What is the Career Competitive Edge?

How does a company, firm, or individual determine if they have, want, or are striving toward the competitive edge? Questioning “what is professional success?” is a good first step. For many, the easy answer is money and status. But, when these are attained (or lost) it is surprising how ethereal they were. On the other hand, if success has more to do with an ability to express oneself and be heard, engage with a passion and interact with equally motivated people, then the target moves. Whatever the definition becomes, it is clear that to acquire the edge and remain competitive takes risk. The first and probably the most daunting risk is based on the fear of not being liked. Being competitive often means leading change, questioning the status quo, and being right. Not things that win popularity contests. Courage and a willingness to stand by your convictions don’t come easy to most people (though passion can fuel fortitude). In order to attain high focus, many things may have to be eliminated or ignored. Hopefully not family or health, but probably those sideline interests, the menial tasks you do faster and better than anyone and the projects that are interesting but are going nowhere, or in a direction that is questionable or off track. Competitors are focused and selective. A risk for many managers is what I call execution by executing, becoming so focused on the here and now, getting to the end of every task, that the future is counted in minutes and the competition is a clock. Just recently a client caught me on this one. “Jane, I think we need to work on the strategy and forget the tactics for the moment.” He was absolutely right. The experts tell us that continued learning, contact with current information, collaborations with those in the know, and learning from our successes and missteps through accurate and updated data collection, help every executive get the edge they need. Hard to argue—more challenging to accomplish. So what does it mean and how do you know when you are accelerating progress or setting-up hurdles? For many people coaching conversations help dissect the process, identify options, and hold people accountable. Have you considered a coach? Homework: What gives you the edge? If it came down to a choice between you and another job candidate, promotion selection, or project leader, what would place you on top? Make a compelling list, take an objective look, how do you fare? Now, say it out loud. Convincing? Where is fine-tuning appropriate or is surgery called for?

Copyright 2008, 2009 Jane Cranston

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