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Prove Yourself In Your Industry?

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How do I Prove Myself  In My Industry?

Recently, after the formalities and speeches at a friends wedding, I was asked by a guy in his late 20’s, how I had established myself in my industry? It’s not uncommon for me to be asked questions like this however on most occasions people don’t listen to how I did it, they listen for things that verify their ideas.

On this occasion I could see in his eyes, he was hoping I wouldn’t brush his question aside with a polite answer. He was looking for me to answer honestly. He had hunger in his eyes. Not blind motivation, hunger. So I told him as straight as I could. I took a deep breath.

“Mate, you need to understand that it’s a game. Your career and your life is just a game. And like any game, if you do something particularly well, you get invited to the next level of the game. If you do well on a first date you get a second date. You do well in an interview, you get the job. Your progression is simply a reflection of how well you handle the situations you’re in.

The mistake people make is they get good at process, not outcome. They get good at complying, not inventing. They say “I sent the email but no one got back to me” as if completing some impotent process is success and their boss should see them as being a fantastic employee because they ‘emailed’ so passionately.

If you want to prove yourself in your industry, focus on being the person who actually gets stuff done. Who makes stuff happen. Your employer doesn’t want to hear about an email trail! They want a problem solved! They want it done! And if you can solve it, if you can get it done, you become invaluable! You win that stage of the game and get invited to the next crisis.

People miss this. They miss that life is about helping others solve problems. And because they miss it, their career and life can silently sail miles off course, feeling they can do nothing to stop it happening. They keep thinking that maybe if they had a better qualification or worked longer hours or were rubbing shoulders with some powerbroker that they would be rewarded with career progression. That’s not the game though. That’s the same as thinking that if you stand next to a pretty girl she will then want to marry you! She stands next to lots of people! The question is what value do you bring her that no one else does?

A distraction on your journey will be your qualifications. Understand that all a qualification does is keep you in a conversation. You apply for a job and the first thing they do is check to see if you have a qualification. If you don’t, that is the end of the conversation. If you do, the conversation continues and now they are trying to assess if you can solve the problems they have.

The real game is firstly, being able to notice and understand what problems people have, and secondly, to be better at solving that problem than anyone else. It starts with basic stuff; if someone wont return a call, find a way to solve it. If a client rejects every proposal your company puts forward, find a way to solve it. If internal processes are clumsy and are killing profits and moral, find a way to solve it. That’s the actual game. See the problem and solve it.

And when you do this well you will get invited to the next problem. People will invite you into their next crisis because they need people who can make stuff happen! And this success won’t be represented in your resume as ‘jobs’ or ‘qualifications’, it will be stated as projects you worked on. Projects are evidence that you were in a crisis, not a job.”

He pondered “But how do I know what problem someone has? They’re not just going to blurt it out in an interview or the first time I talk to them. Are they?”

“Of course they will tell you! If you seem even remotely like you might be able to help, they will tell you the tip of their problem in a heartbeat. If you can add value when they mention it, then they will tell you more.

If you were looking to buy a new car you might mention the idea to me in passing. If I then said ‘Oh, my Dad is a car dealer’ you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from expanding further on the car you are looking for. It’s logic.

But let me fast track you on what people’s problem really is. At the heart of it, professionally, everyone’s deepest problem is they fear they might be a fraud in their own industry. Everyone is scared that maybe they are not the real deal and at any point they might make a mistake and be called out by a peer on being a fake or incompetent. People are scared they are not good enough to be in the role they are in. No amount of achievement, success or academic qualification protects any of us from this fear. When you truly understand this, then you can listen to what people are trying to achieve and hear that they want help. They want help to succeed in their role. Help to achieve the task presently in their charge. Help so that their fear doesn’t come true.”

He looked a little puzzled. Processing. “Not everyone is scared, surely. I know really successful people who seem to have no fear.”

“They look successful to you but they are not measuring themselves against you. No matter who we are talking about, there is always a bigger fish in the sea and we are always aware of the other big fish. It’s not the minnows that bother us. ”

Accepting that idea, as much as he could considering the speed of the conversation, he asked “So what do I do? I need to help people above me and around me to succeed in what they are working on?”

“Yes. Ask them what they want to achieve and what the obstacles are. If you think you can help, let them know. Don’t wait for an invitation. Mind you, don’t be an idiot about it. Measure your timing. Read the moment. But when the moments pop up tell them you think you can solve it. If you can solve it and you do, you move up in the game. If you don’t succeed you haven’t proven yourself in the industry yet.”

“It seem so obvious when you say it like that. What about… mmm. There must be some big moves too? Big things that separate someone from their peers?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. Industries differ as to what will separate you from the pack but a few things ring true across the most industries.

It will serve you well to write down what you know, as a PDF, a book, a one pager. Anything you can share that presents well. Written work positions you as an expert. Everyone knows ‘stuff’. Everyone has an opinion. Anyone can blurt out words. Yet unless it is written down your thoughts carry no more weight than anyone else’s meandering thoughts on life.

To write something down takes effort and courage. It takes time. Most importantly, to write something down you must have clarity on the topic. Clarity is valuable.

For instance, I met a potential client last week and they outlined the problem they had and I outlined my solution. They liked my thinking but I could tell by their expression that they only felt I was a like-minded colleague. Then I pulled out a three page document which outlined what I had just explained. Their eyes lit up! It was written down! They realized I wasn’t just agreeing with them, I really knew. I was an expert!

This applies to anyone in any industry. If you know something unique in your industry or if you have solved a unique problem, even the tiniest of unique problems, write it down so someone else can learn it. You will quickly become respected on the topic.

There is more though. More you can do.

Realize that motivation is admirable but you need to mix it with strategy. If someone wont call you back, having the motivation to call them 100 more times wont help. You need a different approach. 100 calls can really damage a relationship. So find mentors that can guide in you. When you get stuck on something call them up and ask, what would you do?

You also need to be in a position that allows you to let go of bad jobs or clients. Being able to walk away has a strength to it. You and your time will be respected so much more when they know you don’t have to be there. Crucial to this is having your finances sorted. Live inside your means and you will have a financial buffer enabling you to say ‘no’ to roles that don’t help you and ‘yes’ to jobs that might be unconventional but defining. So many people are spending money they don’t have thinking that the car they drive or the suit they have is crucial to getting their dream job. They load up their credit cards and the result is they don’t have any freedom to say ‘no’ to dead end or time expensive jobs because they have debt to pay off. Don’t be embarrassed to look poor. See the bigger game.

And lastly, remember it’s what you don’t include in your resume and pitches that define you. I studied graphic design. I also did a course on car maintenance and worked in retail for years. However you wont ever see any of that on my resume because it just confuses people. If it was in my bio I would look like a jack of all trades, not an expert.  When I leave those experiences out, a clearer picture is told of what I really do. I develop talent to an elite level.

I hope that helps.” I concluded. “I love this song. It’s time to dance.”

 

One Comment

  • Tyson Popplestone says:

    Great post Dobbo.

    Such a great reminder to focus on adding value to the people you’re working with. So simple, but so easy to get lost doing ‘everything else’.

    Tys