Threshold Consulting: It's Your Life, Own It!

Not Just Another Commodity

This morning, as I was making myself a cup of tea, it occurred to me that the experience is way better than any of the supermarket brands of my youth. Tazo tea is a brand that not only embodies quality but is packaged in a way that exudes it!

It then occurred to me that career success increasingly requires standing out from the “supermarket shelf” of commoditized career descriptors. For example, one of my past clients had a resume that characterized him as being a “proven technology leader with ability to focus on end-user and business drivers, to produce innovative, integrated systems.” For an IT leader, I’d say this is expected. It suggests a commodity skill set.

After taking the time to understand what he truly accomplished and the unique value he provides, we reworked his resume to reflect his brand: “A visionary and risk taker with proven ability to translate high-level concepts into real-world, enterprise systems that meet business requirements and provide a stable platform for growth.” Distinctive value, I’d say.

How about you? Do your career communications exude your value?

Cross-posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Personal Branding and the Sustainable Career

Recently, I've been working with outplacement clients who want to pursue sustainable careers; that is, to work in socially or environmentally responsible companies performing activities that make a difference in the world. I think this is laudable and hope they are able to find their ideal jobs and enjoy long tenures doing work that really matters to them.

Actually, though, virtually all displaced workers want sustainable careers. By this they mean finding the perfect job that will spare them the trauma of another layoff and job search. Their question is, “How do I do that?” Unfortunately, during mergers and acquisitions or economic downturns, there is no easy answer and certainly no guarantee that particular jobs will last.

Yet, there is a career management strategy that can lead to career sustainability. By engaging in the personal branding process, you can achieve clarity about what you do that no one else does quite like you. With that knowledge, you can establish an ongoing brand identity system to clearly, consistently, and constantly communicate your value to the people who need to know about you in your organization and industry. Combine your brand with the skills to effectively function in our increasingly flat world, and you’re less likely to spend time actively pursuing opportunities. Instead, opportunity is more likely to find you!

Cross-Posted at The Personal Branding Blog

Own Your Life

February 2008 Newsletter

Dear Subscribers,

Welcome to the "Super Bowl Sunday" edition of Own Your Life!

Today is the Super Bowl, the championship game of the National Football League. It’s the day when two NFL teams attained one of their top goals for the season: prevailing through the playoffs for the opportunity to compete in the biggest game of the season. Of course, each team has it’s aim set on walking away with the Vince Lombardi Trophy – but at least they earned the chance to compete.

Although sports metaphors have tended to be overused, the Super Bowl is a great backdrop for considering goals and achievement, especially career-related ones.  So, it’s a great time to consider what you want to achieve in your career. Being reasonably close to the beginning of a new year, the first question is what are your career goals for the year? As long as you’re considering your career, you might consider where you see yourself in three to five years. Consider how this year’s goals relate to the long term. For example, the road to the Super Bowl (the ultimate goal) is achieved one game at a time. So, every game throughout the regular season and the playoffs relates to the overall goal.