What is your personal competitive advantage? Are you following orders and checking your brain at the door (old school) – or trying to bring real creative, expansive thinking to your work (new school)?
The latest column from Seth Godin really struck a chord with me. Creative thinking is what I strive to bring to MY work. It also gets to the heart of what this blog is all about:
- Approaching your work with a fresh, creative perspective.
- Discerning patterns in the information you’re working with.
- Identifying and capitalizing new opportunities.
- Adding more value to your work.
So I created a mind map to summarize Seth’s key points and add a bit of perspective around them.
Depending upon where you work, your employer may not appreciate this mindset, however. A past job I had prized the “old school” skills. Because I worked smarter, I was able to get work done within a 40-hour week. But the leadership of the firm believed if you wanted to be a key player, you had to work long hours and weekends. I’m in a much more supportive environment now that appreciates and rewards my “new school” way of thinking!
Want to create a competitive advantage in your work, stand out and get promoted? Follow Seth’s “new school” mode of thinking. These are the skills that are needed today, more than ever!
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