I just got through reading an article on the recent job cuts at America West airlines. 250 managers and several from the executive ranks were told to hit the road. Wow! No line workers, no pilots, no mechanics...just managers.

In the 80's & 90's, if my memory serves me, there was a stigma around 'mid-level managers'. They were overhead, dead weight, bureaucratic, and expendable. While I haven't felt that way about myself for a while, the America West incident brings back some of those feelings.

Like those managers, many managers and directors, all with unique ideas and attributes, work away until one day.... Then what? What have you done to differentiate yourself? I say the same thing to college students when I give my yearly talks to graduating seniors and eager juniors. What makes you so damn special that an employer would want to hire you?

Enter: shameless self-promotion. HOW Design magazine has a perenial piece on self promotion. As most creative firms have noticed, the faucet that once delivered a steady flow of projects has now been turned back to a mere drip for all but the most aggressive. As an employee, what have you done to grab your share of the limelight?

Here are some ideas from both HOW Design, and a recent article in MarketingProfs called Marketer: Market Thyself. The bottom line is this: Do something to differentiate yourself, express your passion for your craft, and show how you can add unique value to a potential client's or employer's situation. Answer the question: What is your unique value proposition?