Last week, I went on a fascinating tour of the L.A. Times operations. It was quite impressive – and massive. Did you know the L.A. Times has has the largest operation in the U.S.? They print for the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and others in addition to the L.A. Times.
The equipment and automation was simply amazing. Obviously the L.A. Times knows how to run operations – and specializes. That’s why they distribute much more than the L.A. Times. Do you know your area of expertise? How do you leverage it?
One tip to implement this week:
I don’t subscribe to the “specialize or die” mantra that some marketing folks pronounce as best. After all, one of the ways you can be an expert in your specialty is to be a generalist in several areas surrounding your area of expertise. However, knowing your area of expertise is similar to knowing your strengths. I guarantee you’ll be more successful focusing on strengths and your area of expertise than worrying about your areas of weakness!
For your career, take a step back this week and think about your best area of expertise. What is it? How can you utilize it more? Ask your colleagues for feedback. Think about how you can help others with your area of expertise.
For your company, think about your company’s best area of expertise. What differentiates you from your competition? What do you do better than anyone? Start by brainstorming all of the areas of strength. Don’t evaluate them. Just identify them for now. Once you have a list, get your team together. Rank them. Which can you build upon? There will always be a multitude of ways to further utilize these unique factors.
August 17, 2016