At my last company, I worked with a graphic designer who had recently switched careers into that profession.

Over an intro coffee, she shared more about her background and revealed that she had been a professional orchestra musician for over a decade.

Instinctively, I said something like, “Oh, wow - that’s unique!”

She replied, “Well, not really - there are a lot of orchestra musicians. I’ve worked with hundreds of them.”

Interestingly, we were both right, depending on the context.

In a group of 100 orchestra musicians, she was one of many.

As an orchestra musician-turned-designer at a tech startup, she was quite singular.

Simply put, if you’re struggling to understand what your unique lens might be, change your context.

• Share what you’re up to with a group of friends who don’t work in your field
• Attend a networking event where you’re not in the bullseye of the target audience
• Ask a LinkedIn ‘stranger’ for a 20-minute e-coffee

Then, share what you do and listen for cues.

Their questions will triangulate your point of differentiation.

Usually, pretty quickly.

💡

-Wes