You may be following all of the best practices for establishing yourself as a thought leader — consistently communicating with your network, putting yourself out there to meet new people, openly sharing industry opinions and insights, and leading conversations with audience-centric messaging.
But…is something missing?
If you’re not getting the engagement numbers you were expecting, don’t feel like you are differentiating yourself in an effective way, or, are struggling with the overall routine of planning, writing, and publishing content; you, my friend, may need to reignite your passion. For your career, that is.
Ultimately what makes our jobs easier and our successes greater is the passion that encourages us to take on the day-to-day hustle in the first place. When we’re excited about a project and it’s obvious, others get excited too. And that’s powerful.
You can work on reigniting your passion right now. Take a few moments to honestly answer the following questions.
1. What do you do well? I m ean, really well. It could be a natural talent you are frequently complimented on, or an expertise you have taken years to perfect. Revisit your skill set for a moment, independent of how you would define your current occupation or role.
2. What do you help others do that they can’t do themselves? This is vital. Think about the true value you provide through your skills, products, or services.
3. What is your greatest strength in this area? The answer to this question helps you identify how you might differentiate yourself in the market, which is most likely a combination of your answers to questions 1 and 2.
4. What motivates you to do this? There’s a reason you get out of bed in the morning. Be honest with yourself here to get to the root of why you do what you do.
Now think about how this soul-searching applies to your current place of employment.
5. What makes your company truly unique? Another differentiater. Stay away from your go-to canned response when you answer this question.
6. Why do you work there? You chose your current place of employment as much as they chose you. Think back to what impressed you about them then, and why you are proud to be a part of the team now.
7. What do you want others to know about your company? From company culture to rarely-shared history, there are plenty of tidbits about your company others don’t see, know, or realize.
Use this reflection as momentum. Next time you draft an email, go to a networking event or write a blog post, make sure your passion comes through loud and clear. Then, let me know if it changes your results.
