A world-class advisor, who earns more than $20,000 a day advising and coaching senior executives from some of the largest companies in the world, is speaking to a group of young executives, all of whom are on the official “executive fast-track” within their individual companies. Young executives on the official “executive fast-track” have been deemed to have extraordinary potential… including the potential to rise to the most senior ranks, including a potential future CEO within their company.
The World-Class advisor is sharing a few of what he knows are the most critical characteristics and behaviors for achieving outstanding personal and professional success, regardless of the organization, industry or location.
“Be different. Be unique. Be the exact opposite of what most of us were taught as youngsters and in our early and even late teens. Think about it. Most junior high students, and many high school students would rather die than be different! And tragically, some do die rather than being different!
Being different is good, healthy and wise… from a hundred different perspectives.”
Differentiation is a wonderful thing! Differentiation is the spice of life. Differentiation brings incredible beauty and variety to nature, to the world, and to our personal and professional lives.
Differentiation is what distinguishes world-class artists, world-class musicians, world-class authors, world-class speakers, world-class thinkers, world-class leaders and world-class contributors in every walk of life.
People spend billions of dollars every year traveling the world seeking, experiencing and enjoying differentiation. Year after year, billions of people pursue seeing, experiencing, learning from, and enjoying people, places, activities and things that are different.
In general, the higher one’s socioeconomic status, the higher ‘different’ and ‘differentiation’ is valued. And, what is the socioeconomic status of most senior leaders who will make decisions that will dramatically affect your career and your life? You get the point.
Highly successful people are different. Their attitudes are different. Their expectations are different. Their habits are different. Their approach toward personal and professional accountability is different. Successful people differentiate themselves!
If you are like everyone else, why would your company, your profession, your industry, your community, the organizations in which you are involved need and want you? If you are like everyone else, why would your friends desire close relationships with you? You are just like everyone else! To be like everyone else is NOT a good thing!
How will you be perceived in the future? Will you be perceived as one who delivers different contributions, different value, different, diverse and unusual perspectives, unique skills, talents, experience and wisdom? Will you be perceived as a ‘difference maker’ and ‘significant contributor’ versus average and much like everyone else?
Dare to be different! Dare to purposefully and intentionally create and continuously refine unique, and unusual high-value strengths and abilities.
Differentiation is a wise and very effective strategy.
The critical question is… “what differentiates you… and what will differentiate you in the future?”
If you desire greater success in any area of your life… differentiate yourself! Dare to be purposefully different!
