When your job title becomes your entire professional story, you feel your title “speaks for itself.” That the professional title on your business card, your e-signature, on your name plate, conveys an entire explanation of who you are, what you do and how you create value for colleagues and clients.
Job titles are a bunch of letters and words; job titles have no voice.
Do you have professional acronyms after your name, like MBA, PhD, MD, PE? You get the idea. And, do you rely on these high-level academic credentials to further embellish the story you feel is automatically conveyed. To your workplace. And to your clients’ and strategic partners’ workplaces?
Consider whether you rely on the significance of professional labels to tell your entire professional story. Because you may be selling yourself short.
- First, your job title may convey a message of exclusivity to co-workers and colleagues who do not enjoy the same professional distinctions. Is that the story you want to tell the workplace?
- Then, your professional behavior may reflect professional elitism, rather than professional inclusion. Has that story become the only story for which you are known in the workplace?
- In addition, do you expect deferential behavior from less accomplished and educated co-workers and colleagues? Again, what type of story do you tell, to the workplace?
What happens when your entire professional story moves beyond the confines of what you feel your job title and academic credentials “mean”?
Undeniably, the considerable breadth and depth of effort that go into earning that job title, and those professional acronyms, is impressive. However, when the workplace is full of people who define themselves by their job titles and professional labels, everyone is very busy. Separated by their job titles and functions. Working full time. At half the capacity of what is possible.
In today’s technologically changing, Industry 4.0 workplaces, software and equipment often communicate far more compatibly than their human co-workers. Because the interfaces between soft-and hardware are job title and academic degree agnostic.
It just could be that your co-workers and colleagues can benefit from your own workplace example, as a human interface between various disciplines. So you lead the way, as you traverse across job titles, pay grades, levels of education and generations. And, like those software and hardware interfaces, colleagues and clients become more compatible and collaborative.
Now, that is a timely professional story to tell. And, when that story becomes your entire professional story, you become a trusted, go-to resource for your organization.
Are you willing to move one millimeter beyond relying on your job title to tell your entire professional story? And start telling a more relevant, valuable and distinctive story? Then, take these next steps.
- Planning your next team, corporate or association meeting? Engage me to present one of my Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers speaking programs, workshops or moderated facilitation services. Contact me here.
- Download my checklist and worksheet: Six Professional Development Targets to Hit each Month.
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Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset® Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers Speaking Programs target purpose-driven professional success. Become more visible, relevant and valuable to your organization.
Find out more about Babette’s professional story here. Babette is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of communication hacks, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile is on the espeakers platform. Contact Babette here.
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