According to a 2016 Forbes article, “Leaders are unique, managers are a copy.” Leaders are willing to be themselves. They are self-aware and work actively to build their unique and distinct personal brand.” What is your differentiator? What is your unique brand? I am surprised by how few leaders and entrepreneurs can adequately answer this question. (It is a challenge to market oneself or a business without purposely defining their differentiators effectively.) As a former military recruiter, my competition was clearly the other branches of service. Because I wore the Air Force Blue Uniform, my differentiator stood out! But it was my brothers and sisters dressed in the Marine Corp uniforms who displayed the most obvious differentiator of all the competing services. I lost more prospects to the Corp than all the other services, and the main reason was apparent - my prospects wanted to wear the uniform of the United States Marine Corp. Sure their reasons had much more depth than the wearing of a uniform, but I can tell you that the Marine outfit was a huge difference-maker for the journeys of thousands of military-bound young people. (Today, our military serves as a differentiator for our Nation by ensuring that we have the freedom to play, work, and pray without fear of retaliation.) Differentiators clearly make a difference. Are you ready to stand apart? Are you ready to clarify your unique brand to lead your team to the next level?If you find this information of value, please share it with your community.
