The first question most people get asked about work is: what do you do?

It’s a reasonable question, and it’s also the wrong one to start with.

What you do changes. Skills needed right now may not be what’s needed tomorrow. Industries can shift overnight, and roles can disappear. Titles get reorganized away in a Tuesday afternoon meeting.

What doesn’t change as quickly is how you create value. This is the angle you bring to work, the problems you’re drawn to, and the way things tend to go better when you’re in the room.

That’s a more durable thing to understand about yourself.