Identifying Your Professional Niche

I never set out to build a career in AI. As a kid, I was covered in paint splatters and glued to craft projects. I thought I’d grow up to be an artist. There’s a story behind why I never pursued art professionally (maybe I’ll share that one day). Then, in middle school, I discovered the PC Logo tool 🐢 (IYKYK): making crazy patterns with LT and RT commands, felt just as magical as painting. That creative spark led me to notice something else: I was inherently drawn to physics and math, balancing equations and unraveling logical puzzles- while chemistry and biology never held my attention. My brain craved analytical challenges, and every time I debugged a code or solved a tricky math problems, I felt that same thrill I once got from painting. One of my mentors put it perfectly: “Your superpower lies in what sets you apart. With limited time that all of us have, channel your energy into what makes you unique.” For me, that meant leaning into my love for math and computational thinking, and the joy of discovering how machines learn. Here’s how those pieces came together, and how they might help you find your own path: → Embrace your first sparks. Remember the activities that lit you up, whether that was painting watercolor landscapes or guiding a Logo turtle to draw circles. → Notice your natural inclinations. Which subjects or tasks pull you in? For me, physics equations and algorithmic puzzles were irresistible; biology diagrams, not so much. → Celebrate small wins. Every time you solve a problem, automate a task, or complete a creative project, you build confidence, and momentum. → Lean into what makes you unique. Your blend of strengths, like creativity plus analytics, or storytelling plus data, can become your superpower. → Keep experimenting. Passion often emerges at the intersection of unexpected interests. Try new tools, challenge yourself, and pay attention to where you lose track of time. Your journey won’t look like anyone else’s- and THAT'S the point. Whether you’re mixing paints or writing your first lines of code, those early curiosities can point you toward work you love. ❤️

STOP underestimating your "unrelated" skills and experience when you're looking for a new job. When I was in college, I had a bunch of odd jobs including working at UCLA’s Campus Call Center. My main objective was to jump on cold calls and convince high schoolers who got accepted to UCLA to come to the school. I knew I really wanted to work in sports, media and entertainment. And this job at the time didn't make any sense to my career growth, but I had to make some money one way or another to pay the bills because my financial aid only got me so far. But with this job, I didn’t see any route or direction that would lead me to my goals. Up to that point, my only "real" jobs were working at Forever 21 as a summer retail associate, YMCA as a referee, and as an afterschool assistant for an elementary school. So each day I’d dial 100+ of calls for work. Then I’d get home and apply for 100s of jobs for me. And it'd lead to rejection after rejection. I couldn’t figure out what I needed to say or do differently to get noticed by organizations. It wasn’t until I realized my current job wasn't just about me making calls. It was about me using skills like: - Relationship management  - Persuasive communication - Marketing strategies By reframing my experience, I transformed my “unrelated” job into a stepping stone for my career. This mindset shift was what helped me finally land a job at UCLA Athletics in student-athlete recruiting where I was now convincing high school athletes recruited by UCLA to commit to our programs. So keep in mind that every experience you’ve had, no matter how small, may already be the game changer you’ve been looking for. The key is identifying those transferable skills that align with your dream opportunities. Questions to ask yourself: - What skills am I truly developing? - How can I articulate these skills to potential employers? - Where else could these abilities be valuable?   What are “unrelated” skills / past experiences that have helped you in other roles? #CareerAdvice #SportsBiz #Media #Entertainment 

