You Are Not Your Job Title

Is Security Possible in Today’s Economy?

“There’s no such thing as job security anymore.” That’s the prevalent philosophy being expressed today, usually followed with statistics on the average number of changes you can expect to make over the course of your career. Career counselors encourage us to be flexible, retool as necessary, and learn to be comfortable with marketing ourselves. This advice points us in the direction of creating a new kind of security, one that’s portable.

What I’ve also seen in coaching people through change is that another key contributor to feeling more secure is the ability to comprehend the Who vs. What distinction.

Who vs. What

In last night’s teleclass entitled “Who Are You?” we talked about differentiating between what you do and who you are.

Your job title —medical director, marketing executive, software developer— conveys certain information about your likely skill set, experiences, and perspective. This is also true for other roles you hold—parent, volunteer, amateur photographer, golfer, etc.

The many roles you assume over a lifetime speak to WHAT you do, the actual work involved, and even what some see as their mission. The WHO part is the unique element that you bring to every role and the impact you have on other people just by being you. This is the ingredient that, once identified, will bolster your sense of security as well as your fulfillment and success.

“People often mistake their jobs, career, and roles in life
as their life purpose.”
—Thomas Leonard

Do you know your WHO, your unique purpose and hallmark? This is knowing who you are and how you make a difference. In addition to your other qualifications, it’s what every hiring manager (or prospective client) wants to know. It answers the question of why you and not the other guy. More importantly, once you identify this WHO, you’ll be able to bring it forward in a bigger way and do what you’re here on the planet to do.

Turn Up the Volume

In the Now What?® Program¹ it’s called “turning up the volume” when you start doing things that connect you with your purpose. Knowing WHO you are informs your decisions about WHAT to do. That’s what we’ll be discussing on our next call, the last in the preview series.

Speaking of turning up the volume, my brother, Tom, would be proud that Roger Daltrey and his crew have a home on my playlist of favorites. And since Who Are You? is one of the songs I often work-out to in the morning, the title must have subliminally inserted itself into the teleclass. “Who are you?’ may sound like a philosophical question to be considered only when on mountain tops or gazing at ocean waves, yet answering it will unlock many everyday dilemmas that you face at work and in life.

Notes:
¹Now What?® is a registered trademark of Laura Berman Fortgang. Learn more here.