July 14, 2025 • 23 mins
What's your unique value in the marketplace? What problem are you uniquely able to solve? In this episode of the Lead In 30 podcast we explore the critical importance of identifying your unique value proposition and leveraging it in today's marketplace. The opportunity to monetize your distinct abilities has never been greater, especially when you clearly understand what problems you're solving according to Lone Rock Leadership co-founder Russ Hill. He dives into:
• Understanding what makes you irreplaceable beyond technical skills
• Learning from Roger, a consultant who loved "doing deals" and creating marketplace value
• Recognizing that everyone is in sales regardless of job title
• Defining your unique strengths and continuously strengthening them
• Applying value proposition thinking to both individuals and teams
• Embracing the abundance of today's marketplace despite occasional dips
• Finding fulfillment through solving problems and creating solutions
• Pushing through cloudy days to rediscover your unique value
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
What problems are you solving in the marketplace?
Like, I want to talk about yourteam, your organization, your
department, like what problemsyou're solving collectively.
But what I also want to reallydig into in this episode is the
problems you as an individualare solving out there and the
incredible opportunity thatexists right now for you to go
(00:24):
out there and offer that up inthe marketplace and create
significant value.
Let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This is the lead in 30 podcast with Russ Hill.
You cannot be serious.
Strengthen your ability to leadin less than 30 minutes to
leave in less than 30 minutes.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Forgive the noise, you all.
I'm in my vehicle traveling toan appointment and I'm in the
Arizona area and, oh my gosh,like the air quality today.
I don't know what's going on.
I mean, I know it's 147 degreesright now At the time I'm
recording this in Arizona and Ihappen to be wearing a
long-sleeved shirt.
It's 147 degrees right now Atthe time I'm recording this in
(01:07):
Arizona and I happen to bewearing a long-sleeved shirt to
this business meeting that I'mgoing to and I'm thinking why
did I choose that?
But anyway, but I don't know ifwe got like dirt dust.
I don't know what it is, andnot that you care, but I'm just
commenting on what I'm seeingAnyway, so forgive the audio
(01:28):
quality.
I'm not in my home office, notin the studio, not able to
record, with all that.
It's just talking to my iPhone.
I want to share some thoughtswith you.
We are in the summer crunch, soa million things going on in
your personal life, at work,you're taking some time off.
We talked about that in thelast episode or the one before
that, about how important thatis.
I'm coming back completelyrecharged after getting off the
(01:51):
grid like massively getting offthe grid and a ton of family and
personal events going on andjust super recharged.
That's the value.
That's the value of gettingaway during the summer and the
end of the year.
But that was the last episode,okay.
So a few years, well, a lot ofyears ago, we had this
consultant.
(02:11):
Back when I worked in the mediabusiness, we had this
consultant that came in and heconsulted each of our markets.
This is a broadcast mediacompany and we had media
properties in Washington DC, inChicago, in Salt Lake City,
seattle, phoenix, st Louis, allover the place, right.
And so this consultant wouldfly into each market and meet
(02:32):
with the leadership team in thatmarket and really help them
with strategy and all of that.
And he was a very unique justworked by himself.
I didn't have a team at all,like, just worked by himself, I
didn't have a team at all.
Just.
And I want to say at the timethat we were using him, he was
probably 60, 65.
Definitely a seasoned guy, andmaybe even 70 on the latter end
(03:00):
of his career.
Like, just full of wisdom, fullof insight, full of energy and
drive.
And I just love to be aroundhim.
His name was Roger, and some ofthe people on our team weren't
huge fans of his unconventionalapproach and you've always got
members of every team that,anytime you're doing an offside,
you're doing a strategy sessionor, frankly, you're having a
(03:23):
meeting, you've got those peopleon the team that just roll
their eyes, no matter what.
They're just like why am I here?
What am I doing?
Just the naysayers, right?
The people that don't bring anyvalue and they're skeptical of
everything.
Maybe they bring value, butthey're just a pain.
Sometimes we look at them,we're like I don't know if the
cost is worth the reward, thepayoff, right?
(03:44):
That's another episode though.
Just the naysayers, the peoplethat walk into meetings, like
just already, looking for theproblem, looking for what's
wrong, looking for why it's awaste of time.
You know, my father-in-law usedto say I'm so insightful.
We go to church, right, and onSunday we talk about in our
church there's not a preacherthat gets up and preaches every
(04:05):
Sunday.
It's, you know, members of thecongregation who are invited to
prepare a talk on, you know,faith or discipleship or
whatever it is, and then theythey get up and they deliver
like an eight or 10 minute talk.
Think of it like a TED talk,but spiritual and, and you know
these are people with all kindsof different abilities talk, but
spiritual and, and you knowthese are people with all kinds
(04:27):
of different abilities.
Some of nobody asks for thatopportunity and in fact, most of
the people who are asked haveno desire.
They dread, they fear gettingup and speaking.
They don't view themselves asthe authority figure.
