Value + Visibility = Career Success

VALUE + VISIBILITY foster CAREER SUCCESS

Often my clients believe they need more skills, credentials, certifications, years on the job. They keep building their craft (aka value)...without creating opportunities to market themselves to the world (aka visibility).

Because value without visibility is like creating the cure for a disease...and then waiting for someone to ask you about it.

People don't think to ask, and the cure remains a secret.

Don't make yourself into a best kept secret.

Find ways to be seen.

LinkedIn is one way to do this, but do so with the combination of Value + Visibility in mind.

Create content that demonstrates your thought leadership by providing transformative takeaways and guidance.

So why don't more people do this?

Well, people don't always notice they've created a cure. They're so close to their value, that they don't see it.

It's like when you can't find your sunglasses because they're already on your head. You already have them, so when you look outside yourself, you don't see it. You sometimes need someone else to point it out to you - "Hey, you've had them all along. They're on your head, right there."

So how are you the cure?

If you're not sure, that's okay. Sometimes it's not our job to know how. But what we can do is show up in service.

What can I do to uplift today? How can I inspire? Is there something I recently learned that I can post about to help? Is there a mistake I recently learned from that I could offer to others in similar situations?

The answers to those questions are valuable.

So don't let them sit inside, unnoticed, a cure with no patient to help. Allow yourself to share. Let yourself be heard. Do it for you (we often cure ourselves in this process), and consider that as a service in itself.

Sometimes people feel pressured by this. The weight of visibly offering value feels heavy.

So let's remove the pressure. Don't focus on curing the world. Start with curing yourself. How? By seeing your value. This isn't about tooting your own horn to prove yourself to others. It's about honoring yourself and validating your ideas by inviting yourself to express them.

When we see ourselves, we create the opening for others to see us too (visibility). And when others see us, it can help us see our value.

This is also the benefit of a coach - they point out that the sunglasses have been on your head all along. They say "hey, look you've got the cure - let's get it out there to the world. Let's start with patient zero."

They help you see you, because sometimes we're so close to ourselves, we don't notice our value. Or we feel the value is so obvious, it doesn't need to be broadcast. But even a speak easy is marketed. Someone has to spread the word for it to work.

VALUE + VISIBILITY.

What are you emphasizing?

Find the balance of this equation within. Use it to guide you and create a thriving career.

The Spark of Alignment at Work

When our values align with the company we work for, it's like a magnetic SPARK is created.

We feel it when we go into work. We feel it as we do our jobs. And when we've had a bad day, we don't give up. We create solutions.

So when you're interviewing for a company (or deciding if you want to continue with your current company), make sure to check in with yourself.

Does this company's values and culture align with my core values?

And if you're not sure, ask yourself, What do I need to ask in order to find out? Then ask those questions. You'll be doing yourself, AND the company a favor.

Knowing a company's real values, and the culture within, can be difficult to navigate from the outside. Because it's easy to say the right words - but much different to truly live and embody those values.

So when interviewing, don't just listen for what they say. Notice how they say it. And check in with how you feel as you receive their response. The body picks up on more than the conscious mind. Use it to help guide and you and your decisions.

And if you're still not sure, consider having more conversations with employees who work there, as well as doing an office tour to get a sense of what it's like to be there.

This is how we help ourselves work in alignment. We find a company whose values mirror our own and whose culture is a living representation of those values in action.

Positioning Yourself as a Thought Leader

When you position yourself as a Thought Leader, career opportunities come to you.

So how do you become one?

Being a Thought Leader isn't about expertise alone, and it's also not just about being visible. It's a combination of several attributes, that when brought together, inspire new ideas and ways of being.

These attributes can be described as the 6 V's:

Value: Thought Leaders offer value. How? By being reflective and observant - They consider how they've created success in the past, as well as the mistakes they've made (and the lessons learned because of them). This introspection lets them develop their own philosophies for what works and what doesn't.

