The Professional Edge – What is it and how do we get it?
Many of us go through our entire lives in business never really considering if we have The Professional Edge or not. We work hard at our jobs, we take additional trainings and we have mastered our work tasks like a pro, yet we still aren’t climbing the corporate ladder as we expected.
We’re doing it all! But we’re not getting the rewards. Not only that, others who aren’t nearly as good at their job or as qualified as us, are rising in the ranks. If this sounds like you, read on, this post may be exactly what you need.
What is The Professional Edge?
There are a few key components to The Professional Edge. The first part is how your bring yourself forward in the workplace. It’s about how you’re showing up day-to-day, how you’re positioning yourself and probably more importantly how you’re perceived. It’s your personal brand.
Take minute to think about your personal brand. Are you thinking of yourself as if you were a company? Are you thinking about your mission? Are you considering how you want people to perceive you? Maybe you’re concentrating on your values or contemplating what you want to be known for. If you’re thinking in these terms, you’re definitely on the right track.
A Personal Brand
Taylor Swift has a very solid personal brand. She is incredibly business oriented and in control of her brand, yet she’s very approachable. She’s well liked and good under pressure. She’s demonstrated good judgment in very stressful situations, which has further increased the value of her brand.
If you’re a young professional in the workplace, Taylor Swift might be someone that you could role model. It’s always easier to have someone to analyze, study and emulate as you move forward.
A Word of Caution
The interesting, and scary, thing about a personal brand is you can spend years developing one and you can damage it in an instant. Take care of your reputation.
Your Presence
The Professional Edge is a combination of factors, one of which is your presence. When you are looking to have that little edge, you need to be thinking about how you look and how you feel. Probably even more important is how you feel. Very often I find that people don’t lack competence, they lack confidence.
Dress a level or two above your position will help give you The Professional Edge. Look at your supervisor or their boss as the step that you’re aspiring to. That’s how you want to dress. You might want to view your clothing as a uniform. If you do you should see how it can help project the persona that you want. It’s almost like putting on a costume. If you’re either dressing at or below the level of your position, your clothing isn’t doing you any favors. If you’re serious about your success and committed to getting ahead as quickly as possible, just give your appearance a little something extra, The Professional Edge.
The Best News Is….
Your appearance is something that you can easily control whether you have a lot of money or not. You don’t need to have an Armani suit to have a stellar personal brand. If you look neat and clean, are wearing freshly pressed clothes and show up like you’re ready to excel at your job, you’re going to be noticed, in a good way.
Network Your Way to the Top
When you have your brand and your appearance working for you it’s time to build, develop and maintain your professional network. The Professional Edge is having access to information and resources. There’s powerful potential in whom you know and what you have access to.
Keep Your Sights High
Start and keep looking up. Notice how others in your organization are acting. Focus on the next level, or better yet, two levels above. What qualities are valued? What are the things that those individuals are doing to move ahead? Then try to some of the same things.
Finally
Be patient, persistent and position yourself properly. Focus on success and keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities. Using these techniques you should move ahead at a nice pace and be well respected in your field. You’ll have The Professional Edge and the all the rewards that come with it.
- Posted by Regina
- On August 16, 2017
- 1 Comments