They're just getting up, takingtheir turn, just willing to
offer some insights on the pathof life, wherever they're at,
and and so sometimes you know,people get up and speak and it's
(04:48):
pretty boring, like they're notgood public speakers.
They don't profess to be, theydon't wanna be up there, but
they're.
You know they're doing theirduty, they're doing their part,
they're trying to show up andbring value, and so you might be
bored, right, and I rememberhaving a conversation with my
father-in-law once about thisand, as a family, like we were
around the dinner table orsomething, and he's like you
(05:10):
know, actually I think when yougo to church and you're in the
congregation, there's thosepeople speaking and you don't
find value.
The problem isn't the speaker,it's you.
I'm like whoa, whoa.
Okay, let me process.
That was the kind of man myfather-in-law was.
He passed away from cancersuddenly and unexpectedly a few
(05:36):
years ago.
We mourn the loss of him forsure, but he was a man of very
few words, very private, veryformal and very committed to
what he believed in, very strongbeliefs, and so he just made
statements like that and I'vethought about that often and I
think he's totally right,totally right, and so I can say
the same thing for now.
We got to work as leaders tomake meetings and interactions
(05:59):
and offsites as productive andinsightful and efficient as
possible.
Trust me, I'm the world'sbiggest critic when it comes to
inefficient meetings, but Idon't show up looking for why
this is a waste of time.
I show up looking for trying tomake it productive, trying to
make it valuable.
What are we trying to achievehere?
So, anyway, okay.
(06:20):
So this consultant he comes inand often he had just so much
energy.
That's part of what I lovedabout him, part of what I aspire
for to be like him in that whenI'm 70, 65, whatever I want to
have drive like that.
There's so many 65,70-year-olds, 75-year-olds, and
I haven't been there, so I'vegot all the empathy in the world
(06:42):
because I can't relate, becauseI haven't been there, but
they're tired like worn out.
And then you got those othersthat, like you know, we were
hiking in Colorado during riverrafting trip that I was on
recently.
And as we're going up thismountainside, like I called it,
devil's Peak that's not the realname of it, but that's my
feeling about this spot becauseit was brutal Two miles of
(07:05):
switchbacks, brutal.
But as we're starting to climbup and I'm here with all of
these teenage boys that Ivolunteer with and I'm feeling
the pain and look, I'm active.
I work out a lot, whatever Notthat I got anything to show for
it, but I'm active.
And these two old guys, allgray hair, like fully gray hair,
and had to be in theirseventies, they're walking back
(07:26):
in there.
They're like, yeah, it's greathike, you guys are going to love
it.
And I thought about them thewhole hike Cause I'm like, wow,
they were so full of energy, somuch drive, and here I am much
younger than they are and I'mdying anyway.
So this, uh, this consultant hecomes to the market full of
energy, full of drive, and hewould talk all the time about
man, there's so many deals to bedone in the marketplace,
(07:46):
there's so much that you couldbe selling Like I just love to
trade, I love to create value inthe marketplace and I love to
go out in the market and findwhere the market exists, where
the demand exists for this thing, and offer a solution or a
service that people would beinterested in, monetize it, do a
deal.
Like he was all about deals andhe was kind of folksy and a
(08:08):
little cheesy in the way that hewould say it, but I actually I
really appreciated because I'dnever seen anybody say that Like
where they just were drivenmotivated on fire about the
marketplace, about how fun it isto go out in the market and
look for where there's demand,where there's a need, and create
(08:30):
a solution and then go find away to bundle it and package it
and offer it up and monetizethat and create value and do a
deal.
And then do another deal andthen do another deal.
And I know most of you arelistening or not, in sales.
You don't think you don't havea title that says sales.
But you ought to read the book.
Sometimes I can't remember thetitle of it Something like we're
(08:51):
all in sales.
That was a game changer for me,not not the greatest book ever,
but the main idea.
I read that like maybe 15 yearsago, I don't even know wrote it
, I don't remember the exacttitle, but it changed me because
I wasn't in the salesdepartment in the media business
and that that woke me up tolike no, yes, you are Russ.
Like we're all in sales, likerevenue is the fuel.
(09:15):
If we aren't driving revenue,if we aren't growing, then we're
toast, we're dead.
And but I thought, oh no, that,like that's not my area, like I
don't have to worry about that.
You know our sales leaders, mypeers that would lead the sales
team, like, oh no, that's theirworld.
And that book, that that ideawas really big for me anyway.
So, whether you're in sales ornot which, again, we're all in
(09:37):
it, whether that's our full timeposition or not, our job is to
go create value in themarketplace.
And then I want to zoom out alittle bit and talk about you
specifically, your career.
Now, listen to me, your careerDepends how successful you are
(10:09):
now or will be, whether you're60 or 20.
Legacy, reach, leadershipopportunity, depends on your
ability to create unique valuein the marketplace.
So I want you thinking aboutthat.
(10:32):
Okay, some of you think aboutthis all the time.
Some of you you're like lightbulbs going off.
You're like, oh my gosh, Ihadn't thought about this.
