建立竞争优势，这将帮助您抓住更好的机会

Building Competitive Advantages That Will Help You Capture Better Opportunities

清晰的职业规划或明确的竞争优势，哪个对你更重要？我之所以问这个问题，是因为我发现很多人在职业规划上花费太多时间和精力。这样做的结果有2种。第一，他们可能对自己想要从事的职业有比较好的认识，但很多人并没有着重发展自己的竞争优势，这使他们无法抓住更好的机会。第二是他们的职业规划一般都会有所改变。

因此，当指导他人关于职业发展和如何取得职业成功时，我会告诉他们要更专注于发现和培养自己的竞争优势。因为你的竞争优势最终决定你是否能脱颖而出，并变得更加成功。

Which would you rather have, a clear career plan or some clear competitive advantages? I ask this question because I come across a lot of people who spend a lot of time and energy trying to come up with a good career plan. Two things often happen with these people. The first is that while they may have a better idea about what they want to pursue, many do not develop competitive advantages that allow them to capture the kind of opportunities that are attractive to them. The second is their career plan usually ends up changing at some point later on.   

So when coaching others on their career development and ability to achieve their career success, I tell them to focus more on identifying and developing their competitive advantages. Because it’s your competitive advantages that will ultimately determine your ability to stand out over others and become more successful.     

在我职业生涯的早期，我没有做任何职业规划。但是我却能够获得很好的工作机会，因为我有一些非常好的跨领域技能。在我后面的职业生涯中，我也发展了一些相对独特的组合技能，让我在职场有了更大的竞争优势。

During the early part of my career, I had no career plan. But I was still able to get into very good opportunities that were attractive to me later on. A big reason was because I had some very good, highly transferable skills. And then, later in my career, I was also able to develop a relatively unique combination of skills that gave me a competitive advantage over most others.

重点——跨领域技能

Think, transferable skills

我之前提到过跨领域技能的重要性。基本上，这些技能可以让你快速适应任何行业、公司、工作职能或职业发展阶段。在我职业生涯的早期，我甚至没有意识到我所学到的和所做的事情是多么通用。例如，我本以为解决工程和设计问题的能力主要应用于我作为研发设计工程师的工作。作为一名工程师，我们需要发现问题，拆分并理解问题，然后分析问题，思考如何解决问题。

I’ve talked about the importance of transferable skills before. Basically, skills that benefit you no matter what kind of industry, company, job function, or career stage you’re in. Early in my career, I wasn’t even aware of how transferable the things I was learning and doing were. For instance, I thought that my training in problem-solving skills to figure out engineering and design problems only applied to my job as an R&D design engineer. For example, as an engineer, we’re taught to identify the problem, then break it down and understand it, then analyze it, and then think about how to solve it. 

事实证明，我用来解决工程问题的系统方法也可以同样用来解决商业、金融、市场营销，甚至人才问题。

作为一名工程师，我也学会了项目管理，如何领导一个项目从创意阶段到最后设计完成。为了完成任务，我必须学习如何开发、沟通并执行项目方案和计划。同样的，当我开始接触商务领域时，我发现我实践过的项目管理方法也适用于任何其他类型的项目，包括商业、咨询、研究领域的相关项目。

It turns out that this systematic approach that I used to solve engineering problems is also the same approach you would use to solve business, finance, marketing, and even talent-related problems.

As an engineer, I also developed project management skills. I learned to lead projects from the idea stage to the design completion stage. To deliver the result, I had to learn how to develop, communicate, and execute a project plan and schedule. Again, when I began pursuing a business career later, I found out that the project management approach I practiced could also be applied to any other type of projects, including business-, consulting-, research-related ones, etc. 

在我的职业生涯中，我的解决问题能力和项目管理技巧都使我受益。其他能帮助你在任何情况下变得更有竞争力更成功的跨领域能力包括：沟通和人际交往能力、分析能力、领导能力和销售技巧。那么，你所拥有的通用技能有哪些，你目前的工作是否有帮助你发展这些通用技能？

Both my problem-solving and project management skills have helped me throughout my career. Other highly transferable skills that allow you become more competitive and successful in any situation include your communication and people skills, analytical skills, leadership skills, and sales skills. So what transferable skills do you possess, or that your current job situation is helping you to develop?

