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Differentiators are among the most important drivers of your personal brand (the other drivers are values, passions, superpowers, purpose and goals). When you know what sets you apart from others, you can use that distinction to stand out and attract the attention you need to move your career forward.
We all have peers or competitors—people who do what we do, or who aspire to be doing what we’re also aiming to do in the future. Jobs that are free of competition are exceedingly rare. The King of England is the only person for that job—at least until he decides to give up the post or he passes away.
But if you are not wearing the crown, you can’t reach your goals if you don’t set yourself apart in the crowd. Your differentiators could come in a few different forms:
Your How.
Unless you are in an extremely narrow field, like working as a Live Mannequin/Human Statue (it’s a real job—a form of advertising), it’s hard to differentiate yourself based merely on what you do. How you do it, though, can be a valuable way to demonstrate your uniqueness. Think about your method or process of doing what you do. What makes your techniques interesting or different?
Your POV.
You may make a name for yourself because of your stance on your profession. For example, you could be the advertising executive who thinks marketing is an art and constantly tries things out, embracing new ideas to see what you can create that will be effective and unique. Or you could believe that marketing is all about science. For you, data is the key to successful advertising.
Your Quirky Qualities.
What sets you apart could even be something completely unrelated to—or unnecessary for—what you do, yet it makes you more interesting and intriguing. You might speak eight languages but work for a company that conducts all business in English. One executive I know was a world-class synchronized swimmer, yet she worked in finance for a tech company. She’s the only synchronized swimmer I ever met, which makes her interesting. And she connects her skill and passion for the sport with her commitment to the precision, harmony and collaboration she builds with her team.
For some of us, it is easier to identify our differentiators when we first look at what we have in common with those who do what we do or have the same career aspirations. Then we can identify those high-quality quirks that are distinctly different from those shared skills, interests or experiences. Quirks are the qualities that set us apart.
Everyone has something unique and valuable to offer. When you are clear about your differentiators—and you apply them to your daily actions—you stand out, get noticed and expand your success.
You know what else gets you noticed? Using your superpowers. That’s the personal brand driver we’ll cover in the next installment of this personal brand discovery series.
#UBU
William Arruda is a keynote speaker, co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of BrandBoost - a virtual, video-fueled course to help you grow your self-awareness and amp up your personal brand.
