On March 12, 2020, I had the pleasure of representing IWA at the event “Career Advancement for Women – Communicating Your Competencies”, organized by the TRIEC PINs Women’s Working Group.
This event was originally planned as an in-person workshop at the Rotman School of Management; however, given the developments with COVID-19 in Toronto, it was changed to a virtual session. Despite this last-minute change, the organizers did a fantastic job of quickly communicating with all registrants and adjusting the delivery method to a Zoom video conference.
The webinar was facilitated by Valerie Gow and Sabina Michael from Rotman’s Intercultural Skills Lab, covering interesting aspects of how immigrant women tend to communicate in the workplace versus the expectations in the Canadian context.
In Canada, it is perfectly acceptable (and in most cases, expected) to “sell” one’s accomplishments to our manager and talking positively about oneself, whereas in other countries, employees often refrain from taking that approach.
The various discussions during the presentation helped raise everyone’s awareness of how we show up in the work environment.
In addition, attendees had the option to complete the online personality test CliftonStrengths Assessment* before the event. The assessment report provided our five core strengths and their descriptions. One exercise during the webinar involved drafting our Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and telling a compelling story based on one or more strengths.
The UVP is a marketing concept, but when it is applied to ourselves, it is a statement that describes the benefits we offer, differentiating us from other people with similar experiences.
In my case, two of my strengths were “Includer” and “Individualization” which are traits that encompass accepting others, welcoming a wide range of people and personalities, and leveraging the unique qualities of each person to work together productively. Based on these, I came up with this paragraph:
Throughout my career, I have achieved superb team results by appreciating the uniqueness of each individual, finding ways to build collaboration and cohesion, and advocating for diversity, inclusion, and belonging. I leverage my experience working across cultures to build bridges of understanding, connecting people and bringing creative ideas to the table. I thrive in innovative environments that foster cooperation and focus on opportunities.
When reviewing the materials after the event, I also had the chance to contemplate these points:
- As a writer, how do I want the world to see me?
- Do I clearly and effectively communicate the value of my articles and books?
- How can I leverage my natural strengths to reach my current and potential readers?
I take this opportunity to invite everyone reading this post to reflect in the same manner. Perhaps you can list up your strengths and focus on one or two of them to come up with a few statements that communicate your value as a writer.
What’s your take on this?
~ Liliana Nakamura, Member, IWA Board of Directors