What do you want to be when you grow up? I was asked this question all the time as a child. How many times do we ask this same question of our kids or young adults? I hate this question because I think it sends the wrong message to our next generation — here is why.

I think the generic definitions of these two words say it all: "Who" is used when we want to identify people, while "what" is used when asking the identity of an object or an attribute of a person. In other words, “what” refers to our job, which is a descriptive attribute of ourselves, along with the deliverables from our jobs. “Who” is our own personal brand: our knowledge, skills, abilities, reputation, value to our organization and community, and our capacity and enthusiasm to learn. Everything we choose to do and everything we choose not to do is related to our who and our brand. “Who” is truly the best descriptors of “us” and why employers hire and value “us.”

Teaching this concept and teaching steps to get to the “who” instead of the “what” is one of my favorite things to do with the next generation of poultry leaders. I am fortunate enough to be able to teach this concept and process to students at universities as a guest lecturer throughout the year.

One great exercise to teach the “who” is to imagine yourself sitting on a bench in your favorite place with someone who inspires you — a relative, a friend, someone famous, alive or decreased. Really put yourself in the role and talk with this person. How would you define or describe yourself and then ask them how they define or describe “you.” Do these two descriptions match?

Another great way to help define our personal brand or our “who” is to make a list of our strengths, our interests and our needs. Then take this list and evaluate our lives. Are we being a "who" (selfless service, respectful, good listeners, helpful, learners, humble, kind, etc.) or are we being more of a "what" (plant manager, nutritionist, veterinarian, maintenance, lawyer, accountant, etc.).

The “what” is important to earning a living, but the “who” should always play into our “what.” When people speak about us, our brand is not defined solely by the “what” but by the “who.” For example, we often say, “Oh, he is the plant manager at XYZ and he … .). The plant manager is the what, and the next part of the sentence is the who. The "who" is what we all remember most about one other.

The good news is that it is never too late to drive our “who” brand and focus on the "who" more than the "what." I am over the 50-year-old mark now, and I still do the exercises I listed above several times throughout the year. My person on the bench changes sometimes and sometimes it is a real person (a friend or coworker, etc.), which is great for getting feedback on my “who.”

I don’t know what kind of legacy I am going to leave behind — I don’t think any of us know for sure — but it is never too late to place emphasis on my “who” instead of my “what.” I want to be known as the poultry scientist who was passionate about the industry, a lifelong learner and educator, helpful and — most importantly — a kind and a selfless servant.

Live the 'who' not the 'what'

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