| Why would you want to be known for something you’d be fired for if you didn’t do it? |
I had a delightful experience at the 3% Conference. Getting to talk to a room full of creatives and marketers meant that I didn’t have to carefully explain marketing concepts like “reach and frequency” or a product’s “value proposition.” With this audience, I could zoom through the basics and focus my energy on packing a mighty wallop to the room.
When I ask women about why they’re great, “I’m good at getting shit done” (or some variation of that statement) is the number one answer I get. My response turned into a tweet.
Speaking of wallops, my response gets people’s attention. It’s something I say often, and I get a lot of pushback on it. Getting shit done is a good thing, right? I don’t think you should be known as a “get shit done girl.” Here’s why.One of my rules for figuring out how to talk about yourself is to be unique. Talking about how you get shit done guarantees that you’ll sound just like everyone else.Imagine for a second you work for me. (Lucky you! We’re a fun team.) What happens if you don’t get your shit done? Yup, we’ll probably have a couple of tough conversations, but at some point, I’ll have to let you go. Getting your shit done is the reason you get paid. Why would you want to be known for something you’d be fired for if you didn’t do it?Let’s consider who gets to do the “strategic” thinking. Is it the person who’s known for flawlessly executing on the plan? Or is it the person who talks about how the plan will manifest in the future? If you’re known for “getting shit done,” people will trust you to execute on the plan flawlessly. But most of the time, it’ll be a plan made by someone else.No, this isn’t a free pass to not get your shit done (look at reason two.) And yes, I’m well aware that there are harsh standards applied only to women on this topic. What I’m saying is, getting shit done isn’t what you should be KNOWN for. You should be known for something that’s uniquely, authentically and fabulously you.
So what is your unique value?
I hope it’s something besides getting shit done.