Stand Out to Stay In
We all have an edge—something that differentiates us and makes us uniquely valuable. But it’s not enough to have an edge; you must ensure that everyone sees it. Once you do that, you are in control.
I learned this lesson early in my career. It has served me well ever since and I know it will help you, too.
✨ Here’s the story and the simple experiment that changed everything... ✨
Tell Them What to See (and They Will!)
The first powerful experiment I applied to my own leadership development took place during my early days as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company.
As a "nontraditional hire"—someone with a PhD instead of an MBA—I often felt out of my element. Concepts that were second nature to my colleagues were completely foreign to me. I worked extra hard to be more MBA-like in my thinking, but my disappointing performance reviews were clear—it wasn’t working. 😫 It was frustrating and, honestly, pretty humbling. I knew I had to turn things around quickly.
Finding My Edge
I realized that by trying (and failing) to solve problems like my B-school colleagues, I wasn’t adding value to the client, my team, or the company. They didn’t need me to bring more MBA thinking to client challenges; they needed my unique perspective as a behavioral scientist—even if they didn't know it yet.
👩🏻🔬 As a scientist, my natural inclination is to approach problems methodically, forming hypotheses and testing them—running experiments. This approach was novel and highly appealing in the business context because it generated data that could be systematically analyzed. And, my insights as a behavioral scientist were particularly relevant for motivating change and ensuring new practices were adopted effectively. Suddenly, we weren’t just presenting solutions; we were helping clients implement them in ways that would stick. 📊
Priming in Practice
To ensure my colleagues recognized this unique value, I used a psychological concept called priming—subtly influencing how they perceived my contributions by using specific language and cues. I consistently described my problem-solving methods as "innovative," "creative," and incorporated more scientific terminology in my discussions. For example, I might say, “a creative way to approach this problem would be to run a simple experiment.” I peppered in those words and phrases into nearly every conversation—to the point where I thought someone would tell me to cut it out. But they didn’t. On the surface, it seemed like they didn’t even notice. 🤷🏻♀️
It Worked!
Then, ✨something amazing happened.✨ My colleagues began seeking my “innovative” ideas and “creative” solutions. I transformed from a “nontraditional hire” struggling to fit in, to a behavioral scientist with a distinctive—and valued—edge. In my next performance review, those exact words were used to describe me. This newfound respect didn't just boost my confidence; it enriched the quality of our team's work and taught me a valuable lesson about leading with edge.💡
Key Lessons
I see a lot of people make the same mistake I made. Rather than lean into the expertise and perspectives that make them uniquely valuable, they try to fit in and be like everyone else. They sell themselves and their teams short.
- Know Your Edge: Understand and leverage the unique skills and perspectives you bring to your role. Harnessing what makes you different is crucial to making a lasting impact.
- Prime Your Audience: Actively shape how others see you through priming. The words you use to describe yourself and your work matter—a lot. Help others see what you want them to see by clearly articulating and demonstrating your edge.
Read on for a simple experiment to put this in practice!
👉 Know someone who could benefit from this strategy? Forward this email to them and help them earn and embrace their seat at the table!
