Originality on Demand: C-I-C-R Strategy

Getting promoted = Potential byproduct of being an original ~ J. T. O’Donnell

There is hardly anyone that does not like to acquire genuine items. The benefit consists of the usability of the items. That is the ability of a product to meet the intended purpose during its useful life. In the business world, there are situations in which there is an ingenuine or clone version of a product. It looks exactly like the genuine one and maybe mistaken to be original because of the high level of similarity with the known brand of product. Manufacturer of such items usually put a security check which they advertise for loyal customers not to fall victim to the fake one.

Just do something different and differentiating.

As a professional, you are to find your strong point, leverage it while you give something of value to your customer. It is the edge you have over others in your industry. It does not mean you cannot sell or offer similar goods or services just like somebody by your doorstep, but something must show you are not the same as others. Likewise, it must be difficult for your competitors to replicate your offerings.

Originality can be in the form of colour, texture, smell, appearance, taste, packaging, composition (for formulated products) of product or you treat your customers or clients, offer service, feedback mechanism, etc. Just do something different and differentiating.

…don’t sacrifice originality for cost-cutting. You can look into other areas to achieve this objective…

It is also necessary to maintain that standard you are known for and seek to improve it. The observed abnormality during the economic trying period is the variance of products and services. Some products now have differences in taste, sizes reduced and less effective. On the other hand, services are no longer regular. Recently, I observed a bank in my area known for quality and timely service now failed in these areas. I thought I was the only one to notice this development until I approached a shop to purchase a few things. I made my payment online and expecting to leave almost immediately since I do not doubt prompt feedback, but the transaction took a longer time to complete than expected. I have to wait for several minutes for my payment to be confirmed. I was surprised to be told by the shop attendant that the bank is not efficient in that service delivery. The point being made: don’t sacrifice originality for cost-cutting. You can look into other areas to achieve this objective because once you lose your loyal customer, you may need to start rebuilding again after years of labour and investment.

Originality can also mean seeing things in a way different from general perception. You can penetrate a business by going in the opposite direction to others. It can be as novel as ‘climbing the tree from the top‘. I know you understand this.

C-I-C-R Strategy

A study conducted by Prof Adam Grant, an organisational psychologist revealed that consistently completing the following four steps will make you more original as a professional.

Creativity – Producing ideas that provide the solution to an identifiable problem.


Initiative – Doing something about your idea.


Conviction – Using your passion and belief in the need to solve the problem to drive you forward.

Risk mitigation – Being proactive in minimising the tendency to fail so you can take a calculated risk without fear of losing much.

In addition to the above, you will become original as you carefully plan your activities and dedicating to achieving them. People who get promoted are problem-solvers. They take the initiatives. They are proactive. They look for ways to add value and make a measurable difference. You should be original, not counterfeit.

Further help

Express yourself by cultivating your style, tastes, and personality.

Believe in what you do, and do not worry about what competitors/others do.

Trust your intuitions and instincts. Other professionals don’t have the ultimate authority over what step/action to take. It does not mean not listening to advice.

Conclusively, you become original as you do what you do distinctively and differently. It does not just come your way; creativity, initiative, conviction and risk mitigation are the hallmarks – experiment with what you expect; express the essence, and experience the expression.

How To Be Organised Always

The greatest advancements of this century, the light bulb, the airplane, and computer, were created by innovators – people who imagined things that did not exist and asked why. Being an outstanding employee requires a touch of this inventors’ spirit, a determination to consistently strive to create value – Bernie Milano

Many at times you find yourself in a disarrayed situation. You think of accomplishing a task now, but along the line, you got caught in another demanding your intervention. If you are not careful, you will possibly not return to continue the first not to talk of completing it. Since these situations are made up of competing activities, you are left with the decision to choose which should be done first. If you are well-coordinated, you might be able to move forward early but at some other times, this is difficult. The complexity is higher if you are in a group. Members will be competing to have a say. Whether you are making personal or group decisions, having a standard way of doing things might serve better or be preferred. I do not mean you must follow the rule all the time but having such in place might be the medicine for the resultant severe headache.

