After spending 25 or 30 years in sales, revenue, or growth roles, most top-level executives have done a bunch of different things. In fact, a lot of LinkedIn profiles look the same. Almost everyone has worked at a few well-known companies, has helped startups grow, has changed things around, hired and coached employees, and left when the time was right.
But now, as an interim executive, it's time to find your special skill, your superpower! Just being able to do a bit of everything doesn't help you stand out. The field is pretty crowded. To shine, you need to be really clear about who and how you can help and what makes you really good.
Here are four steps to help you:
- Your Personal Satisfaction: Think about your work history. Remember the jobs that made you feel really good and like you were making a difference? What parts of those jobs did you enjoy? What gave you a sense of achievement? Think about things like what you did, who you worked with, and how much you got paid.
- Your Skills: Look at each job and see if it was more about being creative or managing things. Was it hard or easy? Once you figure out the jobs that made you happiest, write down the skills you learned in those jobs. You can use these skills now in your new role.
- Your Contribution: Think about what you brought to each job. When you left a job, what did your coworkers and bosses say they missed about you? This can help you understand what you're really good at.
- Your Passion: Decide what you want to do next. What are you passionate about? Sometimes, it might be totally different from your old job, but that can be tough to explain. Usually, it's something similar to what you've done before. Something that made you feel proud, that uses skills you have, that other people know you're good at, and that you want to do now.
In the end, becoming an interim executive is about discovering what makes you unique. In a world full of sameness, your distinct melody of past experiences, current skills, and future dreams forms the song of your exceptional ability. This song sets you apart and ensures that your impact is heard loud and clear amidst the usual noise.