“Everything You Do MUST Have Value to Others.” That’s the title of a Career Opportunities podcast I listened to recently. It made a recommendation we should all consider when we doing just about anything.

I see this problem over and over again. Someone takes an idea for a new business, a product idea or even something they’d like to do as a career and when they execute the idea, it flops. It gets flat out rejected by the target audience. Then everyone sits around staring at each other asking, “What happened?”

Those in denial might be tempted to blame the economic climate, the user’s inability to grasp the concept, a lack of support, distribution network, etc. etc. There’s no shortage of excuses.

The BIG, BIG, BIG question to ask is:

What value does it have for others?

It’s tough to stay objective when you work on something for a long time. Your passion takes over and it’s tough to stay objective. That being the case, you’re typically the last one that’s going to call your baby ugly. But unless you ask yourself this question and really work to get the true answer, you could be making a huge mistake.

You have to ask yourself:

• What do other people see in it?
• What’s your spouse, friends and fellow business contacts think?
• Did you ask them?
• Are you afraid to?

I know when someone presents me with an idea, my first question inside is, “What’s in it for me?” The podcast says just that. It’s just the way people think. People have so many options. They need a way to quickly trudge through things and pick out what matters from what doesn’t.

So if you are considering a move, deciding upon a new business, product or some other new venture, here are some steps you can follow to force yourself to identify its value before you spend a lot of wasted effort.

Step 1 – Explain the Idea to an Outsider. The key here is to get outside your head and the saying, “Birds of a feather flock together” plays against you here. People in the same industry or the same age group or the same peer group often see things from the same perspective. This develops a blind spot that can prevent you from seeing how your audience could miss your value.

If you can’t get someone to understand the value in a few paragraphs you’ve got to go do some homework. Either your idea sucks or you have to work on the value it provides. Remember: If your audience can see the value, there is no value.

Step 2 – Ask your spouse. (Careful here. This one’s dangerous. It just might hit your ego.) If you are married or in a longer term relationship, you and your other half probably see the world differently. Figure that half of your potential audience sees your product from the other person’s perspective. Also figure your spouse isn’t as tied to your idea as you are. They can be a little more objective.

If they’ve been down on your idea from the beginning, explore the reasons why. If it’s because of the risk or issues it brings up in their life (like a reduction in security), you have some other things to discuss. Maybe I’ll write about that one in the future.

However, if you can dig and discover why they don’t see value, you have ammunition for improving it or deciding against it.

Here’s some food for thought. If you have avoided updated your spouse on the idea, if it feels more like a scheme, ask yourself, “Why is that?” Are you hiding something from them? Are you hiding something from yourself?

A spouses is an inexpensive sounding boards vested in your outcome. Leveraging the relationship can reveal some interesting info.

Step 3 – Take advantage of organizations. If you have a business idea, take a look at your local SCORE office. They have program where experienced executives review your idea and provide you with some feedback. If you are considering a job change, make a point of meeting with a recruiter or two. Get their thoughts on your career change idea and how best to go about it. If you have an idea for a product, check out what your local business schools have available. Sometimes faculty or entrepreneur programs there are eager to hear about ideas like yours so their students can apply what they’ve learned on real world projects.

I’m sure you can come up with other ideas, but the key is to confirm the value of your project in the early stages before you commit a lot of time and resources to it. That way as you proceed you have the assurance your own passion and biases aren’t your worst enemies.

Anyone have examples of an approach you took the look over the value of your idea?

Even if you’re my age you’ve probably heard of her. In a very short period of time Lady Gaga has become a phenomenon – an internationally celebrated and very successful icon. So, the question is, how did this young, 24 year old performer – a total newbie – climb to the top of pop music and to the top of charts?

One thing we know for sure – it took more than just talent. The music industry is one of the most difficult and competitive of any professions.

So how did she do it?

Rather than simply rely on her talent, Gaga also used a superb business instinct, a unique style and the desire to incite attention that makes her a standout.

If you’re finding that your job search and/or your business is flat, you might want to try a few of Gaga’s strategies.

First: Flaunt your talent. Get it out into center stage – but keep something in mind.  You use your talent for your personal satisfaction, but you give of your talent to provide for others. While Lady Gaga loves to sing, she gives of her talent to entertain others. She “flaunts her talent” by adding “over-the-top” costumes and an element of surprise to her persona. That attracts and retains interest.

If your talent is sales or marketing or designing, or consulting or teaching or whatever, what does your talent give to others? What about your talent attracts others and retains their interest/support? (If your answer is nothing – get an agent (or in your case a coach) to get from the audition stage to become a headliner!)

Once you figure this out – sing it loud and sing it proud. Just make it a song that your
target audience wants to hear. Gaga didn’t try to reinvent the sixties. She’s hip and now. You need to be current and relevant too.

