How to Manage ‘YOU Ltd’

No matter where you work, no matter what you do, you are in business for yourself. You are the sole proprietor of your skills and abilities – ‘YOU Ltd’. You need to create your success by pursuing four key strategies:

1) learn strategically and voraciously;
2) build relationships with individuals who can help you;
3) add value no matter where you work or what you do;
4) and always keep yourself in balance.

Build a wide repertoire of transferable skills not likely to become obsolete that will make you more valuable wherever you go or what you do.

Be a knowledge worker no matter what you do. That means you need to leverage skill, knowledge, and wisdom in every project you undertake, every task you accomplish, and every responsibility you assume.

The only reliable anchors you have are other people. So build firm loyalties with people you know and trust. You also need to build mutually advantageous relationships with individuals you don’t already know and trust. Always approach relationships in terms of what you have to offer, rather than what you need or want.

The only thing you have to sell is your added value. There are 5 different ways to add value:

1) get a whole bunch of work done;
2) identify a problem that nobody else has identified;
3) solve a problem that nobody else has solved;
4) improve an existing service or product and invent a new service or product;
5) don’t underestimate the first point – it is by far the most readily available (and often most appreciated) opportunity to add value.

If you are in business for yourself, you are the employee and the manager; the main office and the factory; the producer, salesperson, and distributor. Taking good care of yourself is important. These are 3 elements to consider:

Your mind. Do not take yourself too seriously – remember to relax. Do take a serious interest in other people, things, events, and issues. And recognize feelings of anxiety so you can learn how to use anxiety without allowing it to paralyse you.

Your body. The key to a healthy body is a solid routine. Put healthy food and drink into your body, drink a lot of water and limit how much garbage you force your body to process. Get plenty of rest and some exercise.

Your spirit. As hard as I look, the key to a healthy spirit is believing in something, anything, and spending time every day with your true beliefs.

You also have to be able to manage yourself. The key to this can be found in the answers to 4 very simple questions:

Who are you? What makes you different from everybody else? If you’ve always wondered where you fit in, not quite fitting in with the crowd may turn out to be your special niche. Identify something in your background or experience that sets you apart.

What do you want to achieve? Before you invest your time and energy in anything at all, clarify what it is you are trying to accomplish. What is the tangible result you should be holding in your hands when you are done?

How do you want to be? Be high quality. You are what you write, say, create, and do. No matter how grand your intentions, how generous and kind you may be, others will know you by your words, actions, and creations. Always hold yourself to a high standard.

Where do you fit in each situation? No matter who you are, what you want to achieve, or how you want to do it, your role is determined – in part – by factors that have nothing to do with you, per se. These are pre-existing, independent factors that would be present even if you were not and they determine the context of any situation.

Before you figure out where you fit, get a handle on other pieces of the puzzle, especially if you are new to any situation. Ask questions: Where am I, what is going on here, why is everybody here, what role does each person play and how are they accustomed to doing things?

April 22nd 2003
Source: Bruce Tulgan, Winning the Talent Wars, Publisher: WW Norton (2001)