Years ago, I was invited by an existing client to help revise one of their flagship health and safety training programs. It sounded like a great fit. In the first discovery meeting, I outlined how I approach course design, and explained the concept of alignment. Alignment is when
- There are learning objectives.
- The learning activities align to the objectives.
- The assessment reflects the objectives and learning activities.
At this point, the project manager stopped me and said something along the lines of: “Cam, I don’t think we really need help with that part. Where I see you adding value is with formatting. You’re really good at working with Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. We’d love your help making sure everything is formatted properly.”
And that’s when I knew I couldn’t do the project. There was no insult. No hostility. Just clarity. They saw my value as someone who formats information well. But formatting documents is a tool in my skill set — not where I bring value. Hiring me for formatting skills is like hiring a carpenter because you like their tools.
I’m not interested in polishing slides inside someone else’s mis-aligned program structure. I’m interested in building the structure. That meeting wasn’t a failure. It was alignment data. An important professional lessons I’ve learned is this: When someone sees you differently than you see yourself, pay attention.
Sometimes the right move isn’t negotiating harder, it’s knowing what you want to do and continuing in that direction. Not every opportunity is a fit. And that’s okay.