowd.

Step 1: Be good at what you do

The point of this article is to move you beyond the basic expectations of your
role. However, you must start there. You must be good at what you do. If you
can’t perform well, you won’t get the leeway to do something else. The first
step to differentiating yourself is building a strong foundation from which to
deviate. Remember, you can’t break the rules until you have demonstrated mastery
of them.

Step 2: Decide what you want to be known for

Jen** was a manager in a large multi-national company. She felt that her career had stagnated and wanted to move up to the next career level. When asked what she wanted to be known for, Jen thought for a few minutes about what she was good at and replied “Project Management.” The problem was, Jen worked for a company where project management was a core skill for everyone in her role and even for most of the roles around her. There were expert project managers everywhere she looked.

We often try to emulate other people’s success. While you should certainly learn from others’ success, trying to copy it can be a mistake. Why do you want to compete against a standard that is based on someone else’s strengths? Set yourself apart so that your strengths become the criteria for success.

Ultimately, Jen decided that she wanted to focus on her passion for innovation and build on that as a key strength. She wanted to be the person who could identify creative and innovative solutions, then use her strong project management skills to complete them on time and on budget. That was unique in her organization. There were creative people and there were good project managers. However, few people had both.

Jen began pushing people to think differently about their solutions. When other teams had a creative idea but dismissed it as being too hard to implement, Jen helped them figure out a plan. When coworkers fell back on the status quo to ensure cheap and timely delivery, she pushed their thinking and helped them come up with a better solution.

Jen eventually became known as a pragmatic innovator. People wanted her in meetings and sought her advice. Soon she was promoted into a more substantial role and has excelled ever since. Most of the “good” project managers who were her peers are still in the same roles.

What are your strengths? What is unique about you? What do you care deeply about? Ask yourself how you can bring those elements into your current role. Use your strengths and passions to find a differentiator that is meaningful and you will find that you have more access to opportunities across and beyond your organization.

Step 3: Bring your perspective everywhere you go

Once you’ve identified your differentiator, bring it with you at all times. If you get this right, you won’t even have to be present to stand out.

Linda worked in the HR department of a medium sized organization. Like all good HR professionals, Linda understood employment law, performance measurement, learning, organizational behavior, and recruiting. In fact, she was very knowledgeable in all of these areas. However, Linda was also an extraordinary advocate for the people in her organization. This advocacy started out as a natural passion surfacing in the meetings she happened to attend. She would always say, “Let’s think about this from the perspective of our employees…” or “How would our employees feel about this?” Over time, Linda’s advocacy became a differentiator that helped her rise above her peers.

In every conversation, Linda became the voice of the employee, no matter what topic was being discussed. People invited Linda to meetings where they knew the employees’ perspective was important. They found that she made every business discussion and decision better by bringing a unique perspective.
Over time, even in meetings that Linda couldn’t attend, people started saying, “What would Linda be asking about our employees right now?” It’s not surprising to hear then that Linda was the Vice President of Human Resources in this organization. She got there, not just through her expertise in recruiting or employee relations, but through her unique strengths and passions and her ability to bring them to her role every day.

Bringing yourself to your role

You have a choice: you can let your role define you, or you can define your role. Be great at what you do, then make it better by turning it into an opportunity to demonstrate your unique strengths and passions. You’ll be amazed at the new possibilities that open up for you.

Resources

Read “The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable” to find out how to unleash your inner strengths.

Read “Goal Free Living” by Steve Shapiro. Steve will help you understand how to lead an extraordinary life.

Notes

* An abridged version of this post appeared in the February, 2008 issue of Personal Excellence magazine
** Names have been changed

(1) Wall Street Waffles as It Searches for Direction, New York Times, January 27, 2009