Of times, some of you, you'relike a light bulb's going off.
You're like, oh my gosh, Ihadn't thought about this.
So what is the unique valueyou're bringing?
How are you different fromevery other marketing executive
(10:56):
we have, from every otherexecutive vice president, from
every other CEO, from any otherchief strategy officer, chief
operations officer, mid-levelmanager on the factory floor, I
don't care what it is.
How are you unique?
Like we lose you.
What do we lose, besides yourtechnical know-how in the area
(11:18):
of?
Because you've got yourspecialized skills that are
unique to the functional areathat you oversee or the
functional areas or part of thebusiness or organization that
you oversee.
So you've got those specializedskills.
But I need you to have morethan that, like I need you to.
I need you to to have betterskills, stronger skills than
(11:41):
just that.
Otherwise, you're soreplaceable.
And so how are you unique Like,for instance, one of the things
that I'm really unique at is myability to communicate
efficiently and effectively.
It's not that I'm the best inthe world at it, but I'm one of,
I'm one of the best, like topone percent.
(12:02):
I don't flex on that.
It's like a matter of survival.
Like the rest of you are reallyreally good top one percent,
two percent, five percent in theworld at certain things.
For me, communication is one ofthem.
I'm not I've got do ground tomake up.
I've got strengths to build inthat area.
(12:23):
I haven't crossed the finishline, but I'm really freaking
good at it.
I'm an employee, I'm a teammember, I'm a consultant, I'm a
coach, I'm a whatever the crap Iam.
You aren't going to findsomebody with as strong of an
(12:45):
ability to communicate as me.
Period Done, I know it, I'mconfident in it.
I've got humility around itbecause I'm trying to constantly
increase and improve it.
But that's one specific area.
Another area is that I'm driven.
I've got energy, motivation andI know how to fire you up,
because I'm fired up Not everyhour of every day, trust me.
(13:08):
I got my moments.
There are cloudy days, thereare cloudy periods, but by and
large I'm able to push throughthat and I've got energy and
drive and I'm able to impartthat on others and it's
contagious.
That's a unique skill of mine.
I don't think I'm top 1% onthat.
I think I'm probably top 10% onthat, maybe 20%, and so I've
(13:31):
got these other things, like myability to create frameworks and
models and to simplify what I'mthinking so that I can anyway
you get the point.
The reason I'm sharing that withyou is I'm trying to get you to
think about you.
What are the unique valuepropositions that you bring?
Some of them are going to betechnical skills.
(13:52):
Nobody's got the experiencebuilding this, creating this,
ideating this, whatever it isthat you do.
But it's got to be differentthan that too.
It's got to be leadershipabilities, communication, energy
, sales or relationship drivenor design, or lots of different
areas, right, strategic thinker,engineering, mindset on these
(14:15):
specific things.
So I need you to define whatthose unique value propositions
are Like.
When I say define it, I meanlike write it down, like in an
Apple note, in a Google doc, ina whatever a journal.
I need you to write them downOne, two, three, four, five.
Okay, unique value propositions.
(14:36):
If you can only come up withone or two or none, I need you
to really work on defining that.
Then, after you've defined that, what I need you to do is I
need you to lean into them,strengthen those skills, get
them sharper and stronger,because if that's your value
(14:57):
proposition and stronger,because if that's your value
proposition, no value.
Every value is like, everyskill is like a muscle it will
weaken without use, withouteffort, without stretching it,
without pushing on it.
Okay, so we've got to.
I am paying for everything I canfind.
I'm spending time consuminganything, I'm constantly
(15:17):
processing how I couldcommunicate even better and I
think I think I'm top 1%, butI'm so driven I'm not like it's
the, it's the golf pro with thecoach.
I'm not done improving.
I've got more um, I've I've gotmore ability here.
(15:38):
I've got more.
What's the word I'm looking for, gosh?
It starts with a C.
It's not coming to me.
Anyway, it'll come back to mein just a second.
I've got there's a range ofwhere I can continue to
strengthen my ability.
Okay, not competence, gosh,anyway, okay, anyway.
(16:05):
So that's what I want you towork on that defining that.
And, by the way, you want to dothat for your team.
Like how are we unique in themarketplace?
What makes our sales teamdifferent from every other sales
team in this industry?
What makes this organizationunique?
What's the value proposition?
Right, as leaders, we don'tjust do this value proposition
and definition for usindividually, we do it for our
(16:26):
teams, our departments, for ourorganization, depending on where
we sit on the org chart, andwe've got to be crystal clear on
that.
We go to the marketplace withthat, as we've been building our
leadership training company,not the consulting side of our
business, although that's truetoo.
The same principle applies, butin the last five years, as
we've been building theleadership training off the
(16:46):
shelf solution side of ourbusiness.
What's our unique valueproposition?
How are we different fromeverybody else?
Otherwise, it's just a redocean and you're going to get
filleted, you're going to getscrewed right, there's not going
to be demand for you.
So you've got to becommunicating in that
marketplace.
