My favorite brother posted an article last week that’s garnered a lot of attention on LinkedIn and elsewhere — Breaking the Curse of Competence: Recapturing Attention in a Complacent Market.
This morning, as I completed a “to do” sent to me before normal business hours long before the start of business hours, the article came back to mind.
Please note I’m not complaining about my job!
I’m sharing because when reading the article, I realized the insights he shared apply to me, and it might apply to you, as well. While the article was written for businesses, it applies to workers too.
“There’s a fine line between being reliable and becoming invisible.”
Scott McKain
It’s a whole different ballgame when you work with family. So many other nuances come into play when you have a long history of personal experiences. Still, I don’t think my boss/brother would deny that much of what I do is expected because I’ve always delivered. He could hire anyone else on the planet and would never get the same results.
Adapting the article — am I allowed to do that? 😉
The article goes on to list ways businesses (insert “and individual professionals” here) can stand out and rise above the complacency from customers (insert “or coworkers/superiors” here) that arise when exceptional service (insert “and job performance” here) is standard.
For me… I’m too near the end of my career to care.
I’m happy to do what I do and blend into the woodwork. I don’t care about standing out or garnering recognition. I’m not thinking about ways I can innovate delivery of anything or create memorable experiences for my performance. If you’re not where I am, the article is a GREAT read with specific steps you can take to recapture attention in your field of expertise.
I’m just going to keep on doing what I do best while being competent and consistent. I’ve pretty much stopped pushing for change or sharing innovative ideas. I’m winding down and my focus is elsewhere. 🙂
Now you know: The FBI is recommending adblockers as necessary to deter criminal actors from stealing personal information and/or funds.