The laws of human nature, career value proposition design, controlling technology instead of it controlling you
March 10, 2024
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Books - The Laws of Human Nature
Books have been my escape to learn and explore new terrain. I am fascinated by concepts and ideas you never learn in formal education but are essential to a successful and happy life. In 2018, I read the book The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene, and it truly was life-changing in many ways. It explained the fundamental truths of why people do what they do. Much of our career and personal lives depend on how we engage in relationships. Understanding the laws shapes how you see the world and other people. The book includes stories throughout history demonstrating human nature and tactics you can apply for self-improvement and self-defense. This idea of self-defense is critical, given that forces such as narcissism and engaging people with weak character can wreak havoc on your life. Even at almost 600 pages, it’s a book you can’t put down as you think about how these laws have shaped your life and what you learned. It’s never too late to learn about human nature and how to put these ideas into daily practice.
Career - Value Proposition Design
This week, I spoke to multiple people seeking a transformational career change. It was exciting to hear about the drivers for change and what their future may look like. I saw a common theme in all of these conversations. While these people all had a general direction, the precise value propositions they would offer prospective organizations were unclear. In a competitive market, the ability to weave together and describe your skills and experiences uniquely and compellingly is powerful.
Imagine sharing a one-page document of value proposition bullets with hiring managers or people in your network that describes how you can deliver value in an industry sector or organization. This is an offensive approach where you shop your expertise in the market versus constraining your search process to job descriptions.
I used this technique ten years ago when I was seeking to relocate to Austin from Seattle. I did not know people in Austin, but I used my network to get introductions with several organizations. I remember sharing my value proposition document with one hiring manager. Although it was not a fit, he respected my value proposition and that writing it down made it easy for him to understand what I had to offer.
Ultimately, you must find your Zone of Genius - the set of activities you are uniquely qualified to do. Then take The Big Leap to commit to living in your Zone of Genius, now and forever.
We can also leverage the book Value Proposition Design on the essential elements to craft compelling statements. Remember that nobody has walked in your shoes and will know what you have to offer unless you describe it in words.
Value Proposition: describes the benefits customers can expect from your products and services.
This 3-minute video describes the Value Proposition Canvas for designing value propositions that meet customers' needs.
The Value Proposition Canvas has two sides. With the Customer Profile you clarify your understanding. With the Value Map you describe how you intend to create value for that customer. You achieve Fit between the two when one meets the other.
In the career context, the customer is the organization and hiring manager.
Value proposition design is based on the simple idea of fit between a customer’s pain points and the solution(s) you have to offer to resolve those pains and deliver value.
Customers have:
Customer Jobs - describe what customers are trying to get done. A customer job could be the tasks they are trying to perform and complete, the problems they are trying to solve, or the needs they are trying to satisfy. A job description will article these jobs, and you may also summarize these for target organizations as a whole.
Pains - describe bad outcomes, risks, and obstacles related to customer jobs. Given the knowledge of your target sector or organization, think about all of the challenges based on past experiences.
Gains - describe the outcomes customers want to achieve or the concrete benefits they are seeking. The gains are will likely be describe in the job description as well.
Your expertise is the services that are pain relievers and gain creators for customers. This is referred to as the Value Map.
Products and Services - this is the list of what you have to offer. It can take many forms, including products and services such as your expertise, online products such as courses, digital products such as a book, etc.
Pain Relievers - describe how exactly your products and services alleviate specific customer pains. They explicitly outline how you intend to eliminate or reduce some of the things that annoy your customers before, during, and after they are trying to complete a job. Think about how multiple skills can fuse together to relieve this pain.
Gain Creators - describe how your products and services create customer gains. They explicitly outline how you intend to produce outcomes and benefits that your customer expects and desires.
✅ Once you have crafted a draft of your value proposition document, share it with trusted members of your network for feedback. You will now have a clear value proposition document to share with any prospective opportunity to evaluate fit mutually.
Technology - controlling it instead of it controlling you
Technology is often an essential capability for delivering value in our work. The hype and value of AI are real forces, although one should not become overwhelmed by them and disrupt one's focus on what is most important. Technology is a tool and must be used thoughtfully to deliver value, although we can become controlled by it. The constant pings of text, asynchronous messaging tools, and emails can keep you tethered to your phone and computer. Your attention becomes fixated on using technology instead of doing creative work that requires space and deep thought. Of course, there are times for tactical execution, but planning when and how you use technology to collaborate with others can reduce stress and boost productivity. More recently, I have set time on my calendar to check and respond to emails three times per day - morning, midday, and evening. I close the Outlook application to avoid being disturbed or tempted when focused on work throughout the day. My phone is often face down throughout the day. I also disabled LinkedIn notifications on my phone as I often became randomized by responding to updates and messages. I also use evening walks and hikes without technology to engage in the world around me. As a technologist, I love technology, but I also love the peace and calm when my mind can think creatively and center on what is most important in the present.
Ideas from Thought Leaders
“Pleasant experiences make life delightful. Painful experiences lead to growth. Pleasant experiences make life delightful, but they don’t lead to growth in themselves. What leads to growth is painful experiences. Suffering points up an area in you where you have not yet grown, where you need to grow and be transformed and change.”
- Anthony De Mello, Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality
The rules of the experiment were very simple: If life brought events in front of me, I would treat them as if they came to take me beyond myself. If my personal self complained, I would use each opportunity to simply let him go and surrender to what life was presenting me. This was the birth of what I came to call “the surrender experiment,” and I was totally prepared to see where it would take me.”
- Michael A. Singer, The Surrender Experiment: My Journey into Life’s Perfection
“The people we choose as our exemplars exhibit the principles, the resolve, and the overall patterns of thinking, feeling, and acting that we want to make our own. Their example helps us navigate the world. It becomes our North Star.”
- Shane Parrish, Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results
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