“Less waiting for a tap on your shoulder, create your own opportunities”
Do you have those people in your life that always seem to have a view of how you should be leading your life, our parents and greater family, our management team and friendship circles? There are many times we let others lead our career, wouldn’t it be nice to sit, ponder and wonder what your life could be if you truly committed to it.
Do others opinions and judgement sometimes leave you second guessing if you should be taking another path? Thinking that you should be following in their footsteps even? Constantly questioning yourself and feeling unsatisfied. And yet we wonder where some of your sabotaging thoughts of self-doubt can arise from.
Many leaders will tell you that you have to ‘Back Yourself’ which is so true. It’s easy to say those words, although how do we do it?
It all starts from looking within to gain growth in your confidence. Your confidence is there, sometimes we just need the tools to try and pull it out gradually and in return creating pockets of self-belief. Let’s take a peek of some of the things you could be doing:
✦ Identity what is it that you stand for? Have you actually started from the beginning to align your path with what is your identity? We have had some strong foundations and are shaped based on our upbringing, environment and experience and we have some significant belief systems. Although now is time for you to start planning your own life, the way you see it. There is no point starting to map out your future if you don’t have an ideal sense of who you are, what you stand for? Take the time to sit down and process the values that you connect with, your core beliefs before you can then link into more purpose driven goals.
Write them down now, 5 minutes to ponder what are all the words that make up your core values……….If you have more then 8, try and bring it back to the deeper connection of what is your identity. What do you stand for!
✦ Re-evaluate now you have your core values, every six months take stock if you are on the right path, movement may be necessary in your goals for the relevant chosen career to gain maximum growth. Ensure your goals align with those values. Taking a pivot in your career is more common than you think, staying in the same position is great, although what development are we getting? Complacency is nice, although are we actually learning anything for continual progress.
✦ Celebrate being unique and revisit all that you have to offer to an opportunity as oppose to thinking you don’t deserve it, someone else can do it better or your not good enough. I hear people waiting till they are 110% competent in the job before they apply. What’s the point of that? You already know it. Have you ever not gone for a job because you thought someone deserved it more than you? Never assume you don’t have what it takes. Organisations are not just looking at the performance levels anymore, they want to see how you present yourself and show up to work everyday. Our attitude, attributes and behaviors say a lot about us. Let’s face it, no one else is you!
Share your outside interest and things that engage you, this will not only bring new energy to the room, although showing the authentic side of you may even land you the job. Employees are not only building businesses on skills and experience alone, as much as people that fit in with their culture, are they trustworthy and what’s their likability factor. We spend eight hours a day on average at work, we want the right team around us. Own your confidence.
✦ Positive Self-Talk. Think about how you speak about yourself? Do you lift yourself up or knock yourself down? If you don’t believe you can do something, why would others? If you constantly talk yourself down, they may not see your contribution or undervalue your capabilities or the importance of your words. I hear so many people talking about ‘we’ or ‘the team’ effort. I need to share with you that it’s ok and extremely important that you can share your individual part you played in bringing something together. What you think about yourself is so important to your future and how you bring yourself to work each day.
✦ Say YES! People will ask you once, maybe twice…… If you keep pushing back they will stop asking as they may deem you are not interested. If this is not the right opportunity for you, absolutely have the courage to say ‘No’, although don’t leave it there. Let them know this is not the right space for you and you are still open to other ideas. Even putting a time frame on it, ‘In the next two years I hope to be in a more challenging role’. I like to think, if it feels exciting and gives me butterflies it could take me to a whole other place, you never know where an opportunity can lead you. New growth, skills and exposure to more people in the organisation. What do you have to lose?
✦ Seek out a Mentor – If you are struggling with a little sense of direction and searching for some self-belief then seek out someone that could play out as a sounding board, a business coach or a mentor can be an integral part of our career development. This person may help you pin point the steps and movement you wish to take with small practical steps to engage your future.
Take the time to enlighten yourself now, understand the key drivers in your core values before taking the steps to be the CEO of your career and start creating a healthy platform of a strong identity with driven goals, positive self-talk and a can-do-attitude. In return you will feel more confident in who you are with each step along the way.
Deb Elliott, Fly Consulting Founder
Deb Elliott is the founder and Lead Consultant of Fly Consulting. Facilitating the Springboard Women’s Development Program for over eight years. Deb has created and delivered workshops developing women in both the Corporate and Government sector for over sixteen years.
She is the first lead consultant worldwide to facilitate and adapt the Springboard Program Virtually. She is passionate about personal and professional growth and engages her audience with real life stories to embed the learning.
Having worked her way around the corporate world, in a male dominated industry. She has had to learn the power of self belief, courage and pushing the boundaries of her own career and personal life which she will share with you.