019: Dr. Sarabeth Berk - Hybrid Professionalism: Working at The Intersection of Multiple Professional Identities

Dr. Sarabeth Berk is the leading expert on hybrid-professional identities, author of More Than My Title and an insightful TEDx speaker. Her hybrid title is Creative Disruptor because she works at the intersection of artistry, research, education, and design.

Today, Jonathan and Dr. Sarabeth discuss the work she is doing to help professionals better articulate their hybrid-professional identities and the unique value that identity offers the world.

📺 Watch on YouTube

https://youtu.be/7HjnOzb7h9I

Key Takeaways

01:09 – Jonathan introduces today’s guest, Dr. Sarabeth Berk, who shares her eclectic background as a hybrid-professional and breaks down the three pillars of hybrid-professional identities

07:23 – Intersectionality, explained

12:28 – Common traits of hybrid-professionals and the inspiration behind Dr. Sarabeth’s book, More Than Your Title

17:31 – Why it is important to be self-aware about your role and be able to articulate your ‘hybridity’

22:58 – The five steps of identifying and articulating a hybrid professional role

26:00 – The best advice for differentiating yourself as a hybrid professional

28:22 – How hybridity benefits organizations

31:54 – Hybridity and the evolving landscape of the workspace

35:29 – The last thing Dr. Sarabeth changed her mind about and one thing that she would like people to know about her

36:24 – Jonathan thanks Dr. Sarabeth for joining the show and let’s listeners know where to connect with her

Tweetable Quotes

“I’m one of those people that’s had a multi-faceted career. I have not stayed in one thing. And a lot of that is because I always had this duality of interests. I loved academia and I loved learning, but I also loved art. And, how do you find a career that lets you be artistic but also professional and pays well?”(02:59)

“My definition of hybrid-professional identity is when you have multiple hats and you work at the intersection of those different professional identities. You’re actually integrating as opposed to just separating and being many things.”(07:00)

“How we see ourselves in our work is a noun. And that’s different from the title we usually are labeled. The primary research question that still exists today is ‘who are you at the intersections of your primary professional identities?’”(10:19)

“And so, suddenly, my very diverse background has a connection point which is my hybridity. So it’s you being able to share your value with the world in a way where they understand you the way you want to be seen and making sense is your competitive advantage.”(20:52)

“From a business ROI point of view, hybrid professionals can be at all levels of an organization. They can be at the C-Suite. They can be in management. They are people who are the silo-busters.”(31:06)