 | Not logged in | Click to login | 
|
|
Powered By: Crafty Syntax |
 |  |
 |  |
|
|
||||||
|
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Posted: 2005-04-30 / Author: Pat Grove The Offer That You AreNo matter what work you do in the world, regardless of how you are paid (or not), the value you bring has more to do with the offer you are than the work you do.What does it mean to be an offer? It is a linguistic tool as the act of offering, eventually generating, if the offer is accepted, into promises. It is from our perception and interpretation where we witness something as 'missing' for someone and we put ourselves forward as a possibility to provide what is missing. In making offers, we take the initiative to address the concerns that others have. It means at least this: allowing, even inviting, whatever it is that stirs your soul, moves your spirit, and engages your passions to infect your work. In South Africa we have a legend who became an offer for every citizen in this country and I am talking about Madiba or Nelson Mandela. Nelson lived his passion for people, he was an offer for freedom and love, he was an offer for dignity to millions of people around the world. Today he is an offer for millions and millions who suffer prom poverty and Aids. Few people are not moved by the stand he has taken and the offer he has made to the world and especially South Africa. It is impossible to not be changed by the offer this man made. I am not suggesting that you become like Nelson Mandela in any sense but this: that you allow whatever it is that lights you up to shine in your eyes and speak through your gestures. Risk this, risk being the offer that you are in all that you do, and let those who will be touched and enriched. Being an offer is a fantastic way for us to show up as 'making a difference,' as being an offer is a fundamental way of taking care of others, building relationships, develop our identity and give meaning to what we do. We as human beings feel being taken care of when someone offers to do things for us. How appreciative we are when someone sees we are snowed under with work and they ask, "I see you are really under it all can I get you a cuppa to drink?" (An offer -Taking care of others needs and concerns). Niche vs Offer Naming a niche makes it easier for people to understand what you do and to assess its value. Still, many business owners feel confined by the very notion of a niche. If you are one of them, understanding the distinction between niche and offer can help you to declare a niche without closing down important possibilities. Think of your niche as the location or domain in which you make your offer. By contrast, your offer is what you bring to that domain. * Your offer is who you are and what you do. * Your niche is where and with whom you do it. By seeing niche and offer as distinct yet related aspects of how you market your work, you can send a focused and consistent marketing message while retain the scope to use all your talents. Here's an example based on my own business. My niche is working with executives, managers and leaders to install transformative processes that fully align with their values, aspirations, and desired way of being. In a phrase, my niche is business and coaching with innovators. I resisted this niche for years as a trainer in transformation because I did not think my profile and my work was typical of business coaches. That's when the light went on: of course I am not typical -- that is exactly what makes this niche perfect for me. In the niche of business coaching I am a unique offer. I also deliver the results. The offer that I am in this niche distinguishes me from hundreds of other business coaches. As an offer, I am an Ontological/Somatic coach, assisting my clients embody success. I am a coach and a business owner, and those experiences inform my coaching with perspectives that are unique to my life history. The offer that I am includes my spiritual beliefs and practices, my training as trainer, my skills as a writer, my passion for learning, my charisma in my presentations and much, much more. The offer that I am, in short, encompasses a lifetime of experience–past, present, and future. Far from confining me, my niche is exactly what gives importance to my strengths, scope, and idiosyncrasies. What allows me the scope to be an incredibly rich, complex, unique offer (and prosper in the process) is making that offer in a defined niche, for it is when I bring my offer to that niche that I stand out and attract business. Now how about you? * Is there a niche you've been resisting because it is too narrow or because you are not typical of others in that area? * What happens when you embrace your singularity in that niche? * What if you add value there precisely because you are different? * Ask yourself and your friends and colleagues these questions and you'll be on your way to naming your niche and being the offer that you are. Ultimately the responsibility for being an offer is to simply, deliver the goods. Send me an email and I will send you a process to establish yourself as an offer. grove@intekom.co.za  with Offer in the subject. ------------------------------------------------------------- Pat Grove is a leadership Coach and founder of the Pat Grove Coaching Academy. http://www.patgrove.com  Pat is the author of "Here is where you are", "I am complete", "Coach - The new leader", "Of Mice Management" and soon to be released "The Spirit of Coaching - Coaching to the human soul.". He publishes a monthly newsletter, Distinctions, distributed through the Internet to nearly 12500 Achievers, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders in 39 countries. He has over 30 articles published on Personal, Social and Organizational Transformation. Subscribe to his newsletter at leadership@intekom.co.za  Top of page | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