You must have also failed to meet a deadline at one time or the other, delayed a friend you are going out together, have to sweat profusely searching for an important document and struggle to submit an application on the last day. I have found myself in all these situations in the time past. The last one appears to leave me with painful experiences. There was a time I needed to submit an application, which was in two stages. In the first stage I passed, I was able to submit an online form. I was not fortunate to scale through the second stage, which involves submitting a letter to justify my qualification for a scholarship. I need not wait for the outcome since I already know where I stand. The officer in charge was ‘well organised’ to politely inform me of my late submission of the email, and that I would not be considered.

Many have similar experiences and are still ‘enjoying’ it. I mean enjoying it. It has become part of them. They never think of changing how things are working with them in this regard. Getting organised is a price you have to pay to forestall these regular scenarios that play out in our daily life.

Perhaps the following would motivate you to escape from your comfort zone.

Saving time and having more time to attend to other things

On time delivery of project or rendering services

Cost savings

Quality outcomes

The list is endless. If you put things in the proper perspectives, your orientation changes regarding how to handle your daily activities, how you organise your working space at home or office, when to do what considering factors of time and other resources; and generally fostering an environment for effectiveness and efficiency in daily actions vis-à-vis the cost of doing otherwise.

Pay close attention to the following areas that you need to organise. You can thereafter add yours in the comment section of this article.

Your desk: Sort items out by client identifier, by project name, by date – whatever makes the most sense for you.

Computer files: Organize file for easy retrieval. Be specific regarding the names you give to files. Put things with similar characteristics into similar folders.

Hard files: Arrange them in a manner they can be easily accessed; alphabetically, by client name or by project name.

Your calendar: Do you have a place to go, project to execute, deadline to meet? Organise them in your calendar to avoid slipping over schedules and being double booked. The electronic calendar may be very helpful since it has the advantage of notifying you of any engagement not minding your location.

Office gadgets: Put things where you can easily locate and use them. Those things use often should be closer than others should.

Yourself: Stop implementing your activities at the wrong time. Stop placing your items in the wrong locations. Let them have their places. Stop jumping the queue. If you want prompt attention, be punctual yourself.

How then can you stay organized?

Communicate better

Do not be the only one on the field of play. Remember twenty-two players prepare for the game. Each person needs the right information as to the wing to play, and how to play handle opponents. If you happened to be the coach, you are not supposed to wait until you get to the field of play before telling your players what to do and how to do it. Communicating with others in your team saves from the stress of running up and down on the field. When you are not well organised, your opponent that is better off does less work hitting the target when your team is busy running from pillar to post. Timely communication makes you better organized to make strategic decisions in a timely manner on the stage of action without the fear of wreckages.

Activities should have their time

Make sure you know when you are doing what you are supposed to do. The time allocated to tasks may not be very much convenient but it helps you to handle chaos situations. When you do just one thing but leaving others undone, you will incur costs that can be monetary, loss of trust, loss of progress, having to delay other things, among others. So, learn to do only what you are supposed to do only at its time.

Don’t just prioritize

Some activities may appear insignificant compare to others but can be like the ignition for a car to move from A to Z. At times, prioritizing might make you ignore and fail to carry out such activity. You will be left to regret your action when you need to have done them earlier before the succeeding ones. It follows that being less importance now does not mean they will remain so in the future. Therefore, stay focused and adjust when necessary.

Let them have home

Things should have their place in the office, on your computer and other electronic devices and in your mind. It is easy to get lost if you do not have a home. You cannot even be located because you do not have an address you were found last. To be organized in this sense means keeping your things where can always go back to search for them. They should be properly labelled and kept where they can be located easily. Make easy-to-access storage spaces for things you are sure to use almost every time and do not let the space be too clumsy.

