Creating Leverage

Ever notice how some people wish they could go in a new career direction and then the right things and people just fall into place for them? Do you feel like your job is a grind while you watch others breeze through? I felt like this once and was curious about how they did that. How does one create leverage, meaning a smaller effort has a bigger impact?  It took me years to learn, make changes to my character, and become open to leverage. Here are some ideas to intentionally bring more leverage in your career and maybe even the rest of your life.

1. Do a skills inventory. Note the gaps in your skillset for your new direction, and if you have a strength that helps you compensate for that gap. List all your skills, even ones that may be hidden or that you haven’t used in a long time.
2. Put aside industry experience and titles for now. Concentrate on your strengths, and begin writing about them.
3. Take a strengthsfinder test.  I recommend you spend the $15 and take the formal test on the Strengthsfinder website. At the end of the test, they will list your top five strengths and how to maximize them.
4. Check out my exercise to gain perspective on your impact at work. I call it “It’s a Wonderful Life” after the movie of the same name.
5. Do a character inventory and an attitude check. Sometimes the concentration on strengths is what it takes to give a fresh perspective. But sometimes you need to relinquish obstructive ideas and attitudes. Make sure your communication is clear, assertive but not aggressive, and kind but not passive. Your attitude goes a long way in greasing the skids.
6. Make a plan for backdoor hiring. Only 15% of hiring is done off of applications from job boards.
7. Turn your strengths into a value story (not a task story) of why you should be hired and what those strengths do for that position – complete projects on time, align with customer objectives, etc.
8. Change your LinkedIn profile to add value statements for the direction you’re taking. In each position highlight the benefit you provided rather than the title.
9. In your 1:1 networking, talk about your strengths, ask questions that you have about where to best apply them, what companies align well with both your skill (who/what is served) and character sets (culture).
10. Pay it forward. How can you use your strengths and resources to offer networking contacts something? Can you do a research project? Help them find a candidate for an open position? Offer a special report or data analysis? Give expert feedback on something? 

What ideas do you have to create leverage?