Screen%20Shot%202020-02-12%20at%2010.39_

HAVE THE COURAGE TO PLAY TO YOUR STRENGTHS

A Story of Success

Clients often approach TCA BRANDING SOLUTIONS
A DIVISION OF PIPER STRATEGY LLC with a general idea of what they need, and this project was no different. We were able to jump right in with our expertise and really helped the company grow and evolve. Today, their business is doing exceptionally well, and we’re proud to have been part of the process.

Saying, "I'm a VP of engineering with 20+ years of experience in leading both international and domestic teams to deliver results," is not playing to your strengths; it's playing to being a commodity.

"I got called into two intensive interviews, but both situations wanted someone with deep expertise in scale; I don't have a lot of scale experience," is not playing to your strengths; it's being passive and letting the recruiter (who may or may not be seasoned enough to know what they are doing) take the driver's seat, and you are hoping that something sticks.

I personally wouldn't head to the market with passive job search strategy, where everyone else but me drives the bus.

And as the market intensifies due to economic slump, and continues to intensify as a employer-driven market (versus candidate-driven-, the concept and swings of power between a buyer- versus seller-'s market in real estate is not different than the economics and swing of power in the talent market.

And as the market continue to tighten up like they did in 2008-2009, employers (buyers essentially) will become fussier about their decisions as a glut of talent hits the market--I certainly wouldn't sit back and hope for the best.

I would take on a more strategic approach---and of those approaches would be: PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS.

Which deck of cards you want to play? Passive receiver, or leadership control?

"so, I ask, if scale is not your sweet spot--then what is? And, WHO needs that skill set in today's marketplace?"

It turns out, her sweet spot is in coming in AFTER a period of rapid growth (e.g. scale) and brought in to mature the function and the team, as well as drive new initiatives forward w/the rest of the peer team---critical skill set to have in a company that has shifted from start-up to hyper-growth---to needing to mature.

In this way---we shifted the pitch, made it specific, and sent her on her way to get specific with a networking strategy (more on that later) the focused targeted mid-market companies in need of a leader who could mature their function---not going after high-growth starts-up requiring a leader with deep experience in scale.

I'm not saying not to take the interview, but just augment this passive take any interview approach with couple it with a highly targeted, strategic approach as well---and see what yields the best results for you.

ON that not, important your branding representsnts this.

When I say play to your strengths, I am also not recommending to the the market quoting you are an ENFP (how do I understand how that would fit into my oganization--and solve aproblem-- I'm not sure I get it. " Or quiping' well my strengthsn find say I am an hieve!" What and how am I do to with that?

I need you to speaking in a langauge tha tmake sense to ME the buyer---

The buyer will head tot eh amrket looking for talent, and it might something like this:

I need someone who can engage an disenfranchised team, turn this around, while we aer concurrently dirivn immense change---

I need someone who can turnarond a distressed business

I need someone who can scale for hyper growth

I need someone who can turnaround our product innovation--we are realy sturgging--and the newly appointed CEOs charge is to drive innovation--so we can differentate in teh amrketplac e

this is wha tyou re marketing needs to be speaking ot

or

PE-owned comapny looking to turnaround--might strongly lean towars aholds no bar kind of leader,

this is DIFFERENT (vastly), that a "servant leader" who would be a perfect fit for a famiy=ownedgt, $1B privately held manufacturing company---looking foro someone who can ease the way in change--versus a bull in a chinc shop

PE--they might now ming a bullu ijcinwo much---their needs are DIFFERENT.

So if u are heading the market, challene yourself to approach differntly ad more strategidcally this time around and ask yourself this:

what type of leader am i

what peers say about me

where do i natural innexcel

where o i not nveva excel and/or have lmited experience

and deepr work

what size company is a good fit for me at this juncture---where along that maturity lifecycle?

and on that note--checking out #3---White Paper on refing strategy --- very insightrlul! game changing (rewoard)

and then push to the