3 tips for transforming your currency

The Currency Curve

How did you earn your living 10 years ago? How do you earn your living now? How do you want to earn your living in the future? Certainly you may continue to pursue certain themes in your work - but sometimes it is important to transform your offering to customers. Here are 3 tips for making this happen.

* You can recognise where you are on the currency curve.

Take a look at The currency curve. This plots your ‘Currency’, the way you earn your living now, with your ‘Career development’. People can sometimes find themselves at the top of a curve, however, and need to develop. Otherwise they will be doing the same things in 3 years time, but with less energy. Where are you now on the curve? Where do you want to be in one year?

What is your present currency - how do you earn your living now? Whereabouts are you on the curve? Are you still climbing; have you peaked; or are you onto the other side? Start by answering the following questions.

The way I earn my living now is:

*

The place where I think I am on the currency curve is:

*

* You can continue to improve and, where appropriate, transform your currency.

People love to develop, but they do not always seize the opportunity. There are several reasons why this happens. First, they may neglect their development. Second, they may have great innate skills but not know how to express these in their work. Third, they may become typecast, simply because they are extremely competent in a certain role. Here is one person who fell into the latter category.

“My career plateaued during my 30s, even though I got well paid as an operations director,” said Melanie, who aimed to become an MD. “Leadership is about setting the ‘What’, whilst operations is about managing the ‘How’. People relied on me to keep the company running, but they doubted my ability to set the strategy.”

“So I decided to change their perception. During my 20s I had built and sold two small companies, but few people knew about my history. Instigating two key projects, I demonstrated the vision required to lead pilots that contributed to the business. People began to see me as a leader - rather than just as an implementer. When the MD’s role became vacant, they promoted me from within, rather than searching outside for a candidate. Now in my 40s, I feel ready to become a Chief Executive, with 3 MD’s reporting into me. That will be tough - but I have always been ready to accept a challenge.”

What are the themes in your work? How can you express these in a way that will continue to be valuable to customers? How can you keep improving? Try completing the following sentence.

The things I can do to improve and, where appropriate, transform my currency are:

*

* You can continue to develop your currency.

Sages have a timeless quality. They seem able: a) To express eternal themes; b) To express these themes in ways that are relevant to today and tomorrow. How can you follow similar principles in your work? Pick a date in the future – such as in 3 years time – and try answering the following questions.

The things that I believe will be happening in my field in 3 years time will be:

*

The challenges that I believe my potential customers will be facing then will be:

*

The specific things that I want to offer my customers then to help them to achieve success will be:

*

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it,” said Alan Kay, the hi-tech visionary, in 1971. Whilst this not always possible, you can reinvigorate the recurring themes in your professional life. You will then be in a better position to transform your currency and enjoy a fulfilling future.

You can find many more ideas on this theme in the book The Strengths Way, which can be found at:

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