Second: Get business savvy. Gaga studied success. Her look was inspired by models like Bowie, Grace Jones, Cindy Lauper and others. Gaga has said that she wants to set a revolution in the pop music industry surpassing the queen of pop Madonna. So she started by studying Madonna’s success to see how she could improve upon that business model to make it her own unique brand.

The lesson here is to embrace competition and learn from it – especially from people/professionals/companies/businesses that are more successful then you. Then take that information and make it authentically yours.

Three: Be unique. From the time we’re old enough to know what it means we
all want to “fit in”. But in business this is the kiss of death. If nothing makes you better, smarter, more valuable, nicer, more affordable, more dependable, more productive, more interesting, easier to work with, higher quality, more consistent… why should I care?

And, like Gaga, you can’t just talk about it – you have to demonstrate it.
This is a “performance piece” for everyone.

Four: Incite attention. None of us want to be the industries best kept secret. Gaga aligned herself with people in the business that could help her. She wrote music for others besides writing for herself to get more exposure. She took her look and made
it extreme to attract attention in an industry that is all about fashion and image. But
rather then create a “signature look” she created a signature brand that’s all about
change and innovation. Gaga knows getting attention is one thing. Keeping it is another.

The good news is you don’t have to bleach your hair platinum or walk around in see-through clothes (although if you went to a networking meeting dressed that way I’m sure you’d be highly memorable).

Just a few ways you can become a rock star in your own rite is to build a strong network, get testimonials, referrals and endorsements for your work, stay current, be visible on line and off, watch and set trends, get out into the industry and/or community as a known expert or leading provider by participating in associations, organizations, civic groups, boards of directors and Chambers. The key here is to participate. You must get involved – give of yourself and your expertise.

Thea Andrews, who until recently was Entertainment Tonight’s senior correspondent
covering music and celebrity has said of Gaga, “She’s got that faux-edgy, boundary-pushing persona that makes people feel like they’re indulging in something just a little naughty and cutting-edge.”

Consider this – my thesaurus says “naughty” can also be defined as playful, mischievous and lively. “Cutting edge” has lots of positive connotations like superior, progressive and innovative. So go push a boundary and let people in on your progressive self. You may not get a recording contract, but your professional star power is sure to rise.

Let me know how you’ve used ideas like that to grow to the stardom you want for yourself.

Whenever I run into someone who’s a bit odd, I find myself whispering to myself, “What’s with that guy?”  I know.  I know.  I shouldn’t.  But I’m so used to having people behave a certain way that when they fall outside my version of the norm – whatever that is – it’s something that calls my attention.

Now I’m not always a fan of the heroes Hollywood lifts up for us, but let me point out a few that definitely inspire me and better yet – cause me to spend a little time thinking about how I can improve myself.

Take “Forrest Gump.” Here Tom Hanks plays a simple, unintelligent (“Stupid is as stupid does”)  Alabama boy that:

• reaches outrageous success on Bear Bryant’s Crimson Tide,
• is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism in Vietnam and
• starts a shrimp boat empire after Hurricane Carmen that makes him a millionaire.

Dustin Hoffman plays another one of these types.  As the autistic “Rain Man” he plays opposite Tom Cruise, the “normal” brother, who learns a lot about himself when his father passes away.  He is left to care for Rain Man – a brother he never knew he had.  Another great example and a super movie.

Finally take a look at Cuba Gooding’s role as “Radio” a true story about a developmentally challenged man who is taken in by a high school football coach.  He becomes the team and the town’s inspiration.

Gooding was nominated for Best Actor for his role and both Hanks and Hoffman took the Best Actor Oscar for their performances.  Though in real life the challenged or oddballs get pushed aside, there’s something inside us that feels inspired by them.  It’s like by being around these folks something inside gets activated and we feel called to be better people.

I’m the first to admit we are definitely too uptight as a society.  As working professionals we feel we must fit a certain mold in order to “get ahead.” This runs contrary to what we learn from these film characters.

Whether it’s something that’s been bred in us or something we’ve conditioned ourselves to do, this “uptight-ness” or need to fit the mold decreases who we are and pigeon holes us into being something we’re not.

My recommendation?  We should all spend time doing some personal self-reflection to expand our self-awareness.  If you don’t spend some time doing this at least once a year, you are long overdue.  How would you go about this?  My own “Breakthrough” book has some exercises for doing this.  There are books like “Now, Discover Your Strengths” that have both an assessment and an explanation of people with different areas of strength.

You may consider taking a Myers-Briggs assessment or maybe even a 360 degree teamwork or leadership assessment.   There are books like “Emotional Intelligence” that help you become more aware of the non-technical skills that are necessary for success because of the relationships they can help us foster.

Any one of these or many others can help you explore the real you versus the conditioned you and help you tap into the strengths that can contribute to your success.