So, as an organization, we gotto be branding, messaging on our
unique value proposition.
Our leaders have to be talkingabout it, and then I, as a
(17:09):
leader, have to be talking aboutmy unique value proposition in
strategic, humble, intentionalways.
Okay, last thought on this.
So, after you've defined that,my last thought for you is the
mark.
We live in a day.
I just want to make sure you'vegot the right perspective.
I just want to like do a gutcheck with you.
(17:31):
We are alive.
We are alive in a day and agewith the most incredible market.
There are so many transactionsgoing on.
Yes, the market dips from timeto time, but it doesn't stay
(17:51):
Like.
Investors everywhere arelooking for reasons to be
optimistic.
The market goes down Like ifyou just talk about the markets,
like stock markets, investmentmarkets, broadly.
They go down for a day, a week,maybe a few weeks, and then
they're right back up.
They're right back up.
We're like searching forreasons to be optimistic.
We'll find them anywhere.
(18:11):
Perhaps too much so.
Perhaps we're creating bubblesin different areas.
That's okay.
That bubble will pop and thenit will rebuild.
I've been alive long enough toknow now that there's zero
reason to be pessimistic when amarket is deflated or when it's
popping or when it's declining alittle bit.
Zero reasons to have emotionaround that because it's going
(18:37):
to go back up.
It might take six months, itmight take a year, but it's
going to go back up.
And guess what?
We're going to be positioned.
I I as an individual.
I'm going to be positioned tomonetize that.
I'm going to make money.
I'm going to be successful.
(18:58):
I'm going to find a way to getgreater than zero on this right.
That needs to be your mindset,and so I just want you to be
aware of how unbelievablyfortunate we are to live in this
day and age, where themarketplace is unbelievable.
(19:18):
There is demand for solutions,and so if you can get clear on
what you're good at, you can getclear on what you're good at.
The marketplace for youindividually is enormous.
And if you're not feeling it,then you haven't clearly defined
your value proposition oryou've got value in areas that
(19:38):
the market doesn't really wantor need.
We've got a million of you, andso I want to find a place
that's unique, what's different,what can't be replaced, what
can you not replace with AI, acomputer or somebody else that's
out there graduating fromcollege or leaving that industry
.
What is unique?
And then I'm leaning into itand I know that the market's on
(19:59):
fire and so I can go out in themarket and I can do deals.
Like Roger the consultant, I'mso freaking jacked about the
marketplace, and then to be able, that's the reward, isn't the
money, like when you hear melike, oh, I'm going to go make
money.
It's not about the money, it'sabout the puzzle solving, it's
(20:20):
about the challenge, it's aboutthe journey, it's about
unlocking that, about going tothe market, finding building a
solution, a product, filling aneed, solving a problem, going
out there, buildingrelationships, finding where the
demand is, and then messagingand then fine tuning and doing
whatever and then closing dealson that and going you know what,
(20:42):
like I did that.
We did that.
We saw a need, we solved it, wecame up with a product that the
market needs.
We're actually solving people'sproblems, we're helping them
move forward, and that's sorewarding and it just keeps your
brain moving.
It's fulfilling.
(21:03):
You're creating.
There's nothing, there isnothing that's more fulfilling
than that.
And so that's what's on my mind,coming back from a summer
recharge on fire for the secondhalf of the year, totally
committed to driving resultsthat I've never achieved before,
(21:24):
that we've never achievedbefore.
That we've never achievedbefore as an organization,
solving problems in themarketplace, doing it at scale
and outdoing any othercompetitor around us.
Like good night, we're going tobeat you.
You know what I mean.
Like I love you and I wish youall the best, but we're going to
(21:45):
outperform you because we'remore focused on bringing value,
of solving problems, of doingdeals, of having impact.
I hope I fired you up, I hopeI've got you thinking, I hope
that that energy you'll bringinto the organization and it'll
be contagious.
And it will be contagious.
(22:12):
The value plays for you rightnow.
The market, the market for youis better than it's ever been.
Now, quick caveat before I close.
Some of you are listening tothis and you just don't have the
energy right now.
It's cloudy, you're're lackingdrive and I got nothing but
empathy for you.
My, my counsel for you, my, my,my plea is hang on, focus on
(22:37):
the light, focus on like hope,whatever that takes.
And some of you can't relate towhat I'm talking about.
You're not human.
The rest of us know exactly whatI'm talking about, and so, for
the anybody that's listening,gone.
Russ, I hear you, and thisepisode doesn't to what I'm
talking about.
You're not human.
The rest of us know exactlywhat I'm talking about, and so,
for anybody that's listening, goon.
Russ, I hear you.
And this episode doesn't speakto me, because I just don't know
if I can bring value in themarketplace.
I don't know if I've gotsomething that's unique.
(22:59):
I don't know if the marketreally is that high for what I
can bring.
You just hang tight, hang tight, push through whatever's
weighing you down.
Know you've got enormous valueand that we're all human.
We're all human.
