Overview/What You Will Learn

Movies in 3D are much more alive than two-dimensional pictures. The same is true for job candidates and their resumes and credentials. Sara Canaday, expert in leadership, business image and emotional intelligence, explains how you can accelerate your career when you highlight your intangibles – that is, not just your skills themselves but how you use them.  In this presentation she shows you how to make your strengths come alive and how to appear in 3D to best impress those who will hire, promote or want to do business with you.

Key Points

• HOW you bring your skills to the table -- how you lead, influence, connect and respond to others -- will determine your success.

• Your intangibles are the most sought-after elements by those who hire, promote or do business with you.

• Your intangibles include the following:
  • Your Ability to Reflect – to have keen self –awareness, to understand how you are wired to handle stress and make decisions and to react to change and uncertainty.
  • Your Ability to Project – to make a positive impression using visual and vocal cues such as your body language, mood, energy level.
  • Your Ability to Relate or Connect to the People Around You - to integrate observations and insights and adjust your own behavior to work well with others.

•  To highlight your intangibles -- and to develop your “value proposition” --, ask yourself:
  • How do I want to be perceived?
  • What words best describe me?
  • What am I the “go-to” person for?

• Make your Value Proposition come alive. Show yourself in 3D.
  • Differentiate yourself by showing how you use your skills to problem solve and handle challenges. Layer your tangible and intangible skills by demonstrating:
    • Your Strengths and Talents. Maybe you’re a shrewd negotiator or excel at reframing complicated material into easy to understand language.
    • Your Behavior.  How you use your skills to enhance your success or effect positive change - e.g., to gain the confidence of a tough client or have a calming influence in a high-stress situation.
    • Your Thought Leadership. How you actively influence or apply knowledge for a valuable outcome or to offer a respected opinion or recommendation.

Your Next Steps / Tips for Success

• Develop your Value Proposition. Understand what differentiates you.

• Plan exactly how you will use examples, weave in stories and show results to demonstrate how you can help others solve their problems.

• Show up in 3D.

Sara Canaday is a recognized expert in leadership development and strategic personal branding. Specifically, she helps companies’ high-potential employees integrate the traditionally undervalued “intangible” leadership skills that research proves are critical for their success.  Sara’s career spans 20 years in sales, leadership, and executive roles at USAA and Texas Mutual. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from Incarnate Word University in San Antonio. Her post-graduate studies include certifications in communication and emotional intelligence. She has also taught MSOLE (Masters is Organizational Leadership and Ethics) courses at St. Edward’s University in Austin. She has been featured in a number of publications and broadcasts, most notably The Street.com, the Wall Street Journal, Speaker Magazine, and American Management Association’s Leadership Wired.  Sara blogs at http://www.saracanaday.com/blog/.