‘Fix your weaknesses.' Bosses advise it. Books preach it. We believe it. As a CEO that has coached 100+ leaders, I can definitively say: This is the worst career advice people follow. I remember being a fresh engineering grad on VMware's product marketing team. I watched our GM give an inspiring all-hands—he was funny, charismatic, everything I wasn’t. My conclusion: I'm a bad public speaker. I must become great at it to lead. The more leaders I met, the longer my list of ‘weaknesses to fix.’ My first big project was analyzing growth potential across geographies, for that same executive. Being a natural at analysis, I quickly unified all levers into one metric to track our penetration in different markets. I then spent all of my time improving my presentation skills. In the end, my delivery was mediocre but that metric changed how executives saw our business. Every subsequent win came from my strengths. The more I leaned in, the faster I grew. Two years later, I was placed in the top 2% of the company—despite being below average in many areas. I see the same pattern in every leader I coach: they shine using their strengths, and underperform when copying others. Here’s why: The best careers are built on solving hard problems. This requires Top 1% skills. Focusing on your strengths is the only path to developing Top 1% skills. Here’s the math I’ve observed across hundreds of people: • Work on your weakness: Takes over a decade to get to Top 10% • Work on your strengths: Takes only a couple of years to get to Top 1% See if this rings true in your own career. My advice for developing your strengths: 1. Find Your Superpowers Don't overcomplicate this. Ask people who know you best: 'What am I uniquely great at?' Better yet, ask yourself: 'What seems effortless to me but difficult for my peers?' Hint: this tends to line up with what you love doing. 2. Double Down on them Got a gift for storytelling? Become obsessed. Read every book. Find mentors who share your strength. Don't just be great—become exceptional. 3. Here's the Real Game-Changer: Don't adapt to the role. Adapt the role to you. I’ll give you an example. Early on I watched other leaders do huge team rallies because that's 'what leaders do.' But I was better in small groups. So instead of copying them, I did quarterly 1:1s and intimate team dinners. Took the same time, built deeper connections, played to my strengths. Let me be clear: Don’t completely ignore your weaknesses. But spend most of your time on developing and using your strengths. That’s the key unlock for a 10x career. Take a minute to look at your biggest project. Are you playing to your strengths, or following someone else's formula?

The hardest person to manage is ourselves. In 2005, Peter Drucker wrote an Harvard Business Review article that feels like it was written for today’s world. He emphasized something powerful: the ability to manage ourselves. In a time when career paths are no longer linear and change is constant, his insights are more relevant than ever. Drucker challenged us to ask three big questions about ourselves: - What are my strengths? - How do I perform best? - What are my values? These questions aren’t just for the Napoléons and Mozarts of the world—they’re for anyone navigating the complexities of the workplace. Here’s how to reflect on these ideas and manage yourself more effectively: 1. Discover Your Strengths Most people think they know what they’re good at—but many are wrong. Drucker proposed a simple solution: feedback analysis. Write down your expectations every time you make a key decision. A year later (or maybe a few months later), compare the actual results with what you expected. Patterns will emerge, showing you where you truly shine—and where you don’t. Tip: Focus on your strengths. Instead of trying to fix every weakness, double down on what you naturally excel at to achieve excellence. 2. Understand How You Perform People work and learn differently. Are you a reader or a listener? Do you learn by doing, writing, or talking? For example, Eisenhower excelled as a Supreme Commander because he prepared with written questions but struggled as President because he had to answer spontaneously in press conferences. Tip: Align your work style with what suits you best. If you’re a listener, seek discussions; if you’re a writer, carve out time to process through writing. 3. Live by Your Values Values are your internal compass. They define not just what you do but how you want to show up. Drucker shared the story of a diplomat who resigned rather than compromise his values. Knowing your values ensures your work aligns with who you are at the core. Tip: Periodically ask yourself: Does my work align with my values? If not, it may be time to pivot. As work evolves, so must we. By understanding our strengths, adapting how we perform, and living by our values, we can chart fulfilling, impactful careers. For me, this is a reminder to pause and reflect—not just on WHAT I’m doing but HOW and WHY I’m doing it. The hardest person to manage truly is ourselves, but when we embrace that challenge, we create opportunities to grow, contribute, and thrive in ways that feel deeply aligned with who we are. #reflection #learning #clarity #growth #improvement #leadership #humanBehavior #curiosity #values https://lnkd.in/enjcH4VJ

