8
How Do I Differentiate Myself from Others?
“When you reach for the stars you might not quite get one,
But you will not come up with a handful of mud, either”
Leo Burnett
I cannot overemphasize the importance of realizing that nobody will manage your career for you. You must take absolute responsibility for yourself. The trick is to apply your professional techniques and toolbox to your personal life. Sometimes this means disengaging. It also means seeking continuous feedback; communication is collaborative and the more you listen to others the more you learn about yourself. However, the borderline between internal and external communication is becoming more and more blurred. This distinction seems less and less relevant – new communication technologies promote transparency and the inner picture needs to correspond to the outer. This produces a holistic perspective. You probably evaluate personal and professional feedback using the same criteria as you apply when you evaluate news: Importance, topicality, relevance, conflict and sensation. Some feedback is deemed to be more relevant and so it touches you more. Be aware of these repeated themes and do your utmost to articulate exactly why they touch you. When you have found these reasons you might have identified some of the reasons behind the “mysteries” in relation to your former interactions.
Take 6½ minutes to write down personal feedback that has really meant something to you. ...
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