“What do you do for a living? “ Probably one of the most common questions we are asked when we meet someone new.  I was speaking with a client last week and in the course of conversation asked what her husband did professionally.  Her initial response was vague, and ended with “I don’t really know”.    This got me thinking.  Could my wife really tell someone what I did for a living?  Could my father?  And is it important?

Several years ago, when my first patent was granted a friend said “I didn’t know you were that smart” I still think she was joking, but what if she wasn’t? Perhaps I had not accurately conveyed to her through the course of our conversations that I was a driven, smart individual.

These two issues are closely related, and have to do with personal branding. When we first meet people, they quickly assess our credibility, energy, trustworthiness and a variety of other really important attributes that, for them, define who we are.

Strategic personal branding starts by defining how you want to show up – intentionally.  Putting the real you, or best you out there.  This never means manufacturing a you that cannot be lived up to; it includes being open and letting people see who we really are and what we are capable of.  Part of how we brand ourselves, is to talk about what we do and establish credibility. Start creating your personal brand by writing down all the things you want to be known for, the things you are good at, and the things that others might say you are good at.  Is there a common theme?  Are there some consistencies?  Learn how to tell those stories well.  I have one client who decided he wanted to be known as the expert of a particular product line within their organization.  He started talking about the product whenever he had the chance, studied competitors, processes and market position.  He has the product on his desk, and if you ask will tell you all about it.  None of this was by accident.  He decided to be known for something, became the expert, promoted the fact that he was the expert, and now has senior executives coming to him for advice.

Defining how you want to show up, creating a strategic brand for yourself will not just ensure your spouse, parent or children can say in a sentence what you do for a living, but can lead to job referrals, improve your reputation within the organization and position you right where you want to be…

Authored by: Zack Clark, MBA

Zack is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.

This conversation seems to pop up a lot lately, especially when people start talking about “the current economy”. “How can I leave my job to follow my passion?” “I feel lucky just to have a job!” Or, “It’s just a job.”

Yes. And.
It’s important to understand both the difference and the relationship between your work and your job. It’s fairly simple, really: Your “work” is what you do. It’s what you were designed to do. It’s what you are excited about, and what you have talent for. It’s connected to your very reason for being; it’s the contribution you are making to the world and to humanity. It doesn’t have to be just one thing, but whatever the one thing—or many things—that you are doing does have to be deeply part of you. It’s your purpose and passion.

Your job, on the other hand, is simply the place where you have the opportunity to do your work. If you are doing your work for a company that pays you to do it, then you have a pretty good gig going on. Maybe you work for someone else, or maybe you work for yourself, but it’s important to have a job in which you have the chance, every day, to do your work.

Get it?

You may have a job that is “just a job”; you need to pay the mortgage and put food on the table, right? True, those things need to be done. But can you find some part of your work in your job, even if it’s not your dream job?

Consider this: My son, Ryan, is a writer. And as a budding young author, he still needed to pay the rent and make his car payment. So he got a job delivering mail for the US Postal Service. And as he walked along his delivery route every day, he looked for ideas and stories to write about. In the mornings before work, he got up early and wrote his stories, then went out looking for more every day while he did his “job”.

Some people actually discover their “work” while they are doing a job. Zack, our partner at Five Degrees Consulting, was launching a marketing business when we recruited him to do some consulting work for us. We discovered he had a diverse set of talents and experience in retail management, and we asked him to start helping us out with leadership development and executive coaching. Zack discovered his passion for working with leaders and organizations with his very first foray into the consulting world, and now he’s hooked! (And we’re very happy.)

The saying, “Do what you love, and love what you do” is most true when you find the right fit between your work and your job.

Authored by: Merrilee Buchanan, LCSW


Merrilee is a Senior Consultant and one of the founding partners at Five Degrees Consulting. This is a blog we share between several of the Consultants at Five Degrees, guest authors and colleagues. We work with companies large and small on People and Organization strategies. Our work specializes in organizational development, leadership effectiveness and executive development. With a focus on working with leaders at all levels to create an intentional corporate culture, we help organizations increase employee engagement, energize working teams, develop critical leadership competencies and enhance strategic communications for more information about our services, please connect with us.