Build your work around your diverse strengths. I wear many hats -> coach, consultant, workshop facilitator, content creator - and that variety isn’t just a list on a business card. It’s what keeps my work dynamic, creative, and resilient. Leveraging all of my skills has allowed me to open multiple doors and serve clients in ways that are both strategic and deeply human. Sometimes that looks like leading an executive offsite. Other times it’s co-creating a gamified leadership program, or helping someone get unstuck in a single powerful coaching conversation. And here’s the truth: None of that came from picking one lane. It came from embracing the full range of what I bring to the table - and learning how to articulate the value of those strengths with clarity and humility. But first, I had to figure out what those strengths even were. 👉 Have you taken the time to name your own? Your Superpowers? Two of my favorite tools for uncovering that insight: 1. Gallup CliftonStrengths 2. VIA Character Strengths Assessment These aren’t just feel-good personality quizzes. They gave me language - real, practical language - for the way I solve problems, lead, and collaborate. They helped me connect the dots between who I am and the value I create. They helped me talk about my strengths in ways that are confident, not ego-driven - grounded with real stories of challenges I’ve overcome and wins I’ve helped. Because here’s the thing: When you know what you’re great at, and you build your work around it, you don’t have to chase opportunities - > they start showing up. What are your unique strengths? Have you named them yet?

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱… 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀? If your resume says you “do everything,” you’re competing with 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲. And in this market, 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 isn’t who gets hired. The fastest way to stand out? 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. It’s not about knowing every tool under the sun. But… you have to be 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. What do you mean, Broadus? ✅ Instead of “cloud generalist,” become the person who designs secure access systems. ✅ Instead of “AWS practitioner,” become the person who automates deployments flawlessly. ✅ Instead of “DevOps enthusiast,” become the person who can fix CI/CD pipelines in their sleep. When you do that, something shifts: 👉🏾 Recruiters know exactly where to place you. 👉🏾 Interviews focus on your strengths instead of exposing your weaknesses. 👉🏾 You stop blending in with the stack of other “I do everything” candidates. When I landed my first cloud role, it wasn’t because I knew everything. It was because I doubled down on 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 and made sure every project, every story, and every conversation highlighted it. 👉🏾 𝗧𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗔𝗖. 👉🏾 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 So think about it like this… While you’re learning all this cloud stuff, there are things that stick out that you REALLY like. Dive into those even more. Become the specialist there. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀 “𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁”?

Should you niche down in your Product Marketing career? Here's my take (and it's pretty straightforward): The PMM role is going through a phase of unbundling. That means instead of just one Product Marketer who handles messaging, positioning, enablement, launches, competitive intel, customer marketing, etc... we have specialized PMMs who niche down on one or a couple of these areas. For example, I'm a specialized PMM for competitive intel :-) "Ok so which direction should I take in my PMM career?" It really just depends on the company you want to work for. Here's how I think about it: • Generalist PMMs do best in a startup environment (Series B and earlier) where they can flex multiple skillsets • Specialized PMMs do best in a scaleup environment (Series B through IPO) where they'll have resources to build out their respective programs • Both have tons of opportunity at post-IPO companies For me personally, I really love working at scaleups. They usually come with an entire PMM team to work with and learn from, and let me dig really deep into one area of focus (CI). But lots of folks love owning the entire PMM function and building it from scratch! That's really cool too. One isn't really "better" than the other. And nothing's permanent, so if you're interested in one direction more than the other... give it a shot! 💪