We all have cloudy days, we allknow exactly what you're
feeling, and so push through, bestrong, and then, once you're
(23:20):
on your feet again, once you'reable to walk and run, then just
know all these principles applyto you.
All right, I'm getting close towhere I got to go.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'll talk to you in the next episode.
Share this episode with acolleague, your team or a friend
.
Tap on the share button andtext the link.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Thanks for listening to the Lead in 30 podcast with
Russ Hill.
What problems are you solving in the marketplace?
Like, I want to talk about yourteam, your organization, your
department, like what problemsyou're solving collectively.
But what I also want to reallydig into in this episode is the
problems you as an individualare solving out there and the
incredible opportunity thatexists right now for you to go
(00:24):
out there and offer that up inthe marketplace and create
significant value.
Let's talk about it.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
This is the lead in 30 podcast with Russ Hill.
You cannot be serious.
Strengthen your ability to leadin less than 30 minutes to
leave in less than 30 minutes.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
Forgive the noise, you all.
I'm in my vehicle traveling toan appointment and I'm in the
Arizona area and, oh my gosh,like the air quality today.
I don't know what's going on.
I mean, I know it's 147 degreesright now At the time I'm
recording this in Arizona and Ihappen to be wearing a
long-sleeved shirt.
It's 147 degrees right now Atthe time I'm recording this in
(01:07):
Arizona and I happen to bewearing a long-sleeved shirt to
this business meeting that I'mgoing to and I'm thinking why
did I choose that?
But anyway, but I don't know ifwe got like dirt dust.
I don't know what it is, andnot that you care, but I'm just
commenting on what I'm seeingAnyway, so forgive the audio
(01:28):
quality.
I'm not in my home office, notin the studio, not able to
record, with all that.
It's just talking to my iPhone.
I want to share some thoughtswith you.
We are in the summer crunch, soa million things going on in
your personal life, at work,you're taking some time off.
We talked about that in thelast episode or the one before
that, about how important thatis.
I'm coming back completelyrecharged after getting off the
(01:51):
grid like massively getting offthe grid and a ton of family and
personal events going on andjust super recharged.
That's the value.
That's the value of gettingaway during the summer and the
end of the year.
But that was the last episode,okay.
So a few years, well, a lot ofyears ago, we had this
consultant.
(02:11):
Back when I worked in the mediabusiness, we had this
consultant that came in and heconsulted each of our markets.
This is a broadcast mediacompany and we had media
properties in Washington DC, inChicago, in Salt Lake City,
seattle, phoenix, st Louis, allover the place, right.
And so this consultant wouldfly into each market and meet
(02:32):
with the leadership team in thatmarket and really help them
with strategy and all of that.
And he was a very unique justworked by himself.
I didn't have a team at all,like, just worked by himself, I
didn't have a team at all.
Just.
And I want to say at the timethat we were using him, he was
probably 60, 65.
Definitely a seasoned guy, andmaybe even 70 on the latter end
(03:00):
of his career.
Like, just full of wisdom, fullof insight, full of energy and
drive.
And I just love to be aroundhim.
His name was Roger, and some ofthe people on our team weren't
huge fans of his unconventionalapproach and you've always got
members of every team that,anytime you're doing an offside,
you're doing a strategy sessionor, frankly, you're having a
(03:23):
meeting, you've got those peopleon the team that just roll
their eyes, no matter what.
They're just like why am I here?
What am I doing?
Just the naysayers, right?
The people that don't bring anyvalue and they're skeptical of
everything.
Maybe they bring value, butthey're just a pain.
Sometimes we look at them,we're like I don't know if the
cost is worth the reward, thepayoff, right?
(03:44):
That's another episode though.
Just the naysayers, the peoplethat walk into meetings, like
just already, looking for theproblem, looking for what's
wrong, looking for why it's awaste of time.
You know, my father-in-law usedto say I'm so insightful.
We go to church, right, and onSunday we talk about in our
church there's not a preacherthat gets up and preaches every
(04:05):
Sunday.
It's, you know, members of thecongregation who are invited to
prepare a talk on, you know,faith or discipleship or
whatever it is, and then theythey get up and they deliver
like an eight or 10 minute talk.
Think of it like a TED talk,but spiritual and, and you know
these are people with all kindsof different abilities talk, but
spiritual and, and you knowthese are people with all kinds
(04:27):
of different abilities.
Some of nobody asks for thatopportunity and in fact, most of
the people who are asked haveno desire.
They dread, they fear gettingup and speaking.
They don't view themselves asthe authority figure.
They're just getting up, takingtheir turn, just willing to
offer some insights on the pathof life, wherever they're at,
and and so sometimes you know,people get up and speak and it's
(04:48):
pretty boring, like they're notgood public speakers.
They don't profess to be, theydon't wanna be up there, but
they're.
You know they're doing theirduty, they're doing their part,
they're trying to show up andbring value, and so you might be
bored, right, and I rememberhaving a conversation with my
father-in-law once about thisand, as a family, like we were
around the dinner table orsomething, and he's like you
(05:10):
know, actually I think when yougo to church and you're in the
congregation, there's thosepeople speaking and you don't
find value.
