Ep. 120 - You Are Not Defined by Your Job Title

Thriving The Future Podcast

Positive Solutions in a Tough Labor Market

You are in a social gathering, like church or some other social function, and the question comes up: "What do you do?" (for a living). How do you respond?

Most people answer: "I am (this role) at XYZ company". But what is that really saying?

You have boxed yourself into a role. And you (perhaps inadvertently) declared your allegiance to your current company. It is better to say: "I am a (role), currently working at XYZ company." This is subtle, but it leaves the door open. I have seen a person react with, "oh we have an opening at my company", or "my relative has been looking for that role at his company". That works for project managers and it also works for all jobs in a tight labor market.

This is also why the recommended career advice is to change your LinkedIn profile title from your role at XYZ company (which is the default) to your role built into a one-line hook (like a one-line elevator speech).

Not only the "what I do", but also the "where"

“Where you are is more important than who you are.” - Wendell Berry

You are greater than the sum of your parts.

Write down all of the ways you would describe yourself to a new person that you have met - if you were initiating the conversation. Most likely, you would not start with your job title.

Positive Solutions in a Tough Job Market

• Own your own career.
• Get training and stay at a job that is providing opportunities. Change jobs for better opportunitiesKeep the mindset that this may be temporary. Be prepared for adversity, but don't be ruled by the fear of it. Prepping is necessary to offset downturns and adversity.
• Your mindset is everything.

You know stuff. You might not think it is all that much. You could even lay out the steps to do it. But someone will pay you to do those steps instead of doing it themselves.

Establish your authority by doing.

It has never been easier to outperform someone by doing. It's Proof of Work.

Go beyond the hobby. Run it like a business.

This is my side hustle formula:

• Dream, Plan, Build
• Build in Public, releasing often.
• Measure the outcome. Pivot if necessary.
• Tweak. Repeat.

Episode website and show notes: https://thrivingthefuture.com/you-are-not-defined-by-your-job-title

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