Many of Apifany’s clients are working feverishly to get their ideas heard. They’re also speaking up in meetings, communicating more effectively with their teams, and focusing on their next promotion. Essentially, they are busy, talented people trying to shape their worlds.

Unfortunately, they’re surrounded by many other busy, talented people doing the same. So, when I work with my coaching clients, we talk a lot about how to stand out. Some of my favorite strategies for standing out include (1) being crystal clear on your personal brand, (2) being able to communicate that brand in your proverbial elevator pitch, and (3) solving problems for others rather than looking at every situation as a way to solve one of your own problems.

There are many other strategies for standing out, and you’ll find some of those here in the Apifany blog.

I recently got re-acquainted with an incredible resource for helping you to distinguish yourself so that others pay attention to you. This resource is a short book from my friend Rajesh Setty titled 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself. I promise you that aligning your thinking with Rajesh’s will create positive changes for you – just as it has for me.

And, if even one of the twenty-five strategies in Rajesh’s book resonates with you, your life will improve.

Here’s an overview of the book.

And, here is a place to download a pdf of the book.

I’m amazed at how the contents of this book, which was published in 2005, still offer valuable insights and strategies to put to use today. While technology and media landscapes have changed enormously in that time, Rajesh’s book offers timeless advice. Check it out.

Each of these plays a part in creating your success. At the same time, they’re all inward looking. That is, they’re all attributes you can cultivate to build up yourself.

What if looking outward is the secret to success? It could be that – even with grit, drive, ambition, and resilience – you’ll only truly create success by connecting with the team around you. You’ll want to work well with everyone who shares your goals and who is part of your success pathway.

Having empathy might be the #1 way to better connect with your teams, colleagues, partners, customers, co-creators, and everyone else you come across on a daily basis.

The argument for empathy has gotten a lot of attention recently. Here are three resources that discuss the importance of empathy in building success. They’re all interesting reads worth looking at:

Crafting Better Strategy – Why Empathy Matters: This post in the Knowledge@Wharton blog discusses the balance between IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Quotient).

The Importance of Empathy in Leadership: This piece at Forbes.com by Forbes Council member Lucas Pols covers the importance for leaders to have empathy in order to eliminate barriers and support everyone around you.

Why Empathy Is the Most Important Skill You’ll Ever Need to Succeed: Here’s an article by Yoram Solomon at Inc. Magazine that gives you 10 reasons empathy is the most important skill you’ll need to succeed.

This is incredibly interesting given all the current focus on empathy as a crucial leadership skill. It shows that no single skill is the answer to being a great leader in all situations. Situational leadership means having a balance among a range of leadership skills and knowing which skill to apply at any given time.

Goleman’s insights are clearly worth investigating more for anyone trying to build success on teams. His insights also mesh seamlessly with Rob Kaiser’s research on Versatile Leadership.

Clearly, these guys are onto something. You can’t just rely on one important skill to achieve what you’re trying to achieve in life!

For high achievers and leaders a strange thing can happen. Overuse of your strengths can actually become a weakness, making you less effective.

This insight forms the basis of one of our favorite leadership assessment tools at Apifany: the Leadership Versatility Index 360 assessment, commonly referred to as the “LVI.” If you’re looking for some valuable 360 feedback, with information given to you in a way that will truly help you change for the better, consider using this tool.

In 2019, Wharton professor and author Adam Grant wrote a great piece as a Smarter Living column in the New York Times on this topic. I highly encourage you to read it.

The main idea in Grant’s article, and in the research this idea is based on, is that we need to know when to use our strengths and when to back away from them. By knowing when to turn to our strengths and when to use different strategies, we can be the most effective.