Keep only what you need

Having fewer things is an indication that you enjoy those things more and feel convenient about those things rather than letting half of what you own to accumulate dust. You will spend more time managing those things you do not need and the once you need.

Let others be responsible

Why do you think you are the only one that can do everything? That is a sign that you are not an effective team leader or mentor. If you live an organised life, you do not overload yourself with responsibilities, meetings and deadlines. Go through your activities on regular basis to see the ones you can give out to those you trust. When you do this, others will be bearing your stress with you and at the same time giving your delegate a sense of responsibility. You will feel secure when delegation is necessary for the future because your delegate has been trained to take similar responsibilities in the time past.

Make sure you are doing something

Staying organized does not mean a stress-free life. You must work hard to complete the present task so as not to encroach into the time allocated to others. Lifehack says, “work harder when you feel like giving up today. What’s more important is to remember what you work for is meaningful to you. And this is how you can stay motivated and happy every day”

Declutter regularly

Create time during the weekdays to organise your activities and things. Things do not stay organised on their own; they need to be organised continuously and consistently. When you are just starting, it may appear difficult but as you stay focused, you will be on track and achieving results.

Choose your approach wisely

I know you must have done some things right in the past. So do what has worked for you in the time past. The culture that makes you stay organised will be developed as you apply your style alongside the initiatives above.

Stay Relevant, That’s All

You will be banking on what you already have in term of skills and abilities or what you can offer in the new environment.

You must have read or listened to adverts requesting for applications into some positions within an organisation. Job placement requests for application from individuals possessing relevant skills and experiences for the job openings. Employers are interested in absorbing only persons capable of handling the required roles and responsibilities at the least cost possible for the organisation. An organisation will look forward to the smooth running of the system without interruptions after the process.

The above is one of many applications of the concept of ‘relevance’ to professionalism. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, relevant means, “relating to a subject in an appropriate way.” Related words include appropriate, apt,  fit, fitting, suitable, important, meaningful, significant; sensible, useful; admissible, allowable.

As a new employee in an organisation, you will be banking on what you already have in term of skills and abilities or what you can offer in the new environment. You will be using your worth to meet specific needs in the new environment. You want to be rated best in your profession. You want to develop your unique style of doing things. I know you will not want to remain an eighth-century practitioner in your line of business. Similarly, as a business owner or partner, you are collaborating or have collaborated to have a business that consistently meets your customers’ needs any time and every time. You are thinking of competing favourably and outperforming your industry leader, and produce the best product or offer the most appealing service.

You need to make progress as others are doing, but you can prove smarter by going extra miles ahead.

In all the cases, the key is staying relevant, and being on the top of the game. There might be time to get trained in recent development in your field, obtain an additional degree to improve on your skills, and network to be abreast of what is going on in your industry. You need to make progress as others are doing, but you can prove smarter by going extra miles ahead. You cannot do less if you do not want to die while you are still in existence.

How relevant is what you are doing presently to winning the world? How relevant is your skillset to make this possible? How relevant is the energy you are expelling? What is your motivation for doing what you are doing? Know what you are supposed to be doing when you are doing something. In other words, Richard Templar asked, what are you supposed to be doing? What is your priority? What is the endpoint? What is the goal? Has anything changed recently? So, how can you stay relevant?

How to be relevant every time

Rules 1-6: ‘More mastery’, ‘up to date’, ‘more actions’, ‘what others do’, ‘with others’ and ‘clients’ need’

Achieve more mastery: You can gain mastery by consistently improving on your skills and abilities. No time to slack! Situations are not static, you are not expected to remain the same too. Develop interest in what you do and consistently improve on what you can offer. This will enable you to give commensurate values to those you are responsible for or those depending on you for meeting their needs.

Be up to date: The advent of the web has increase access to information. Individuals and organization use information to improve their capacity to meet certain needs. Knowledge has been said to be power. Your knowledge level is the power you have to win in the marketplace. Knowledge will come from the amount of information you can accumulate over time. In a project-based organization, information about the previously implemented projects is used at the planning and implementation stages of current and future project. This shows how relevant is information gathering.