The problem isn't the speaker,it's you.
I'm like whoa, whoa.
Okay, let me process.
That was the kind of man myfather-in-law was.
He passed away from cancersuddenly and unexpectedly a few
(05:36):
years ago.
We mourn the loss of him forsure, but he was a man of very
few words, very private, veryformal and very committed to
what he believed in, very strongbeliefs, and so he just made
statements like that and I'vethought about that often and I
think he's totally right,totally right, and so I can say
the same thing for now.
We got to work as leaders tomake meetings and interactions
(05:59):
and offsites as productive andinsightful and efficient as
possible.
Trust me, I'm the world'sbiggest critic when it comes to
inefficient meetings, but Idon't show up looking for why
this is a waste of time.
I show up looking for trying tomake it productive, trying to
make it valuable.
What are we trying to achievehere?
So, anyway, okay.
(06:20):
So this consultant he comes inand often he had just so much
energy.
That's part of what I lovedabout him, part of what I aspire
for to be like him in that whenI'm 70, 65, whatever I want to
have drive like that.
There's so many 65,70-year-olds, 75-year-olds, and
I haven't been there, so I'vegot all the empathy in the world
(06:42):
because I can't relate, becauseI haven't been there, but
they're tired like worn out.
And then you got those othersthat, like you know, we were
hiking in Colorado during riverrafting trip that I was on
recently.
And as we're going up thismountainside, like I called it,
devil's Peak that's not the realname of it, but that's my
feeling about this spot becauseit was brutal Two miles of
(07:05):
switchbacks, brutal.
But as we're starting to climbup and I'm here with all of
these teenage boys that Ivolunteer with and I'm feeling
the pain and look, I'm active.
I work out a lot, whatever Notthat I got anything to show for
it, but I'm active.
And these two old guys, allgray hair, like fully gray hair,
and had to be in theirseventies, they're walking back
(07:26):
in there.
They're like, yeah, it's greathike, you guys are going to love
it.
And I thought about them thewhole hike Cause I'm like, wow,
they were so full of energy, somuch drive, and here I am much
younger than they are and I'mdying anyway.
So this, uh, this consultant hecomes to the market full of
energy, full of drive, and hewould talk all the time about
man, there's so many deals to bedone in the marketplace,
(07:46):
there's so much that you couldbe selling Like I just love to
trade, I love to create value inthe marketplace and I love to
go out in the market and findwhere the market exists, where
the demand exists for this thing, and offer a solution or a
service that people would beinterested in, monetize it, do a
deal.
Like he was all about deals andhe was kind of folksy and a
(08:08):
little cheesy in the way that hewould say it, but I actually I
really appreciated because I'dnever seen anybody say that Like
where they just were drivenmotivated on fire about the
marketplace, about how fun it isto go out in the market and
look for where there's demand,where there's a need, and create
(08:30):
a solution and then go find away to bundle it and package it
and offer it up and monetizethat and create value and do a
deal.
And then do another deal andthen do another deal.
And I know most of you arelistening or not, in sales.
You don't think you don't havea title that says sales.
But you ought to read the book.
Sometimes I can't remember thetitle of it Something like we're
(08:51):
all in sales.
That was a game changer for me,not not the greatest book ever,
but the main idea.
I read that like maybe 15 yearsago, I don't even know wrote it
, I don't remember the exacttitle, but it changed me because
I wasn't in the salesdepartment in the media business
and that that woke me up tolike no, yes, you are Russ.
Like we're all in sales, likerevenue is the fuel.
(09:15):
If we aren't driving revenue,if we aren't growing, then we're
toast, we're dead.
And but I thought, oh no, that,like that's not my area, like I
don't have to worry about that.
You know our sales leaders, mypeers that would lead the sales
team, like, oh no, that's theirworld.
And that book, that that ideawas really big for me anyway.
So, whether you're in sales ornot which, again, we're all in
(09:37):
it, whether that's our full timeposition or not, our job is to
go create value in themarketplace.
And then I want to zoom out alittle bit and talk about you
specifically, your career.
Now, listen to me, your careerDepends how successful you are
(10:09):
now or will be, whether you're60 or 20.
Legacy, reach, leadershipopportunity, depends on your
ability to create unique valuein the marketplace.
So I want you thinking aboutthat.
(10:32):
Okay, some of you think aboutthis all the time.
Some of you you're like lightbulbs going off.
You're like, oh my gosh, Ihadn't thought about this.
Of times, some of you, you'relike a light bulb's going off.
You're like, oh my gosh, Ihadn't thought about this.
So what is the unique valueyou're bringing?
How are you different fromevery other marketing executive
(10:56):
we have, from every otherexecutive vice president, from
every other CEO, from any otherchief strategy officer, chief
operations officer, mid-levelmanager on the factory floor, I
don't care what it is.
How are you unique?
Like we lose you.
