Your Executive Value Proposition & How to Influence Key Decision-makers
Uncovering your unique value proposition for your résumé will position you ahead of your competition and open doors to decision-makers. A value proposition is a unique promise of value that you will offer your new employer.
You are seeking a new job opportunity with the title and status that is needed to drive change, (perhaps COO with a clear road map to become the CEO), and you need a value proposition that is clear, evidence-based, and compelling.
So what is it that you can deliver to the prospective employer?
It’s simple. This is the question that you need to answer clearly.
- What specific problem do you solve?
- How will the employer and its customers gain from your problem solving?
- How are you unique from your peers?
You do not need to create this. It is already within you. You simply need to uncover it. The question I am often asked is how to do it.
There are multiple ways to identify your value proposition. Here are just a few examples:
- Ask your personal network of trusted friends, family, and colleagues what stands out for them when they think about your unique skills and abilities.
- Pore through your performance reviews, LinkedIn profile, and customer feedback for themes. What are you consistently praised for?
- Create a multi-dimensional career advisory board to help you.
What is often missing in the job search process is a laser focus on the prospective employer and his needs. The value proposition is best crafted from your prospective employer’s point of view rather from your own.
When you are able to craft a value proposition that focuses on the needs of the employer, you are more likely to open doors.
For example, let’s suppose that you are a senior engineering executive with decades of experience running cement plants. Your value proposition may start out something like this:
“I am a senior engineering executive who is passionate about what I do. I enjoy working with a dynamic team to deliver cost-effective services to the customer while remaining legally compliant.”
This value proposition is entirely focused on your perspective. Let’s reposition this statement from the point of view of the targeted employer.
“I deliver high value management practices at the top 10% of the industry. My employee engagement rate is impeccable and I have had the lowest employee turnover in the history of every company I’ve served. My P&L is $49.5M and I’ve reduced OPEX 18.5% in the last 12 months.”
This COO managed to keep his company solvent which led him to a direct path to the CEO role.
Do you see the power of the second statement? It focuses on the needs of the employer and shows evidence-based value. The use of powerful metrics and qualified statements in the value proposition is commanding. It also positions you as an executive-level player.
What other C-level competencies do decision-makers look for? As a senior level executive, you understand the importance of influence at the top. Companies cannot survive without decision-makers who take control of the business and deliver value.
Based on my experience coaching key decision-makers, here is a list of skills that are in hot demand today:
Profit & Loss Accountability
Negotiations
Decision-Making
Delegation
Risk Mitigation
Risk Management
Integrity
Employee Engagement
Customer Loyalty
Business Development
Regulatory Compliance
Community Relations
Customer Service
Change Management
Corporate Governance
Investor Relations
When you add metrics to these competencies, your value proposition becomes evidence-based and “proven”. The value proposition will open doors to targeted organizations and clear a path to CEO as you’ve been planning.
By giving a voice to your true value to a hiring decision-maker, you will build your confidence, broaden your influence, and demonstrate that you are the ideal fit for this opportunity.
Want to know what other executives are doing? In addition to working with a career strategist to create a killer plan, they focus on what they do well, and track their metrics to leverage in the résumé. Of course, the value proposition can be used beyond the résumé in other executive career marketing documents such as your LinkedIn profile.
For information on how smart executives use LinkedIn, see how smart executives use LinkedIn.
If you are currently in job search mode and are not seeing the results you were expecting, let’s talk.
I work with C-level executives looking for a step up or a step out.
