This One Skill is the Easiest Route to Leadership
How the F did the intern become your manager?
It's not by accident.
I know a woman at Facebook who feels her younger counterparts are leapfrogging ahead of her. She works late into the night, takes on extra initiatives at work, gets glowing feedback, charges full steam ahead into every endeavor yet...
How? HOW?! is that random Josh getting the plum assignments, the promotions, the best opportunities when you're over here doing all of the things?!
The Hard Truth
Much as you want to "make life easy" and dog-ear our copies of RealSimple, and binge-watch Marie Kondo, there is an underlying belief that keeps those hacks and organization methods from actually sticking.
Do you get a lot of pride in being tough, grinding, and punching the ocean?
Is being a super hard worker part of your identity?
The fact is: Some like it hard.
I know. I learned what work was supposed to look like by a parent who ate a bowl of blood, sweat and tears for breakfast and chased it with a glass of piss and vinegar. Looking at it now as an adult, I realize she was addicted to adrenaline, cortisol and righteousness.
Historically, I followed suit.
Maybe you do too. Overcomplicating things, perfecting them though it's inefficient and unnecessary, dotting every i and crossing every t, even when no one cares.
But the Joshes of the world seem to skate by AND THAT DRIVES YOU NUTS.
I've written before about the 4 Ways to Be the Male Privilege You See In the World. It went a little LinkedIn viral... oh yeah, baby! LinkedIn viral!
The thing about Josh is that instead of spending 100% of his time & 1000% of his effort executing extra hard and hoping someone notices and promotes him, Josh works from a truth you suspect but hate to admit:
Doing a good job doesn't mean working extra hard.
OH GOD, WHAT IF IT'S TRUE?!
What about all those hours in the library? The late nights at the computer? All the times you collated and bound the report or made sure your shoes matched your belt and your bag -- WAS IT ALL FOR NOTHING??
It can be very hard to let go of this belief.
Then again, it seems pretty hard to keep going with all the super hard work you're doing at present, so...
Change is incremental. Unless you have some Flowers for Algernon-level head trauma in the near term, you ain't chilling out overnight.
The leopard can't change her spots.
But she can choose to run downhill.
An Easy Fix
Changing your actions is hard. The laziest thing you can do is choose how you describe what you want to be known for and where it's leading you, repeat the new story enough times that other people internalize it, and start bringing you the opportunities you are looking for.
The more you talk about yourself like this, the more you risk looking foolish if you don't follow through. It's called losing integrity and if you're anything like me, it's forced a number of "money where your mouth is" moments that force you to execute. Hopefully, they've panned out. Same thing with your story.
Josh gets you don't have to perform like a rockstar like Richard Branson or Oprah to have a personal brand story.
You have to get known for a specific type of work and then talk about it effectively.
He figured out the right words and story and let the actions follow naturally.
Conveniently, being able to communicate your value and vision is also a key skill to being a leader. No wonder people want to promote Josh!
And how did he figure them out? The easy way! Paying someone to guide him.
Why Is Story A Competitive Advantage?
Think about it: How many people do you know who are truly good at articulating their value?
Like, a handful, right? No one is doing this work. It’s pretty untapped.
Why? Because most people are so busy executing, they've ignored the 100% renewable resource that is their story.
Until mid-career, you've pretty much been a newbie: acquiring skills, learning your strengths, and figuring out what makes you tick. Now you're at crossroads: Go all in or plateau.
Given the level of experience and insight, we now bring to the table, it’s probably the first time finding your story even makes sense so if you’re one of the few who invests time into this, you’ll still be way ahead of the curve.
The best time to plan an oak was 20 years ago.
Well, 20 years ago you were in high school
so the next best time is today.
The more the secret gets out - that getting your talking points in order is as, if not more effective than grinding away at doing all the work - the more people see how it gets you hired, promoted, respected, followed. The even more competitive the landscape. Now is the best time to understand your brand and learn storytelling as an essential career building skill you’ll use through every phase of your career growth.
Uncover Your Story For Free
I've been working on a free training this past month that goes through the EXACT processes I go through myself and with clients to start finding and articulating your brand story today.
If you want early access to it hit this link to shoot me a pre-populated email (you don't have to type a thing) to get the training.
It covers everything from:
⚡️ The secret key to avoiding overwork and overwhelm when it comes to choosing your next career step
⚡️ How to stand out, so your CEO, hiring manager, boss, board members, or Cheryl Sandberg sits up with this one insider secret
⚡️ Reveal which parts of your story build your brand and which ones bore & confuse people)
⚡️ How to walk into any room and have a sponsor get immediately what you want and what you're about by unlocking this key to your brand story
⚡️ 2 biggest mistakes people make when they plan their career future
⚡️ How to easily formulate your value prop
⚡️ Why you don't need to go on another random coffee, read a business book, go on interviews you're lukewarm about ever again
If any of those bullets resonate, hit this link to get the training.