Wonderful Me
Why I’m like no other
One of the better questions I’ve asked job applicants over the years is: What makes your work especially valuable to clients? What do you add to the equation that nobody else does?
One reason this is a great question is that it gets immediately to two key topics. First, is the person self-aware enough and attentive enough to the job to know where his or her strengths are greatest? Has the person ever thought about how he or she can make the biggest contribution to the company and its clients? Second, do these strengths translate to my business? Assuming the applicant has identified the relevant skill set, is that contribution relevant here, now, in this job?
Serving clients is like a job interview that goes on forever, or so we hope. Invariably, we want the customer to benefit from the Me Factor and to recognize that factor as relevant to their needs. It’s not enough to have the skills. Those skills must drive both corporate profitability and customer loyalty.
In the competitive marketplace, as in the job market, adequacy is nothing more than table stakes. It gets us in the game, but it doesn’t make us winners. Every successful company, like every successful person, needs to identify and promote the Me Factor. Without knowing and promoting that unique strength, we are commodities…and priced accordingly.
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