Career and Leadership Mastery

08/14/2024

Are you really fully owning your authority? Do you know what that even means or what it feels like?

Well let's start with this: 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆.

It springs directly from your life force and thrives on three key elements:

🔍 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: The ability to see and communicate with precision

🧘‍♂️ 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗺 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: An unshakeable belief in oneself and one's vision

🌟 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: The power to inspire and guide others

This form of authority isn't about your position on an org chart. 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲.

The certainty you project becomes a beacon, giving others a compelling reason to follow you and your ideas.

When you embody this authentic authority, you create a gravitational pull that attracts allies, supporters, and collaborators.

Those who cultivate this genuine authority find themselves leading—regardless of their title.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you encountered leaders who embody this type of authority? Do you embody this type of authority? Would you like to?

P.S. If this sparked something for you, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 ♻️ 🧡

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08/09/2024

Lots of people say they want to rise in their leadership and ...

advance in their careers as far as their potential will take them ... but few are taking the actions, especially the seemingly risky ones, to make that happen for themselves. If this is you, I've got some questions for you:

☞ How long are you going to keep holding yourself back in the name of playing it safe? 🔗

☞ What opportunities are you not seeing? 👀

☞ What opportunities are you not creating? 💡

☞ What opportunities are you not taking? 🚀

☞ What situations and/or people are you avoiding? 🏃‍♂️

☞ Where are you just putting your head down waiting for 'it' to blow over? 🙈

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀: any form of fear....fear of failure.....fear of success....fear of disappointment....fear of looking 'stupid'....fear of what others will say/think....fear that you won't know how....fear that you will have to sacrifice too much....fear that it will be too hard....that is causing you to procrastinate....slow yourself down....or even stop yourself altogether....𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴....𝗡𝗢𝗪!

PS....you don't have to have it all figured out....and you don't have to pretend not to have any fear....you just have to keep going anyway.

And: 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽? 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸.

07/19/2023

How do you respond to the crush of 'to do's' and 'deliverables' and just that general overwhelm of having 10lbs of sh*t to fit into a 5lb bag??

I've recently been reminded of Parkinson's Law and its dictum that work fills the time allocated to it, got me reflecting on the all-too-common and frequent lament that we don't have 'enough' time to get done all that we need and/or want to do.

Trust me, I have done my fair share of whining about this over the years.

And here's the inconvenient truth: you do have sufficient time.

It's really a matter of how you choose to allocate your time ... along with the quality of your energy levels, and the mental frame you bring to what you're doing, that impacts your experience around having 'enough' of it.

Here's the thing: having constraints on your time actually helps you move faster. And remember: success loves speed!

The almost physically pinching feeling you have when you feel like you have 'no time to get to it all' is actually working for you.

That discomfort, that pressure, is calling you forward so that you develop the capacity and capability to handle more....to 'scale' upwards in your leadership.

You are forced to be ruthlessly efficient ... to delegate ... to prioritize what *really* matters ... and to make faster decisions. All essential skills for leading at ever higher-levels with greater visibility, accountability and impact.

So the next time you find yourself feeling the discomfort and downright stress of having too much on your plate ... instead of seeing it as an assault on your freedom and personal peace, view it as the Universe calling you forward and requiring you to up your game, preparing you to be able to handle more and respond accordingly. 😎

How have you used the experience of too much on your plate to pull you forward to adapt to handle more?

06/12/2023

'It's not just how good you are now ... it's how good you're going to be that really matters.' - Atul Gawande

Atul Gawande is a highly accomplished c-suite executive leader who is also a brilliant surgeon, published author and has a history of progressive career achievements that reflects a deep dedication to his craft and passion for excellence.

And: he just keeps getting better. Why? Because he understands there is always more...more to learn, more to grow into. He knows that what he doesn't 'know' is likely standing in the way of further greatness. So even as someone already viewed by others as 'at the top of his game' he chooses to resource himself with a coach to provide him with the perspective he needs to keep getting better.

As he says of coaches: '...they are your external eyes and ears providing you with a more accurate picture of your reality.'