What do we lose, besides yourtechnical know-how in the area
(11:18):
of?
Because you've got yourspecialized skills that are
unique to the functional areathat you oversee or the
functional areas or part of thebusiness or organization that
you oversee.
So you've got those specializedskills.
But I need you to have morethan that, like I need you to.
I need you to to have betterskills, stronger skills than
(11:41):
just that.
Otherwise, you're soreplaceable.
And so how are you unique Like,for instance, one of the things
that I'm really unique at is myability to communicate
efficiently and effectively.
It's not that I'm the best inthe world at it, but I'm one of,
I'm one of the best, like topone percent.
(12:02):
I don't flex on that.
It's like a matter of survival.
Like the rest of you are reallyreally good top one percent,
two percent, five percent in theworld at certain things.
For me, communication is one ofthem.
I'm not I've got do ground tomake up.
I've got strengths to build inthat area.
(12:23):
I haven't crossed the finishline, but I'm really freaking
good at it.
I'm an employee, I'm a teammember, I'm a consultant, I'm a
coach, I'm a whatever the crap Iam.
You aren't going to findsomebody with as strong of an
(12:45):
ability to communicate as me.
Period Done, I know it, I'mconfident in it.
I've got humility around itbecause I'm trying to constantly
increase and improve it.
But that's one specific area.
Another area is that I'm driven.
I've got energy, motivation andI know how to fire you up,
because I'm fired up Not everyhour of every day, trust me.
(13:08):
I got my moments.
There are cloudy days, thereare cloudy periods, but by and
large I'm able to push throughthat and I've got energy and
drive and I'm able to impartthat on others and it's
contagious.
That's a unique skill of mine.
I don't think I'm top 1% onthat.
I think I'm probably top 10% onthat, maybe 20%, and so I've
(13:31):
got these other things, like myability to create frameworks and
models and to simplify what I'mthinking so that I can anyway
you get the point.
The reason I'm sharing that withyou is I'm trying to get you to
think about you.
What are the unique valuepropositions that you bring?
Some of them are going to betechnical skills.
(13:52):
Nobody's got the experiencebuilding this, creating this,
ideating this, whatever it isthat you do.
But it's got to be differentthan that too.
It's got to be leadershipabilities, communication, energy
, sales or relationship drivenor design, or lots of different
areas, right, strategic thinker,engineering, mindset on these
(14:15):
specific things.
So I need you to define whatthose unique value propositions
are Like.
When I say define it, I meanlike write it down, like in an
Apple note, in a Google doc, ina whatever a journal.
I need you to write them downOne, two, three, four, five.
Okay, unique value propositions.
(14:36):
If you can only come up withone or two or none, I need you
to really work on defining that.
Then, after you've defined that, what I need you to do is I
need you to lean into them,strengthen those skills, get
them sharper and stronger,because if that's your value
(14:57):
proposition and stronger,because if that's your value
proposition, no value.
Every value is like, everyskill is like a muscle it will
weaken without use, withouteffort, without stretching it,
without pushing on it.
Okay, so we've got to.
I am paying for everything I canfind.
I'm spending time consuminganything, I'm constantly
(15:17):
processing how I couldcommunicate even better and I
think I think I'm top 1%, butI'm so driven I'm not like it's
the, it's the golf pro with thecoach.
I'm not done improving.
I've got more um, I've I've gotmore ability here.
(15:38):
I've got more.
What's the word I'm looking for, gosh?
It starts with a C.
It's not coming to me.
Anyway, it'll come back to mein just a second.
I've got there's a range ofwhere I can continue to
strengthen my ability.
Okay, not competence, gosh,anyway, okay, anyway.
(16:05):
So that's what I want you towork on that defining that.
And, by the way, you want to dothat for your team.
Like how are we unique in themarketplace?
What makes our sales teamdifferent from every other sales
team in this industry?
What makes this organizationunique?
What's the value proposition?
Right, as leaders, we don'tjust do this value proposition
and definition for usindividually, we do it for our
(16:26):
teams, our departments, for ourorganization, depending on where
we sit on the org chart, andwe've got to be crystal clear on
that.
We go to the marketplace withthat, as we've been building our
leadership training company,not the consulting side of our
business, although that's truetoo.
The same principle applies, butin the last five years, as
we've been building theleadership training off the
(16:46):
shelf solution side of ourbusiness.
What's our unique valueproposition?
How are we different fromeverybody else?
Otherwise, it's just a redocean and you're going to get
filleted, you're going to getscrewed right, there's not going
to be demand for you.
So you've got to becommunicating in that
marketplace.
So, as an organization, we gotto be branding, messaging on our
unique value proposition.
Our leaders have to be talkingabout it, and then I, as a
(17:09):
leader, have to be talking aboutmy unique value proposition in
strategic, humble, intentionalways.
Okay, last thought on this.
So, after you've defined that,my last thought for you is the
mark.
We live in a day.
I just want to make sure you'vegot the right perspective.
I just want to like do a gutcheck with you.