Freelancing is hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise is ignorant, lying, or trying to sell you something. For 15+ years my freelance business has been a parade of problems. That’s not to say I plan to stop, or that I recommend another path to freedom-hungry creatives and consultants, but that each of us must ask the Six-Figure Question… “Which problem do I prefer?” Take specialization, for example. I coach advanced freelancers one on one and in groups. Many are still generalists. They enjoy solving a variety of creative and intellectual problems. Variety is the spice, after all. The fear of missing out speaks up: “What if I niche down and someone outside of my niche doesn’t want to hire me?” There’s also a fear of boredom: “I’m just not sure I want to do the same project over and over.” What I bring up, gently, is that boredom may actually be preferable to the problems that motivated them to get in touch with me. I also point out that our conversation was never about specialization being a perfect solution. No perfect solution exists. My role as a coach involves helping my clients make decisions based on logic, hope, and what I’ll call the persistence of a problem-full reality. Any big move you make in a freelance business involves picking the path with the set of problems you prefer. Problems with being a generalist: - Not the go-to person for solving a painful, expensive problem. - Difficulty standardizing processes for so many different tasks and projects. - Complicated marketing because anyone with a budget and pulse can be a client. - Harder to charge a premium because you’re the jill-of-all-trades, not the specialist. - Harder to protect and raise your effective hourly rate because your processes aren’t dialed in. Problems with being a specialist: - Multipassionate types, myself included, struggle to stay interested after we’ve solved the core problem. - You can’t depend on referrals because the people you know don’t know enough of your dream clients. - Therefore, you must develop a Morning Marketing Habit and generate leads who are strangers. - Therefore, you must charge premium prices to subsidize hours spent on marketing and sales. - Therefore, you must work on the confidence required to charge premium prices. Staying a generalist is playing the freelance game on hard mode. Being a specialist is no walk in the park either. Yes, freelancing is hard, but some problems, such as the feast-or-famine roller coaster, have a higher emotional toll than other ones (”I’m not stimulated by what my high-paying clients are asking me to do.”) This whole endeavor isn’t about building a problem-free life or business but purposefully picking problems and tradeoffs you can live with. I’d rather have a repetitive, profitable business and put myself in a position to hire support and get my entertainment elsewhere. Pick your problems with the same care you pick your friends. Does this change your mind about any moves you need to make?

Should one aim to be a generalist or a specialist? I am often asked if being a specialist is better from a career POV, as opposed to a generalist in IT Services and digital solutions. In the field of medicine, for example, we see specialists in domains which can be 'niche within a niche'. In the corporate world, especially in services pertaining to digital experience, I see things a bit differently. I believe the path we choose depends on one’s goals and unique point of view. I strongly believe one needs to be an expert on *one* subject - but it's essential to develop skills on few other subjects. If you aspire to be a leader and manage teams, process & overall business, it helps to be a good generalist. On the other hand, a specialist is the voice of authority on a specific topic or domain. In general (no pun intended!), I would say gaining depth and being a specialist in one domain, while simultaneously developing a breadth of experience & skills leads to the proverbial T-Shaped employee who is much sought after in enterprises. In digital transformation which is a convergence of many skills, that can be an advantage. Also, having the right balance of 'depth & width of knowledge' helps you forge relationships across multiple talents and build teams of high performers & problem solvers. Would love to hear your views. #RaviPOV #talent #digitaltransformation 

When most of us think about standing out, we think about being the best at something. The best swimmer. The best engineer. The best writer. But being the best in the world at one thing is a long shot. Out of millions of people in your field, the odds are vanishingly small. There’s another path. Instead of trying to win the “best in the world” race, you can focus on the unique combination of skills you bring. This is often a far more powerful way to stand out. Imagine you’re a software engineer. Good, but not world-class. On top of that, you’re also a strong public speaker. Not world-class at that either. On their own, these two skills put you in large groups of capable people. But when you combine them, the overlap is tiny. Suddenly, you’re in rare company: one of the few engineers who can both build and explain at a high level. That intersection is where opportunities open up. Companies don’t just look for generic “top talent.” They often look for someone with a particular mix of experience. And when you’re that rare mix, you’re no longer competing with millions—you’re competing with a much smaller pool. I’ve seen this play out in my own career. I’ve been able to move into exciting roles not because I was the absolute best engineer or manager, but because of the combination of skills I’d built along the way. If you want to think more about how to apply this to your own career, I wrote an article that dives into this idea in more detail. It’s a practical look at how building your niche—by focusing on your strengths and their intersections—can make you stand out in surprising ways.