This was originally a Newsletter post. To avoid sending duplicate material to readers of my blog who are also subscribers to my articles, I’ve moved all newsletters to the archive. This post was kept here to avoid deleting comments.

Anxiety reigns these days.  Stress and apprehension have become common feelings for almost everyone, whether you’re in transition and jobhunting, self-employed and seeking clients, or working hard to keep the job you’ve got.

Whatever your situation – out there trying to get hired by a company or a client, or keeping your head down at the office – it’s tremendously tempting to be generic.  When times are stressful, it’s natural to feel as if you want, or even need, everyone to like and approve of you.

Unfortunately, as you bland yourself down in your attempt to be unoffensive and likeable, what you’re actually accomplishing is invisibility.  In becoming generic, you become monotonous – one of a billion other invisible generalists.

What’s your specialty? 

It feels risky to even think about that question.  After all, if you make a strong statement about who you are, what you want, and what you’re good at, don’t you risk someone saying, “No, I don’t like that, I don’t need what you have”?

Yes, of course you do.

But in the long run, it’s a much smaller risk than the risk you take when you choose to be generic.

As a specialist, you stand out from all those nine hundred ninety-nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine generalists.

Think about the people you notice.  There’s something about them that catches your attention.  They’re unique, stepping up to be honestly who they are, presenting their specialty to the world.  You know, without confusion or doubt, what they can do for you.

And yes, that may mean that you don’t hire them because you don’t need what they do. 

At the same time, it means that when you do need what they do, you know exactly where to go.  And you know who to refer when your friend needs what they do. 

There’s no confusion.

I won’t ask you to think about the generic people you’ve met, because you can’t.  You may remember them as a group, but you don’t notice them as individuals, and you don’t know what they do. 

They’re invisible.

Blanding yourself down, saying (as I’ve heard several executive jobseekers say), “Oh, I can do anything you need me to do,” feels safer.  It may even feel as if you’re being more (rather than less) responsive. 

But being one of a billion generalists doesn’t accomplish anything except invisibility.

When you’re a specialist, you spark the interest of the right people – the people you want to talk to, the people who might hire you, the people who will help you keep the job you’ve got.  It engages their attention, draws them into conversation; they want to know more.

You get noticed.  And when you’re seeking a job or a client, or just wanting to keep the job you have, that’s a good thing.

Give it a try.  After all, if it turns out you prefer invisibility, you can always bland yourself back down again.

Here are a few things to consider in the process of becoming a specialist.

What IS your specialty?

When I talk with those executives who tell me they can “do anything that’s needed,” I’m often surprised (and saddened) by how often they seem unsure of what their specialty really is.

I’m not certain if it’s a reluctance to speak it aloud, or if they are in fact so disconnected from themselves, from their real talents and motivations.

Do you know what your speciality is?  Explore what’s most deeply engaged you in the past, what you can talk about for hours, the entries on your resume that make you stand a little taller!

Be different

Have you ever noticed that deep down, no one really believes they’re “normal”?  (Can you even define what “normal” means?)

As I’ve said, being different can feel scary.  But in the end, in all seriousness, we are all different.  In trying to blend in, you’ll often feel awkward and fake.  And it’s exhausting trying to be something you’re not 

A long time ago I wrote an article called “Why Be Normal?”  (Even if you read it then, why not take another look?)

Be passionate

The so-called networking gurus like to tell you that you should never talk about yourself, but always ask about the other person.

While it’s true you don’t want to come across as “it’s all about ME,” a real conversation about something you’re passionate about is both interesting and attractive.  The key is that it should be a conversation, not an oration.

Engage people by asking their opinions and experience; demonstrate the depth of your understanding by being immediately helpful in your response; and offer to send them follow-up material if you have it and they seem interested.

Relax

It truly is a lot easier, as well as being more productive, more fun, and more likely to be successful, when you simply are who you are.  Relax.  Enjoy being yourself, instead of struggling to be bland and generic!

“The great man or woman is the one who never steps outside his or her specialty or foolishly dissipates his or her individuality.”  Og Mandino, 1923-1996, American “sales guru” and author.