W.I.N. Wednesday: You want it? Earn it.
"You are not your resume, you are your work."
Seth Godin
On an audio recording I was listening to a few years ago the speaker (I believe it was John Maxwell) said, “The best you will ever look is on your resume when you apply for a new job.” He is absolutely right. We can all make ourselves look good in a resume, on a CV, or in a bio or introduction for a presentation.
You have likely been disappointed however, after you hire the person, or once you see them in action, or listen to their presentation. They looked good on paper but, failed to live up to the hype.
As Seth Godin points out, “You are not your resume.” You are also not your rank, title, or the letters behind your name in your e-mail signature or on your business card. You are not your degrees or the certificates on your wall. You are your work. You are what you do day in and day out. You are what you produce; what you ship.
There seems to be a lot of people who feel their title, position in an organization or rank is what gives them credibility. Those things may get people’s attention initially, or get you a foot in the door. What gives you credibility is the value you bring to others once you have their attention or are in the door. What gives you credibility is treating others with respect, rather than expecting to be treated with respect because of your title or your rank.
Too many speakers feel they need to give a 20 minute bio at the start of their presentation in order to "establish credibility" with an audience. The blah, blah, blah bio does just the opposite. It tends to turn an audience off, rather than tune them in.
You want respect? Earn it.
You want credibility? Consistently deliver excellent results and remain humble.
You want recognition? Do great work and give credit to others.
You want to stand out in a crowd? Be world class at what you do.
What’s Important Now? - Commit to the pursuit of excellence. Stay hungry and humble. Treat others with respect. Give credit to others. Strive to be world class at what you do. Spend your time making yourself better, instead of trying to make yourself look good. It will result in great work, and a great resume.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Committed to the pursuit of excellence through Life's Most Powerful Question - What's Important Now?
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