I struggle to answer this question in way that people “get.” In a world where so many people define themselves by the job title on their business card, the true meaning of the question gets lost.
I’m a writer. I’m a coach. I’m a facilitator. I’m a speaker. Those are merely job descriptions. They don’t answer the question of what I do. They certainly don’t answer the question of why I do it.
An old friend of mine taught me the power of the other side of the business card. The one that for most people is blank, unused, unfulfilled. In fact, he wrote great little book about it.
I think that space should be used to flesh out the true answer to the question of what you do, and why. Here’s how I answer the question:
“I help people. I work with them on their problems, staying within the parameters that they set, and bring them to a solution that works best for them.”
That’s what I do. That’s my real function. That’s how I add value. That’s my “root cause,” the one I’m fighting for. The form of the help I provide may vary, but as long as I keep that in mind, I’m able to focus on what matters most…to me, to those I’m helping. And if I do it right, it might even appear as if I’m doing nothing, or doing it effortlessly.
But that’s the answer to the original question. And that’s what goes on the back of my business card.
The first rule of subtraction is this: what isn’t there can often trump what is. And what isn’t there for a lot of people is what should occupy the back of their business card.
What’s on the back of your business card?
