Be Different or be dead

December 2, 2010

Why the ONLY statement is the way to standout and be successful

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Why the ONLY statement is the way to standout and be successful.

How to be successful? Do you have a career plan?

It all boils down to being able to state how you intend to satisfy the career decision makers in your organization in a unique and compelling way.

So how do you do it?

My ONLY Statement can help: “I am the ONLY one in the organization that ...” is a statement that will define your uniqueness and distinguish you from others.

But there are some caveats. Your ONLY claim must meet the following tests:

Relevance — It must address a relevant, compelling and high priority need for your organization.

To claim you are truly special at something that is not relevant at that particular point in time is futile and will get you nowhere.

For example, if your business has significant marketing challenges and you attest to your unique brilliance in inventory control you will not likely dazzle others and get a leg up on your internal competition.

Climb the mountain that is THE challenge for your organization so that when you make your only claim others will sit up and take notice because it resonates loudly with the issues leadership is struggling with.

Truth — It must be true.

Others must attest to the fact that the words and music line up; that you consistently demonstrate the values and behaviours expressed in the statement. If you claim to be unique at something that isn’t true or that you demonstrate inconsistently, others will see it and you will suffer a major set-back.

Consider this example of an only statement:

“I am the only person in my organization that has the demonstrated critical marketing skills and experience to lead the transformation required from a transaction based monopoly to a customer driven competitive business.”

Constantly measure your ONLY Statement to ensure you are delivering its value every day and that the uniqueness you claim continues to be a high priority for your organization.

Report card — Develop a simple ONLY report card and get your mentors, colleagues and other leaders to rate you on the ONLY claims you are making.

Their perception of you is reality so stay close to them and listen to what they have to say.

Keep your report card simple.

Here’s an example of the statements you could get others agree or disagree with as a way to measure how effective your ONLY Statement is:

▪️ ‘The company considers competitive marketing skills to be a critical competency that needs to be developed to be successful in the evolving competitive market’;

▪️ ‘I have a proven background of marketing experience that is relevant to transforming our organization to a competitive enterprise’;

▪️ ‘I have the necessary marketing skills to create our marketing function as a core competency that gives our organization a strategic advantage in the market’;

▪️ ‘I am the only person in our organization who possesses the essential combination of demonstrated experience and skills to lead our marketing team into the brave new competitive world’.

Based on how others see you in terms of relevance and truth, address any deficiencies in your ONLY and keep measuring.

Your best career coach is the ONLY Statement; let it be your guide to relevance and truth.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 12.2.10 at 12:00 pm by Roy Osing
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