(17:31):
We are alive.
We are alive in a day and agewith the most incredible market.
There are so many transactionsgoing on.
Yes, the market dips from timeto time, but it doesn't stay
(17:51):
Like.
Investors everywhere arelooking for reasons to be
optimistic.
The market goes down Like ifyou just talk about the markets,
like stock markets, investmentmarkets, broadly.
They go down for a day, a week,maybe a few weeks, and then
they're right back up.
They're right back up.
We're like searching forreasons to be optimistic.
We'll find them anywhere.
(18:11):
Perhaps too much so.
Perhaps we're creating bubblesin different areas.
That's okay.
That bubble will pop and thenit will rebuild.
I've been alive long enough toknow now that there's zero
reason to be pessimistic when amarket is deflated or when it's
popping or when it's declining alittle bit.
Zero reasons to have emotionaround that because it's going
(18:37):
to go back up.
It might take six months, itmight take a year, but it's
going to go back up.
And guess what?
We're going to be positioned.
I I as an individual.
I'm going to be positioned tomonetize that.
I'm going to make money.
I'm going to be successful.
(18:58):
I'm going to find a way to getgreater than zero on this right.
That needs to be your mindset,and so I just want you to be
aware of how unbelievablyfortunate we are to live in this
day and age, where themarketplace is unbelievable.
(19:18):
There is demand for solutions,and so if you can get clear on
what you're good at, you can getclear on what you're good at.
The marketplace for youindividually is enormous.
And if you're not feeling it,then you haven't clearly defined
your value proposition oryou've got value in areas that
(19:38):
the market doesn't really wantor need.
We've got a million of you, andso I want to find a place
that's unique, what's different,what can't be replaced, what
can you not replace with AI, acomputer or somebody else that's
out there graduating fromcollege or leaving that industry
.
What is unique?
And then I'm leaning into itand I know that the market's on
(19:59):
fire and so I can go out in themarket and I can do deals.
Like Roger the consultant, I'mso freaking jacked about the
marketplace, and then to be able, that's the reward, isn't the
money, like when you hear melike, oh, I'm going to go make
money.
It's not about the money, it'sabout the puzzle solving, it's
(20:20):
about the challenge, it's aboutthe journey, it's about
unlocking that, about going tothe market, finding building a
solution, a product, filling aneed, solving a problem, going
out there, buildingrelationships, finding where the
demand is, and then messagingand then fine tuning and doing
whatever and then closing dealson that and going you know what,
(20:42):
like I did that.
We did that.
We saw a need, we solved it, wecame up with a product that the
market needs.
We're actually solving people'sproblems, we're helping them
move forward, and that's sorewarding and it just keeps your
brain moving.
It's fulfilling.
(21:03):
You're creating.
There's nothing, there isnothing that's more fulfilling
than that.
And so that's what's on my mind,coming back from a summer
recharge on fire for the secondhalf of the year, totally
committed to driving resultsthat I've never achieved before,
(21:24):
that we've never achievedbefore.
That we've never achievedbefore as an organization,
solving problems in themarketplace, doing it at scale
and outdoing any othercompetitor around us.
Like good night, we're going tobeat you.
You know what I mean.
Like I love you and I wish youall the best, but we're going to
(21:45):
outperform you because we'remore focused on bringing value,
of solving problems, of doingdeals, of having impact.
I hope I fired you up, I hopeI've got you thinking, I hope
that that energy you'll bringinto the organization and it'll
be contagious.
And it will be contagious.
(22:12):
The value plays for you rightnow.
The market, the market for youis better than it's ever been.
Now, quick caveat before I close.
Some of you are listening tothis and you just don't have the
energy right now.
It's cloudy, you're're lackingdrive and I got nothing but
empathy for you.
My, my counsel for you, my, my,my plea is hang on, focus on
(22:37):
the light, focus on like hope,whatever that takes.
And some of you can't relate towhat I'm talking about.
You're not human.
The rest of us know exactly whatI'm talking about, and so, for
the anybody that's listening,gone.
Russ, I hear you, and thisepisode doesn't to what I'm
talking about.
You're not human.
The rest of us know exactlywhat I'm talking about, and so,
for anybody that's listening, goon.
Russ, I hear you.
And this episode doesn't speakto me, because I just don't know
if I can bring value in themarketplace.
I don't know if I've gotsomething that's unique.
(22:59):
I don't know if the marketreally is that high for what I
can bring.
You just hang tight, hang tight, push through whatever's
weighing you down.
Know you've got enormous valueand that we're all human.
We're all human.
We all have cloudy days, we allknow exactly what you're
feeling, and so push through, bestrong, and then, once you're
(23:20):
on your feet again, once you'reable to walk and run, then just
know all these principles applyto you.
All right, I'm getting close towhere I got to go.
Speaker 2 (23:30):
I'll talk to you in the next episode.
Share this episode with acolleague, your team or a friend
.
Tap on the share button andtext the link.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Thanks for listening to the Lead in 30 podcast with
Russ Hill.
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