重点——技能组合

Think, combination of skills

为了发展你的竞争优势，你要考虑组合能力。即把你能做的很好的两件事相结合，并为你创造一个更独特的竞争优势。最好是两种完全不一样的技能组合，甚至普遍被认为是对立的，那么更加会帮助你脱颖而出。

例如，作为一名工程师，我有很强的分析能力，大多数工程师都是这样。但工程师们往往缺乏沟通和人际交往能力。因此，当我开始进入商务领域时，我非常专注于建立自己的沟通和人际交往能力。

To develop your competitive advantages, then also think combinations. What I mean is the combination of two things that you’re able to do well. This automatically creates a more unique, competitive advantage for you. And if it’s a combination of things that are considered opposites, then this is even more so.  

For instance, as an engineer, I developed strong analytical skills, which is typical of most engineers. But engineers are also known for having poor communication and people skills. So when I began pursuing a business career, I focused my efforts on building these skills.

因为很多人都有很强的分析能力，也有很多人有很强的沟通和人际交往能力。但是，最不常见的却最受雇主欢迎的恰恰是同时具有很强的分析能力和沟通技能的人。事实上，这些都是成功的营销人士、商业人士和专业投资人士的技能，也是很多高管所必备的。其他非常有吸引力的技能组合通常被认为是相互对立的，它们包括:

·      销售技能+营销技能=部门主管

·      工程技能+管理技能=总经理

·      战略思维+执行力=总裁或首席执行官

·      专业技术+商业技能=发财致富！！！

Because there are many people who have strong analytical skills. And there are many with strong communication and people skills. But what is both less common and highly sought are people who possess both strong analytical and communication and people skills. These are the skills of successful marketing, business development, and investment professionals. And of many people who are able to reach top management levels in their career. Other very attractive combination of skills that are considered opposites of each other include:

·      Sales skills + marketing skills= many of these people become department heads

·      Engineering + management skills= many of these people become GMs

·      Strategic thinking + execution skills= many of these people become managing directors and CEOs

·      Technology + business skills= many of these people become RICH!!!

当你在发现和建立你的竞争优势时，像这样的技能组合自然会让你变得更加独特和优秀。那么，你拥有怎样的技能组合，你目前的工作状况是否正在帮助你发展这些技能组合？

When identifying and building your competitive advantages, it’s combinations like these that naturally allows you to become more unique and outstanding. So what combination of skills do you possess, or that your current job situation is helping you to develop?

回到我最初的问题。你愿意拥有一个清晰的职业规划还是明确的竞争优势？当然，对你想要做的事情有一个清晰的想法肯定有好处。但是说到底，发展你的竞争优势会对你事业成功和实现你的职业目标产生更大的影响。所以，一定要建立并扩大你的竞争优势来帮助你抓住更好的机会。

So back to my original question. Would you rather have a clear career plan or clear competitive advantages? Of course, having a good idea of what you want and need to do will benefit your career. But ultimately, developing your competitive advantages has a bigger impact on your success and ability to attain your career objectives. So pay attention to your competitive advantages that you’re building to help you capture better opportunities and achieve a better future.

想要学习如何发现和培养你的竞争优势，快来参加Larry周六(5/26)的研讨会吧，关于《如何扩大你的竞争优势在职场脱颖而出》。想要报名参加或了解更多细节，请点击：

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JvnicAfWpFL6wAovH2n4KQmp.weixin.qq.com

To learn how to identify and develop your competitive advantages, join Larry Wang’s upcoming workshop on Saturday (5/26), on How To Build Your Competitive Advantages To Capture Better Opportunities Throughout Your Career. To sign up for this workshop or for more details, please click here： https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/JvnicAfWpFL6wAovH2n4KQ

这是《7个步骤职场成功》（一个实现职业目标的方法体系）中的第四堂课。

你的职场超能力是什么呢？

This is the 4th workshop in his 7 Steps To Achieving Your Career Success (A Systematic Approach To Your Career Development) workshop series.