“I am an associate sales representative”.
“I am a marketing manager for …..”.
“I am a social media consultant focusing on……”.
The answers are numerous. The most commonly asked question in the professional world today is “tell me a little about yourself”. And the most common answers are akin to the ones listed above.
It is interesting to note the word choice in those statements. They all start with “I am…”.
The role and work people do is the identity they seem to assume!
I may be stirring the hornet’s nest with this thought – You are not your role or the work you do! You do social media consulting, you sell things, you market products etc.
The reason I feel this way is because it precludes us from looking beyond the boundaries we draw with our professional identity statement. When you say you are a social media consultant, it draws a boundary around you and boxes you in!
You may argue that you don’t feel that in your head but society forces you to!
A social media consultant is not going to have much luck finding a job as an accountant unless he/she can prove that he has those skills.
The fault does not lie with individuals. It is largely a part of how society has defined this for us.
The fundamental fault here lies in ignoring the potential we bring to the table beyond the boundary we have drawn for ourselves at the moment.
Some people love assuming the identity they have defined. And they act along those lines. Their whole life revolves around living up to that identity. You meet them at a kid’s soccer game or at a party and they are still Jack, the sales person. They even introduce themselves as “Hi, I am Jack. I am a sales executive at XYZ.”
So what’s wrong about sticking to the identity I have defined for myself? I like it and that is who I am, you may argue.
There is nothing wrong with it and it is a personal choice. For some people, it works, as it motivates and inspires them to live up to that professional identity that they have defined. For others, it actually holds them back from truly living up to their full potential and exploring all that they have to offer. It is even worse when people assume an identity in order to please others around them!
A few years ago, I would never have imagined that I would be comfortable speaking in front of groups of people. But by not boxing myself in with a set identity, I have developed those skills as well!
This is very well the case in our personal lives too. Many a time, women define themselves as a mom for example and feel boxed in with that identity. They define their entire life around that identity and feel restless and dissatisfied with the limits that boundary imposes. In your role as a mom, you do have responsibilities but that is not all you have to offer to the world. Switching back to professional identity.
Having a professional identity that you live by may be stopping you from exploring, knowing and reaching your full potential.
Here are a few things you can do if you think having a professional identity is holding you back from advancing in your career:
- Firstly, reflect and write down your current professional identity. What would you tell people when asked tell me a little bit about yourself.
- Reflect on do you like this identity or has this been holding you back.
- What else would you like to achieve in your professional life? I often encourage people to create a Professional bucket list and list down all the things you would like to do in your lifetime professionally.
- Based on the identity statement you jotted down, look at your professional bucket list. Do you feel constrained by your identity in terms of achieving the items on that list?
- If yes, then tweak the statement to reflect the new identity you would like to assume to achieve some of those goals.
- Alternatively, you can tweak the statement to be more open-minded. For eg: In my role as a HR Lead, I am passionate about helping people develop in their careers.
Read your new identity statement everyday to inspire and motivate yourself to do the things on your bucket list and advance in your career!
I will leave you with the example of Sam Owens, Founder of Consulting.com. He changed his professional identity from someone lost and unsure of what to do with his life to Founder of Consulting.com!
Here is the new identity he defined for himself to inspire and motivate and re-affirm on a daily basis!
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