Vision: Thought Leaders inspire. They don't just stay in the past (or in the present). They allow themselves to live in the land of possibility, and consider how to bridge that gap through visionary forward direction.

Vulnerability: There is no hiding. There is a willingness to share the pitfalls and share themselves. This lets others feel invited to let the guard down, too. This is how Thought Leaders don't just create new ideas - they catalyze new ways of being.

Visibility: They find and create platforms to spread their insights. This can be through writing books, posting online, or creating speaking opportunities. They give themselves the chance to be seen.

Versatility: It's not about staking a claim and sticking to it forever. There's a willingness to flex, to flow. As thoughts evolve, so does their message. As new data is discovered, their view expands.

Voice: Thought Leaders don't mimic. They use their own way, their own voice to express their message. And that unique flavor allows their words to stand out from the crowd.

So if you're looking for more career opportunities, or simply more chances to provide help to the world, consider these 6 V's. Notice which ones come naturally to you, and which you may want to further emphasize.

Because your perspective matters. There is room for it, and benefit from it being shared.

Connected v. Conditioned Values

Conditioned "Values" vs. Connected Values.
 
These are very distinct subsets of values.
 
And it's important to know the difference because our
values are what drive our behavior.
 
So if we just know our values, but aren't sure about
what type they are, we can end up living a "values"-led life that
doesn't actually align with what we're wanting.
 
To explain -
 
Conditioned "Values" have to do with what we believe we're meant to value. They don’t consider if the values are what we're really wanting. For example, I went around much of my life believing I valued "Responsibility" when the truth is...I was just conditioned to believe I should be that way. When I actually sit with that word in my body, it feels chaotic in there - my cells feel like their being tamed, like a wild horse being broken in, when I just want to revolt and do my own thing.
 
Connected Values are what sing to our soul. They are the ideals that in our heart of hearts, we fully embrace. They leak out of us without us even trying. For example, one of my connected values is Vibrancy. For me, this word is about living a rich, full life that embraces the ups and the downs and basks in the beauty of the complexity of being human. By defining this value to myself, I feel heard. I am more accepting of my emotions, and more willing to take risks that support the adventure that comes with living from vibrancy.
 
I share this all as an invitation.
 
To check in with your values - to determine the type, and to reconnect with the truth of who you are. Not what you believe you're supposed to be, but of what sings to your soul and sets all your cells vibrating in-sync.

The Problem with the STAR Method to Interviewing:

The problem with the STAR Method to Interviewing:

If you're a job seeker, chances are you've heard of the STAR Method to interviewing. It's a way to answer interview questions

S = Situation (the set up, the context)
T = Task (What you were solving, the problem, and/or the goal)
A = Actions (What you did)
R = Result (The result of your actions)

Now this is a great starting point structure to use - and I'm an advocate for it as a foundation to draw from.

But it's not enough.

Because while it lays out a clear beginning, middle, and end, it misses the good stuff. The juice. The excitement. What am I getting at?

It's missing the STORY.

So when answering an interview question, don't rely on STAR alone. Make sure you add in elements of storytelling, like these:

1 - Tension/Release: Create moments of little tension (the little problems or obstacles that emerge as you were solving the problem), and then release the tension by sharing how you overcame it.

Ex, "At that point, I wasn't sure if there was a solution [TENSION]. But I didn't give up, and as I kept going, I noticed the specific line of code that was off [RELEASE]

2 - Multiple Perspectives: Don't just say what you did, share why you did it. This let's them in on the observed actions as well as the thought process.

Ex, "Realizing there must be more to the situation [THOUGH LENS], I conducted several focus groups to uncover what was really going on. [ACTION LENS]"

3 - Hero: Every story has a hero, and in the case of an interview response, that hero is you. This sets you up to take your interviewers on your hero's journey, and gets them rooting for you.

Ex, "Sensing that change was needed, I set out to develop a plan. [HERO MOVE!]"

Weave these components into your interview responses, and notice how it draws in your interviewers and set's you up to showcase your skills as well as your value.