Gaining a competitive edge in today\u2019s business world requires a unique combination of skill, experience and the ability to stand out in a crowd.\u00a0 Searching for a job, shining in your company, or being an industry expert; these activities and goals require various and many talents to be sure.\u00a0 However; making your mark requires more than skill and experience.\u00a0 You have to be truly unique to rise above the competition and stand out in the crowd; a daunting task.\u00a0 In a society with pervasive social media noise and 24-7 news feeds, and a business climate saturated with voicemail and email overload, standing out in the crowd is challenging at best.\u00a0 So how do you do it?<\/p>\n
Deliver the unexpected.\u00a0 In the business environment, this can range from a creative resume or job search approach to going above and being truly unique in the workplace.\u00a0 The Huffington Post recently highlighted a young Australian job-seeker who created a candy bar wrapper out of her resume and sent it out on a chocolate bar to would-be employers.\u00a0 When the story hit the news, she received offers from as far away as Europe.\u00a0 Someone else I know sent her resume along with three copies of US News & World Report\u2019s top-rated hospitals issue when applying for a marketing job at Cincinnati Children\u2019s.\u00a0 She shared how she would like to contribute to their marketing efforts to help keep them in the number 3 spot in the country.\u00a0 Unique and unexpected; these two candidates stood out above the crowd.<\/p>\n
In your daily job, experts give so much advice on how to stay ahead of the pack and get noticed.\u00a0 \u2018Under promise and over deliver\u2019 is oft-quoted guidance.\u00a0 Also popular are; be on time, work hard, be professional, stay goal-oriented, etc.\u00a0 While these are solid ideas, the one I believe will make the greatest impact is effective communication skills; both speaking and listening.\u00a0 In John Maxwell\u2019s book Everyone Communicates, Few Connect<\/em>, he maintains that \u201cThe ability to communicate and connect with others is a major determining factor in reaching your potential.\u00a0 To be successful, you must work well with others.\u00a0 To do that at your absolute best, you must learn to connect.\u201d\u00a0 Being powerful in your communication is unique in the workplace.\u00a0 If you want to stand out above the crowd, try listening more and talking less.\u00a0 You\u2019ll be amazed at the attention and people it draws.<\/p>\n Now, let\u2019s turn our attention to standing out in the crowd as a speaker.\u00a0 In my experience as a speaker and an audience member at any event, I have found one common thread that garners the most attention \u2013 delivering the unexpected.\u00a0 The element of surprise –\u00a0 something that catches people off guard, makes them pause and think, or knocks them of their normal course of thought; these are the things that cause you to rise up above the crowd.\u00a0 I have two personal stories of the unexpected; one giving, the other receiving.<\/p>\n I attended a James Malinchak Speaker Bootcamp in Los Angeles one year, and wanted to get noticed among the hundreds of attendees that would be there.\u00a0 In researching his bio, I learned that James was a former UC basketball player under coach Tony Yates, whom my husband knew through a friend.\u00a0 Prior to heading to LA, I purchased UC spirit items and made a gift bag for James, and obtained permission from Tony to give his cell number to James.\u00a0 When the opportunity arose at the bootcamp, I presented James with the gift and shared Tony\u2019s number.\u00a0 James was absolutely blown away by the gesture because it had been years since they last spoke, and Yates had had a profound impact on James as a coach.\u00a0 No doubt, this connection was memorable for James and it definitely made me stand out in the crowd.\u00a0 He referenced me many times over the course of the bootcamp, and in doing so I made 10 times the connections than I typically do at such events.<\/p>\n Just a few weeks ago, after joining a coaching program, they followed up with the unexpected.\u00a0 I was surprised when UPS delivered a package one day, as I hadn\u2019t recently ordered anything.\u00a0 To my pleasant surprise, the organization sent a surprise gift to me as a new member.\u00a0 I had absolutely no idea it was coming, and the bonus of this gesture increased the value of the investment I\u2019d made with the program.\u00a0 The unanticipated event made them stand out above myriad other membership programs I\u2019d joined in the past.<\/p>\n As a speaker and presenter, passion, humor, and storytelling are the top three elements of delivering the unexpected to my audiences.\u00a0 People are wowed when I come in from the back of the room with boxing gloves asking, “Do you come out punching every time you speak?”\u00a0 This combines a little bit of humor with the unexpected.\u00a0 Women love the red vinyl shoes I use to mark the way to the training room for public workshops.\u00a0 This is storytelling in a sense, in that it connects with how to achieve High-Heeled Success.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been known to use many props in my workshops, some humorous, some to drive home an important point, and others to underscore an idea I am passionate about.\u00a0 One of my favorite props is a wand that lights up and plays a magical chord when I wave it (thanks to Jenifer Quin-Wilson for the gift of the want).\u00a0 The wand is an unexpected object that underscores breakthroughs, \u2018ahah\u2019 moments, and steps of courage that many women take when they grow and develop in my workshops.<\/p>\n Are you delivering the unexpected in what you do every day?\u00a0 If you need help standing out above the crowd I\u2019d love to help.\u00a0 We can explore ways to develop your presentation skills, increase your passion, your delivery or storytelling skills.\u00a0 Connect with me via email at kay@highheeledsuccess.com<\/a>, or give me a call at (513) 561-4288.<\/p>\n \u00a9Copyright 2016.\u00a0 Kay Fittes.\u00a0 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gaining a competitive edge in today\u2019s business world requires a unique combination of skill, experience and the ability to stand out in a crowd.\u00a0 Searching for a job, shining in your company, or being an industry expert; 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