Position Yourself to Better Opportunities

On Episode 35 of The SQL Data Partners Podcast, I talk with Philip Morgan of The Positioning Manual for Technical Firms. Philip’s book has influenced my work at SQL Data Partners, so I wanted to bring him on and share his insights with the rest of you on the SQL Trail. You’ll want to listen to this one, because the benefits of positioning are numerous.

The benefits of narrowing your focus include:

• Delivering more value to clients and to the organization.
• Becoming an expert faster in your chosen problem or technology.
• Gaining control in over how you’re perceived by employers.
• Going deep into interesting problems you didn’t know existed.
• Gaining prestige as a solver of expensive problems.

In this episode, I pose your positioning questions to Philip:

• Won’t positioning as a professional ruin my career?
• How do I position effectively? What do I focus on?
• What’s the risk to positioning?
• Won’t I be bored?
• What if I’m “found out” to be not as good as I say I am?
• How do I deal with recruiters?
• Won’t I be pigeon-holed into a legacy application?
• How do I continue to evolve as a technologist while also focusing?

First, Philip and I talk about positioning as a tool to create more value through a narrowed focus. Philip discusses how to apply positioning to your SQL Career, even if you’re a W2 employee. Philip and I go over three ways to narrow your focus and how it affects the direction of your career. Then, we talk about how to use positioning to talk to recruiters and get the kind of job you’re looking for. I also ask him about how to turn unwanted work assignments to your advantage using the leverage grained from positioning. He also points out the risk of focusing only on a technology, as opposed to a specific problem. He then gives specific advice for talking to corporate leadership about the value you bring to the company as an IT professional. Philip addresses positioning fears like loss of flexibility, boredom, and being pigeon-holed and balances them with the benefits gained from positioning. Philip points out the scenarios in which narrowing your focus might not be the best solution and I share my experiences with positioning and project work. We then talk about how to pivot and “tweak” positioning over time and how to gently make your expertise known.