The Power of Specificity
Specificity stands out. It cuts through the noise.
While sitting outside a cafe in Malibu with Hilary, I heard a distinct rumble grow closer. I looked over and saw this 1965 Shelby Cobra pull up and park. Malibu has no shortage of exotic cars, but this stood out. More than any of the Ferraris or Lambos cruising the PCH. The 50s and 60s were distinct decades for car manufacturing. Every single year, some specific change was made to the model that made it stand out from its predecessor. Now you have to wait six years for that. What’s the difference between a 2019 Mustang and a 2020 Mustang? No clue. What’s the difference between a 1965 Mustang and a 1966 Mustang? Allow me to enlighten you…
That’s the power of specificity. It’s the distinct subtleties that either enrapture us or bore us. This is true across all of life. I’ve used the power of specificity in goal-setting, writing, music, and many other areas. However, I hadn’t really used it in asking for help until last week.
In prepping for my upcoming launch of Spartan Artists, I noticed myself breaking down during the, well, breaking down of my goals. I’m great at the vision and I’m great in the here and now… but everything in between feels like mud to my brain. I’m the worst at asking for help, but there was no denying I wasn’t progressing without the aid of a brain that thrives on the in-between.
I put out a beat on Facebook that I was in the market for a part-time project manager. I went on to describe exactly what I was struggling with and what I needed. I even listed out the software programs I’m using for the business to go even deeper down the specificity rabbit hole. I haven’t written many job descriptions before, but this certainly felt Monster.com worthy (is that still a thing?). I figured by getting so hyper-specific about what I needed, I’d only get a couple nibbles. Man, was I wrong.
What proceeded was a veritable flood of in-bound candidates. I started having people sign up for 15-minute Zoom calls so I could meet with them all. I was curious about who these people were that got drawn to my post. What I learned was that while they all had a clear skill set for my immediate need, each person’s skill set was much wider and diverse than that. From the people that responded to that one, specific post, I could hire every position my company will need for the next three years. I was floored.
Sure, I could chalk it up to the environment and COVID, saying people are more hungry for remote work than ever. And perhaps that did play a role. But I guarantee you if I had posted something more general and less specific, the response would not have been anywhere near as robust.
Specificity is interesting. Specificity is actionable. Specificity stands out. Specificity weeds out the irrelevant.
Whether you’re writing, speaking, marketing, taking a picture, complimenting someone, posting a job, asking for help, offering help, setting a goal, etc… ask yourself… “How can I be more specific?”
