Who Are You If You’re Not the CMO?
CEO, Head of People, Director of North America
[insert big, important job title here]
Most professionals base a significant part of their identity on their work. It's no surprise given the time, energy, and emotion we invest in building our careers. From school to internships, to full-time roles and promotions, our work identity becomes deeply ingrained.
The Pattern Starts Early
You go to school and get good grades.
You leverage that education to land a coveted internship.
That internship leads to a full-time offer.
Then more responsibility and a promotion.
And on. And on. And on.
Work takes up more and more of your mind and time - so it is natural to base how you view yourself through that lens.
Who Are You, Really?
When asked the question ‘tell me about yourself’ - most people start with their career. Not their values, passions, beliefs or any of the more closely-held information.
Have you thought about what version of yourself to present in a specific work setting? Or worried about toning down or turning up aspects of your personality based on the circumstances.
The more time and effort devoted to the ‘work persona’, the less attention paid to the ‘real you’. You can see how the work identity can get so entrenched that we forget the other part.
What Happens When You Leave?
If you think of yourself as primarily [Big, Important Title] - what happens when you’re not that? When you retire, or are asked to leave, or a health event causes your priorities to shift.
Who are you now?
Cue: the identity crisis.
When you spend a meaningful portion of time wearing a certain identity - CMO, officer in the military, parent on the playground - there’s a risk when that identity stops.
You might feel isolated. Withdraw from social and networking events because you don’t want to have a ‘bad’ answer when someone asks you what you do.
Your sense of value and confidence starts to fade.
It might be so uncomfortable and unfamiliar that you jump right back into something you know. Taking the first offer that hits your desk just to have something.
There is Another Option.
What you do isn’t who you are.
Let me say it again: what you do isn’t who you are.
Your value as a human is separate from your title, the size of your team, and the amount of revenue you generate for a company.
Each of us has values, purpose, and attributes that shape us. There are things we were before becoming the [big, important title] that we’ll still be after that chapter has closed.
The key is figuring out what those things are. The unlock is knowing who you are - at your core - and bringing that person into every situation, work or otherwise.
So, how do you find and know that person?
We built a shortcut to help you cut through your title to the real you - give it a try here.
In networking situations, you can lead with a different question and have a richer conversation:
Tell me about something you’re looking forward to this year.
What are you most proud of from your time as a (parent-coach, volunteer, etc)
What do you love to do in this city
Tell me about the most inspiring trip you’ve taken
And, remind yourself that you don’t have to base every conversation on your title.
Samantha just did a talk on identity at work for Disrupt HR. Check out her full talk here.