Being a good student stalled my career advancement big time.
I loved school. I love learning and almost always got good grades (except for math 😵💫). Getting A's on tests translated well in my career at first.
Tell me what to do and I'll do it, and do it well.
As someone who loves to excel, I was drawn to leadership. As someone who excelled in my work, I was given those opportunities. As someone who was used to getting A's becoming the decision-maker had me floundering.
It was a painful time for me. I cared so much about my team and was driven to succeed but I couldn't figure out how I was suddenly failing.
I know now.
I obsessed over having the "right" answer instead of focusing on progress, collaboration and results.
I was too focused on getting approval and complete alignment, which slowed my decision-making.
I was so afraid of failure that I didn't take any risks, limiting the team's creativity, innovation and impact.
I prioritized harmony, avoiding tough conversations to "keep the peace," unknowingly eroding trust and respect.
If only I had been strong enough to ask for help, a mentor or coach could have shown me what was standing in my way and helped me clear those hurdles to success and fulfillment.
Instead, I hid away in embarrassment and confusion and secretly resented the people who were advancing and being recognized even though I felt I was working harder than them.
If this sounds all too familiar, please hear this: If you're called to lead, you're meant to lead.
You are a hidden gem.
But putting your head down and working harder is like watering, fertilizing and weeding a garden where you haven't planted any seeds.
You can have the calm confidence, leadership presence, respect and recognition, and impact of the leaders you admire. You simply need to elevate your perspective to that of a leader and learn new skills to carry you forward.
Things like developing your personal authority, balancing your empathy with assertiveness, managing yourself so that doubt doesn't stop you and cultivating rock-solid self-respect so you don't need everyone's approval to keep moving and get results.
It starts with one thing: courage. The courage to be more visible, say no to what's not important and yes to what will make an impact.
Courage comes before confidence.
Comments