Hitting your professional storytelling reset button is an essential component for professional and workforce development, as well as business growth. Because this exercise requires you to consider how you deliver value to others, instead of focusing on yourself.
Whether you hit this reset button once a year, or continuously throughout the year, reflect on whether you need to recalibrate and refocus how you tell your story to decisionmakers.
-
Do you persist in telling your professional stories as an historical chronology of professional accomplishments? Because when you continue to tell your story in this manner, you leave the conclusion of the story up to other people.
Consider that these “other people” are: a) overwhelmed by their own professional responsibilities; and/or do not understand – and possibly are intimidated by – the professional terminology on your LinkedIn profiles and professional resumes; and/or do not get a crystal clear picture of what working with you can accomplish for them. How can you improve their first impression of the professional story you tell?
-
Do you ignore considering that all the people, professional goals and decisions which you prioritize accomplishing are not wholly under your control.
While your priority remains YOU, decisionmakers’ priorities clearly are not all about you. Also, decisionmakers are just as overwhelmed by daily professional responsibilities as you are. In addition, consider the professional context of the decisions you ask them to make, on your behalf. Then, strategize how you can better serve these decisionmakers, first, to make their lives more productive, profitable and purposeful. Make the story you tell all about them, so they become comfortable prioritizing you.
-
Finally, prioritize making time to reflect, assess, recalibrate and, yes, celebrate your professional accomplishments.
Consequently, you stop dwelling on What Did Not Happen. At least not yet. In addition, you begin to focus on more valuably serving clients, first. Instead of immediately anticipating self-serving professional gains. Because the biggest professional “wins” you achieve are when you clearly communicate your professional story to those you serve. Even when decisionmakers do not have immediate need for your products, services, systems, programs and stories.
When you hit your professional storytelling reset button in this manner, you move one millimeter beyond the current mindset and habits which keep you comfortable. Instead, you serve colleagues, employers and clients, first, to retain employees and clients long-term. And you create a never-ending, productive, profitable and purposeful professional story. Together.
Reset yourself: professionally and purposefully, one millimeter at a time. My facilitated consulting programs develop a strategy, process and milestones for your career trajectory, workforce value creation and business growth. Take these next steps:
- Time for professional self-improvement? 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 facilitated consulting programs. Contact me right here to share your story, Today.
Babette Ten Haken’s One Millimeter Mindset® Storytelling for STEM Professionals and Left Brain Thinkers speaking programs leverage purpose-driven human capital value differentiation through storytelling, to create and retain successful employees and clients. Curious? Read Babette’s professional story here. Babette is a member of SME, ASQ, SHRM and the National Speakers Association. Her playbook of communication tools and methods, Do YOU Mean Business? is available on Amazon.com. Babette’s speaker profile appears on this website as well as on the espeakers platform. Contact Babette here.
Image source: Getty Images
Leave a Reply