“The Same, But Different”

I was coaching a client recently who described her new brand story as “the same, but different”. We’ve been working over the summer on this new direction for her business and content. The next chapter is now being written, powered by the decades she’s put into her business so far.

The same, but different.

That’s the sweet spot as we evolve and grow, isn’t it? It’s how I’ve been feeling working in a corporate setting again.

When I was given the chance to leave network television, I leapt into solopreneurship. I was absolutely fed up with office politics and micromanagement that comes with working on a team.

So why is it, now that I’m back being a cog in a large machine, is it different? And how am I happier?

It turns out, the bull s—- I was so fed up with working in network TV was entirely my own doing. It was the energy I brought to work every day, thinking this was normal and effective; because it was the only way I knew to work.

Being a sole proprietor and learning how to work with others (VA’s, collaborators, clients) gave me a new perspective of how I can direct my creativity and my emotions. Here are the three key pivots that made me like corporate:

1. Collaboration over competition.
   When I worked in TV, I was constantly comparing my work to others. And there were many cases where we were pitted against each other as a form of “friendly” competition. Instead of inspiring me to get better, I ended up being pigeon-holed. And I lost touch with the things I’m good at because I was defined in comparison to others.
   
   In my new role, I support various teams alongside another communications professional. When we first started working together, we had an honest conversation on how we wanted things to work. Do we have clear responsibilities? Or do we work as two brains, one goal? We chose the latter. And now I have a constant collaborative partner to share the responsibilities and the praise. We make each other better because we’re working towards the same goal. We can learn from each other. And, we can trust that when we’re not in the room, our work is respected, not cut down for personal gain.
   
   We get more done together than we would trying to lap each other.

2. Knowledge is power, but “knowing” is futile
   In Brene Brown’s “Dare to Lead”, she talks about the dated leadership model of “knowing”. This is where the leader uses knowledge to demonstrate power and authority.
   
   And it is time consuming.
   
   Last week, I requested some research to prep a spokesperson for an interview. They did not give me what I was looking for. Now, I know I had shared research document with this team a few weeks ago. Old me would have gone into my sent folder, looked for the email with the original attachment, and passive-aggressively shared it to say “THIS is the information I need”. And I know most of you reading this have pulled a similar move.
   
   I instantly recognized this is leading by “knowing” and scrapped that idea entirely. Instead, I shared the document and explained how for future requests, they can find the information in the attachment. I even apologized if they didn’t have it already.
   
   I don’t get paid to know things. I do get paid to keep a project moving forward with the best information available to everyone.
   
   Also, it took a fraction of the time to give them simple feedback. A lot of useless effort goes into “as per my previous email” energy.

3. I’m available for some things, but not everything
   When I was figuring out my post-TV life, I worked with a career coach who asked me what I wanted to do. I didn’t have a clear picture of the job, the salary, etc. but I knew one thing for certain: I wanted to pick my own stories.
   
   And for the longest time, I thought the only way I could exert that kind of power was to be my own boss. Turns out, you can be your own boss when you work on a team, too.
   
   In the beginning of my career, I wanted my hands in everything. I wanted to work on all of the stories all of the time.
   
   I felt like I had to in order to prove myself. And when you’re starting out, yes you do need to take opportunities to learn while you earn. But you can do this with intention.
   
   I have interests, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses. I define these for myself and meet opportunities from this place of knowing.
   
   Sure, I can learn a lot about media by doing crisis communications. It’s very lucrative and would add depth to my skills profile. But I have zero interest in controlling a difficult message. My preference is to empower spokespeople to share their expertise and empower others.
   
   I have made this known throughout the interview process and now when I’m on the job. And guess what? I am frequently put in positions where I get to focus on the skills I’m great at and enjoy using.

I created a way to work that’s fulfilling to me as a solopreneur. And now, I’m continuing to do this in a corporate setting.

It’s the same, but I’m different.