The key to being up to date is knowing what you are supposed to know. You don’t need to know everything. You should know a few details about many things but know many about a few things that are relevant most especially those trending in your industry. Perhaps, Feedly and prominent websites in your industry will help in this area. You should also create time to attend industry events. You need not travel – hookup with webinars on different topics will improve how you work. You should also lookout for new opportunities as you attend events.

Take more actions: Do more than you are doing now to produce results that exceed yesterday’s expectations. Put what you have in motion. Use it to improve it before it becomes absolute and waste the resources of time and money that goes into it.

Know what others do: Somebody said, “If you fear competition, what you really fear is your own competence”. Don’t be afraid to fly on the wings of the eagle. You have other actors in your industry. If you are not the highest-ranked among them, then, you have one or more ahead of you. If person A or business B has found a clue to achieve results on time and with minimum resources, it is not out of place to follow your leader, but you must also strive to think outside your business premises.

Work and walk with others: This is called networking. Taking a step back and looking around you provide the opportunity to seek help and advice on how to make progress. Be delighted and diligent in attending meetings within and outside your organization. This is not limited to formal meetings but also extracurricular social activities that help you develop relationships with people across your organization. This is how to become a star.

Familiarize with clients’ need: Just like your needs changes with time to remain acceptable, the knowledge of clients’ needs is very important. Clients are dominant factors that drive changes in the business world. If a professional knows what they need, he would appropriately utilize the available resources to his benefits. Social media is a great way to stay in touch with clients. It is an avenue for users to express reservation, ask questions and comment on service delivery. With this knowledge, you must be visible and professionally active on social media platforms to keep what you are doing in the front burner. You may need to learn how to use social media or partner with someone that help you in this area.

You can define your rules but be sure they have these ingredients: More mastery of the relevant, up to date, more actions, what others do, with others, and for clients’ need. Kindly share your experience on the job in the comment section and remember to share. This is very relevant!

Proactive, Relevant & Organised

Call him a Pro or Professional. You don’t need not look for him among the elderly in the society or organisation. It is not even all about the experience though this is also very important. So, what image comes to mind? It is the portrait of a person with special training or skills in a particular field that makes him act or perform a piece of work as if he knows everything. He masters the act of achieving results in his endeavours. A professional concentrate on a particular field of human endeavour and give all energy to staying relevant.

You probably hear somebody say, he is a professional photographer or fashion designer. That erases the notion that the skills and expertise of professionals can be gained only in a formal education environment. That is not always the case. Training in the two areas mentioned can both be within a school system and under a trainer. Notwithstanding, those that emerged from years of studies at higher institutions are often associated with a governing body registered by the national government for regulation the profession. They have sets of rules guiding their operations, and members are supposed to comply accordingly. Others have associations though less formal than the later and maybe less subjected to rules and regulation.

A professional is not supposed to act in the realm of the ‘unknown’ in meeting the needs of customers, but this does not mean he should be assuming when he does not ‘know-how’. Therefore, he may need to work with professionals in his or other fields.

He is proactive, always looking out for solutions to emerging issues. This will be a means of personal development to demonstrate his worth. A Pro should also be responsible for his actions and choices, more generally, his decisions.

As a professional, you should be able to act more than expected and must not be an island of knowledge – get to know more and share what is known to increase the reservoir of knowledge and stay relevant.

A combination of competence, confidence and belief in business processes will increase ‘trust-worth’, which invariably will leave a lasting impact on the customers. He should be a two-way actor in business processes. That is, pay attention to customers’ needs and be able to give appropriate feedback. He needs emotional intelligence to get this done and communicate effectively. By doing this, you remain organised to address issues as they come to light.

As you make efforts to be at your best, you will be operating on the path to staying proactive, relevant and organised. Do share your take and experience in the comment section below.