What might become available to you if you resourced yourself with a coach to give you the perspective you need to facilitate a process of continuous up-leveling of your awareness, your capabilities and your capacities?

Renowned surgeon and TED speaker Atul Gawande on how coaches can help everyone become effective!

06/01/2023

The size of the problems you can solve & value you can create dictates the size of the leadership role you can have.

04/30/2023

Oftentimes when my clients first come to work with me they are feeling unsure of themselves and are over-focused on determining whether or not others around them rate them as 'up to the task' in their professional roles ... and then they battle within themselves as to whether others' assessment is correct and/or fair.....

They wonder if they are experiencing 'imposter syndrome'.... some are second-guessing themselves every day, others just once in a while.

Either way, they are expending an enormous amount of energy looking around for signals from the external environment to affirm or refute the level of confidence they should​ feel. And in the process, they learn not to trust their own instincts...and this just further erodes their confidence.

What I have found to be true though is that confidence is actually a standard that you CHOOSE for yourself. And I recommend you do because it is a lot more fun and it is the foundation for continuous growth.

Confidence is, at its core, about self-trust. It really is about backing yourself. Knowing you are resourceful and will be able to 'figure things out'... because there's no way anyone could possibly anticipate all the things that could occur or have all the necessary answers prepared in advance.

It's about declaring confidence in what you do know, in what you do know how to do and in what you can deliver today ... combined with your willingness to acknowledge what you don't know without apology or shame and trust in your ability to learn.

Stop wasting energy wearing yourself down wondering whether or not you can be, do, or have x, y or z. DECIDE that you most certainly can and move forward from that place.

02/26/2023

I don't know about you, but I can clearly remember hearing various forms of 'who do you think you are [young lady]?!?' growing up.

And even as an adult professional there's been the array of real (and imagined!) sideways glances, sharp and direct, or subtle and indirect, cut-downs that seem to scream 'who the hell do you think you are?! Don't overstep. That's not your 'place'.'

And without some real, rock-solid self-confidence and self-belief that you in fact are whoever you darn well decide you are, these perceived jabs can throw you off your game. They can send you into a downward spiral of self-doubt. And as we know, self-doubt is NOT the ticket to the fast lane to the c-suite!

In the worst case, over a lifetime, you can develop a belief in your own self-created and self-defined limitations about what is yours to be, do or have.

In what ways, if at all, do you see this dynamic at play in your career? In your aspirations and ambitions? In how you 'show up' on the regular?

What would be possible for you if you simply decided to be the person who has what you truly want?

01/17/2023

At many organizations this week is 'notification week'. And I'm not talking about notifications of incentive pay, raises or promotions.

I'm talking about events that are de-personalized by being labeled collectively as 'job eliminations' and 'reductions in force' (aka RIFs). To the person whose role has been eliminated though it feels very personal ... no amount of word choice can change that.

Even for folks who suspected they might be at risk, the shock and sting of being cursorily informed that you are no longer needed at an organization that you've given your all to is a very tough pill to swallow. The simultaneous jolt of feeling utterly powerless over the decision can be another blow to the psyche.

Several of you reading this may have gotten this news recently yourself. Here is what I want you to know:

You can begin to reclaim your power right in this moment by consciously deciding that this is the best thing that could have happened to you.

This isn't Pollyanna tom foolery. And I always urge folks to first feel what they are feeling...feel the anger, the disappointment, the sadness, the fear, the embarrassment....give yourself a chance to just be with those feelings. But know they will pass.

You are not your feelings. And your future has ZERO to do with this action and everything to do with what you will decide to make it.

And that starts with making the decision to recognize this circumstance as the best thing that could've happened to you. And start looking for all the evidence of the truth of that statement. I promise you, it's there.

01/16/2023

Just one of many pieces of wisdom that Martin Luther King, Jr. shared with us...and one that I particularly cherish.

Where do you need to take a step in the direction of your dreams and aspirations...even if you don't know exactly what the following steps will be?

01/01/2023

Every new day is a gift. New Year's feels particularly fresh and special....but the truth is every day is new and every day is special.

I'm not big on 'resolutions' ... I am big on continuous growth and expansion.

What are you growing and expanding into in 2023?