Be your own niche maker - career management - Column

If you are not part of the dominant force in a market, you'd better find your niche or before long you'll be out of the market. This truism holds not only for the magazine publishing industry, but for every other business or industry as well.

And it holds true for you, personally. For Your magazine, niche penetration is accorded by the market, not by the publisher or the editor. Your niche is accorded by your colleagues, peers and contacts, not by you. But because it is your behavior that establishes your niche, it is worth examining the common factors that underlie niche creation, and that by extension determine your personal chances for success.

The quality of your work is a given, and it plays a role in establishing your niche. It is not, however, the sole determinant. No doubt you've seen people who turn out good work, and yet are the last ones invited to meetings, the last ones asked to participate in a new-growth project, and sadly the first ones to go if that becomes necessary.

On the other hand, there are individuals whose work is not only not masterful, but generally in need of review, correction or reworking. Yet they are the first ones to be invited to meetings, the first ones to be asked to participate in a new project, and among the last to be let go, if that becomes necessary.

Why? The ways they react to people and events is as valuable as the work they do. Each case is unique, but as a group, people whose niches are higher than their performances merit exhibit certain common tendencies and responses.

Equanimity. When things go wrong, these individuals don't moan and groan or drop to the bottom of the depths. It would be wonderful if they had the solution that saves the day, but they don't. It would be wonderful if they were such bright spirits that they inspire someone else to come up with the solution that saves the day, but they aren't. What they do bring to the situation is their ability to stay calm when the world is collapsing around them. They serve as role models for functional, focused behavior, and by so doing create their niche. Their niche says they are dependable, the kind of person to have around in a crisis.

The same holds true for the other side of the coin: When the magazine has just won an award, when the ad sales rep has just brought in a valuable new account, when the production staff has just found a way to save thousands of dollars on the next printing, they are not the ones jumping for joy unconstrained. Nor are they the ones warning everyone to get back to the trenches, that there are more battles to be fought. No. These people maintain their equanimity, their sense of balance, their grip on reality. And by so doing, they establish their niche--that they are dependable, the kind of person to have around when things go soaring.

Willingness: When things need to be done, they're willing to try. When changes need to be made, they're in the forefront helping to create the new order, rather than in the rear fighting it. You know the scenario: Revisions in the production schedule are mandated. Some people give all the reasons why the revisions won't work. Others offer ways to fight them, get around them, even sink the plan. But the willing people are out there in the trenches with whatever abilities they have, giving it their best. This does not go unnoticed. The resistant high-performers drop a notch, the skilled naysayers are given the jaundiced eye, but the willing workers have their niches raised still higher.

Realistic outlook: Some people are pessimistic, no matter what. If the magazine wins an award, it should have won the year before. If the sales rep lands a new client, it should have been for a contract, not a one-time insertion. If the production team saves thousands of dollars on paper and printing costs, the complainer focuses on what had to be surrendered in order to effect the savings. These people can break up a group in a hurry. No one wants to hear what they have to say.

Then there's the other side. Some people are not only always optimistic--they aggrandize, making even more of a matter than the matter deserves. The sales rep makes a new sale, this person builds it up until it becomes the salvation of the publication's ad revenue program. The award for excellence is seen as being worthy of recognition by the United Nations General Assembly. As for the production department's achievement, nothing short of a corporate day of song and dance will do. Although these responses are positive and make people feel good, they eventually wear people out. It's too much. It's not real. And it appears phony. These people have created a niche of unreality, of "undependability," of exaggeration. They just can't be believed on face value.

The ideal niche builder, on the other hand, is ready to pay homage to those who have achieved, and is even ready to spread the good news. But a sense of reality underlies his or her response. There is an acknowledgment that much has been accomplished, for which credit is due, but that the world doesn't end there. Challenges haven't evaporated, and there is still work that needs to be done. This niche builder is viewed as a realist, one who sees and smells the roses, even spreads the sweet scent around, yet is aware that there are still areas of untilled soil that need attention. Peers and colleagues gladly listen to these people. That's their niche.

Responsiveness: When suggestions are made or comments offered, and those suggestions or comments are not completely favorable to the individual, how does the individual respond? This is a niche definer. Some individuals defend. Nobody is going to tell them what to do or how to do it. Nobody is going to peek at their mode of operation--much less alter it. The message they send very clearly says, "Stay out of my area. Keep your nose out of my business. And even if you see something you think you can help with, don't. I don't need you. I don't want you. I don't want to hear what you have to say." That's the niche they have carved for themselves.

At the other extreme are the people who are so open to suggestions that they are willing to listen to anyone, and to implement their suggestions. As a result, their work/ schedules/departments are constantly changing. These people not only accept, they run to implement-unfortunately before checking out the validity of the comments, the credentials of the commenter or their own understanding or expertise in the matter. People call this kind of person "willing," but they don't waste their time with him or her. They know it's only temporary--that the willing one will bend as the wind blows.

Finally, there's the practical one. The practical one will listen and make sure there is understanding. Then, this person either takes action or not, immediately or in the future, depending on the circumstances. As a result, people are willing to keep this person advised of their perceptions of what's going on. And that's a very good niche to be in.

What about you?

What kind of niche are you building for yourself? Regardless of your job title or skill level, you are building your niche based on your equanimity, your willingness, your outlook and your responsiveness. Do people scatter when they see you coming, or do they stay to hear your comments? Do people come to you with their comments, or do you hardly ever hear anything? Are you invited or excluded? These are major factors to consider as you build your niche at your magazine. And when you add technical skills that stand out, you create not just a niche, but a base from which to grow.

Let your company grow--you'll grow with it. Let it downsize--you'll be one of the stalwarts that remain to keep the magazine prospering. Let your company stay on the straight and narrow--you'll be counted on as a stabilizer.

Congratulations! You've carved your niche.

JACOB WEISBERG, head of Trabuco Canyon, California-based Creative Communications, is a consultant specializing in communication skills.

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