Your Craft Is Your Fingerprint
Hey friends,
As we all know by now (thanks to TV and movies), we’ve all got a unique fingerprint. Ours is always going to be very slightly different to everyone else’s. No one else’s is quite like ours, and if someone had information about it, they could match it to you.
What if I told you your craft is the same?
Your craft is as unique as you are, because it’s yours
The work you do becomes your craft, the thing you’re great at. And not unlike a fingerprint, it’s as unique as you are.
That’s because it comes from you. Even if the work you’re doing is in the same field as thousands of other people, your unique perspectives, life experiences, challenges, and ways of doing things fundamentally change exactly what the output is.
Not unlike cooking, when you work to get a result in your unique way, some of the little ingredients change. The experience of the final result might then change too. Because lots of little details all add up, and enough small changes might change everything from the taste, to the look, to the experience, and more.
In business, this includes the product itself, as well as the brand, the enjoyment before getting the product, the perception of the product, the marketing - everything!
This is really empowering; your uniqueness is what makes what you do special. Many of us don’t lean into it. We don’t realise the power of having it, or do, but avoid using our uniqueness out of fear of being “different”.
What a loss if we do that though!
But to understand this better, let’s take a step back and talk about “craft”.
What does “craft” mean?
Well, I was tempted to say “work” instead. But, we all know the word work has some negative connotations to it. For many, it’s conflated with “job”, and “job” with “bad”.
But your craft, instead, is a reframe of work that makes it more significant. For many of us, our work is something that is more meaningful, and that we care about a lot.
(Or if that isn’t you, I bet that’s what you want. We all want to feel like our time is being spent on something meaningful. And at work, a purpose is known to increase effectiveness.)
Robin Sharma breaks down upgrading your “job” into your “craft” by understanding:
Obsessive Attention to Detail: You must really and truly care about what you’re doing. And people notice it - what better way to inspire results than to walk your talk?
No Work Is Ordinary: Any and all “work” is a chance for you to become the best you can be and impact other people. And because you’re unique, how you do it, and how the results manifest, WILL be unique. Like the fingerprint, it won’t be exactly like anyone else.
Optimise: Little incremental acts of making things better every day and every week, add up. Self-reflection, turning little learnings into change, create, by the end of the year, an incredible change. Now you’re getting good at what you do, not just doing it to get by. And maybe find you’re enjoying it more.
Build Imagination: Really see every detail, and enjoy seeing it. You’ll start to notice more ownership and enjoyment over your work too.
Commit to obsession: “An obsession is only unhealthy if it’s an unhealthy obsession” - Robin Sharma
What if that isn’t you, though? For example, if you just can’t see yourself having these perspectives about the work you do for the day job you have right now?
That’s probably a sign it’s not for you.
Changing the results for the better
Why is this important? Yes, because you’ll need to spend your precious life doing something, so it may as well be great. But also because, if you care about being the best leader you can be, you must care about impact.
Everything is about the impact you make; the results you get. If you don’t get any real results, what’s the point?
Ok, so you want results. You probably don’t just want just any result though, you probably want the best result.
Remember now: your craft is your fingerprint. If, through being your full, unique self, your craft is fundamentally altered and you leave a unique mark on the world, then wouldn’t that create a different result that helps you stand out?
And if you’re dedicated to your craft (not your “work”), then wouldn’t that uniqueness further enhance that output? Your lived experiences let you create a result that no one else can create - and the people you impact will feel it.
So, here’s a thought: What would happen if you leaned into your uniqueness even more than you are right now? How would it feel? What would you change? Would you be concerned about doing it? If so, why? Is anything holding you back?
If your craft is significant to you, you care about it because you want the results it will give, and it’s as unique to you as your fingerprint, then perhaps leaning into that uniqueness will let you get even more out of your craft - and achieve even better results.
A thought to consider.
Lots of love, and here’s to your success! - Seven
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About Seven
Hey friends! I’m Seven - I write about challenges and opportunities affecting leaders across business. I release a weekly newsletter and a podcast, helping folks understand the leadership journeys and challenges out there, so we can better understand our purpose, place, and potential. The goal: to learn about what it means to be a leader, to support leaders, to find leaders, and to discover the leader within.
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Lots of love, and here’s to your success!