Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

Are people more interested in you or your story?  For example, what's more interesting upon an introduction? "Hi. My name is Perry and I'm a consultant that helps Fortune 500 companies."  Or, "Hello. My name is Perry and I work to understand problems at local Atlanta companies that I can help solve."  Which one is a better lead in to a story and will want you to hear more?   The thing about stories, whether it's about you or about some other experience, is that there is a degree of specificity that you want to resonate with the audience i n that moment.  If your story is good enough and hits the right emotion, then it becomes memorable long after you've gone.  Being memorable is important in sales, in giving advice, in influencing an audience, and in marketing your value proposition.  So tell me what your story is. I'd be interested to hear it. References: Reinventing You

When you leave a big professional services firm and go to a smaller, less recognized organization - does your brand value diminish?  Is there a perception in the marketplace that your skill set has deteriorated over time?  Since I grew up in the Michael Jordan era, it's like saying that Michael Jordan's basketball skills worsened when he took some time to play baseball. What we know is that Michael Jordan went on to win 3 more World Championships. For him, the shine didn't wear off. He had to work off the rust, but one would argue he became better and it may be because his hiatus playing baseball inspired him to realize his full potential as a basketball player.  In the world of business, I think the same theory about a person's skill set holds true. It's not like because I haven't done logical structuring in a year it means that I forgot how to structure a presentation.  But I also think that companies would rather hire the person that hasn't ta...