Average

I went to a concert last week and the opening act was amazing. They caught my attention because they were talented but also because they were so unique. I stood there listening and enjoying but thinking to myself, where did they come up with this? How did they discover this ability and how did it all come together? I am always so impressed when I encounter something that surprises me. I think being average is just easier. It is easier to do what we already know. It is easier to do it the way we have always done it because there are 4,000 other things that have to be done that we don’t have time for. Being unique takes effort, and it takes time.

We are doing annual reviews here at EPI and when reviewing myself and thinking about successes in the last year and areas for improvement, I asked myself the following questions:

1. How do I stand out?
2. What do I do that is unique from anyone else?
3. Does it provide value to the team?
4. How can I do it better?

We are all unique in one way or another, but are we utilizing this uniqueness to add value to our organization? What if you decided you wanted to approach your work, your business, your leadership, your professional culture in a new way? How would you go about being unique? How would you stand above the rest?