Differentiating Value & You

Sometimes in our life we come across people who share something that we did not expect, but really enlighten us to new perspective. I often find that this new perspective is really not new at all, but is grounded in those very basic values we were taught as a child. We may have put them on the shelf to gather dust as we take in new information and move along in our lives, but then we meet a stranger at a grocery store, have a conversation with the cashier at the shopping mall or watch a movie and suddenly the dust that has gathered is instantly blown off. This happened to me the other day and it was a thought that kept boiling in my mind and soon I started connecting it with some business principles and my own job search.

The enlightenment:
As I was holiday shopping for my wife I came across a woman who has spent many years in Asia. She went to school there in her late teens/early 20's, but is not of Asian descent. As I was shopping she was telling me about her business and her process of shopping for unique pieces in the Asian markets. I asked her how she got into this business and how she became so interested in Asia.

She said that she has loved the Asian culture since she was a little girl and this is who she is and she couldn't imagine doing anything else. She told me that the most profitable and deepest relationships she has had both in business and in her personal life are with those that were secure in who they and what they believed in.

As I shopped and the conversation went on I wondered if this was a simple business to customer conversation or a life lesson in the making. Such a basic thought, but profound in a world where change is common and quite frankly....expected! This conversation stayed with me on my ride back home and seemed to reappear again as I watched a movie with my wife called "Four Christmases."

The Connection:
The notion that such a simple concept could bother me so was unsettling and I began to work with it in my mind. I started to think about myself and who I was, the career paths I had taken, my journey as I look for a new job and how this applies....or does it at all. Suddenly it hit me!

Isn't this what we strive for in business? Are we not looking for that key "differentiating value?" Isn't this what we want as we job hunt? To "stand out" from the rest of the candidates? Yes...we so often change because others have or because the competition has shifted into a new direction and soon we find ourselves becoming a "me too.” We allow others to change our business, resumes, etc. to sound like something we are not and we find ourselves in situations that are not a good fit.

What would happen if we stayed true to ourselves? What path would that take us down? What differentiating value do we already have that just needs to be discovered and highlighted vs. changed? Look for those simple lessons in life we learned at a young age and allow them to be dusted off .

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

Dr. Seuss