Slogging it 👉 Bossing It
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
🔥 I’m reporting on a hot leadership trend that I’m betting you’ll want to get behind.
🤪 The quirky things I do to step into my own power as a leader.
💪 2 different ways to partner with me in order to step into your own leadership power.
SLOGGING IT 👉 BOSSING IT
The red badge indicating a new WhatsApp message beckoned me to click in and get the latest scoop from a good friend. Treating myself to a well-deserved break from some focused work, I got up from my desk to stretch my legs and gave in to the notification.
It said: ‘Just got my performance rating. ‘Greatly Exceeds Expectations.’ This is off the back of the most work-life balanced year in recent memory. 😳 Knew you’d appreciate this.’
Oh, yes I DID appreciate it. I was beyond thrilled for this fearless leader who is also a dear friend. She’d earned this win - all of it. And also, this is the kind of experience a leadership coach will totally geek out over. 🤓
The most interesting aspect about this message was that it wasn’t the first of its kind I’d received. To set the scene, 2023 Performance review season has just wrapped up for a lot of people I know. And I’ve noticed a pretty exciting trend amongst some of the powerhouse female leaders with whom I’m lucky to keep company. (Clients, friends, ex-colleagues included.) I’m noticing a surge of women who are experiencing what can only be called a paradox. That is: the less invested they have become in controlling every aspect of their career progression, the more they have progressed.
Shocking, I know. Controversial, even. And yet, true. I’ve seen it in my own experience and I delight in seeing it in others’. But no matter how often I witness this paradox play out, I’m flooded with this same combination of contradictory emotions.
First, disbelief-in-the-happiest-way AND then…slow-nod, close-my-eyes, heartfelt: ‘YES. Of course.’
It’s worth mentioning, all the women sharing this similar story with me recently are leaders who had historically built their careers on hustle and grit. And all of them had arrived at a place in their careers where that approach was starting to reap diminishing returns. They made changes to their mindsets with regards to leading at work and in life - some out of desperation, some out of pure necessity. And all of them realised that the previous fears they’d had about switching gears - that they’d have less success, progression or impact - were completely unfounded.
As I listened, I could understand the paradox - I could feel the inevitability of it in my bones. However, this is NOT to say I had the words to explain it. And so I asked these wise women who had been experiencing it recently: What was the shift? What do you think made it possible? Where did it come from?
I’m not kidding you when I say the responses were EEERILY similar. When I heard the exact same words used a couple of times, I thought - huh! That’s cool. The 3rd and 4th time? Okay, that’s a pattern I should probably take note of.
The word that came up every single time: Proving.
When they let go of the objective to PROVE anything to anyone, they were able to simply BE.
And this set of words made complete sense to me. Because proving yourself - that’s full of fear. Fear of disappointment and failure. You need heavy doses of courage and grit to get through that. But BEING yourself, that’s full of opportunity. Opportunity to shine and grow.
And from there, we can logically extrapolate that it’s no wonder they found more leadership success with this shift in mindset. After all, do you want to follow by a leader driven by fear, or one inspired by opportunity?
One of these insightful women was quick to point out that she believes that we all have to go through a period of proving ourselves professionally. Trying to skip that phase entirely can look a lot like arrogance and entitlement if you aren’t careful. And I agree. I’d add: the trick is to spot the signs of when you are ready to shift from PROVING to BEING and to follow those signs as quickly as possible.
And judging from the collective shift I’m witnessing, the biggest sign to look out for is a feeling of STUCKNESS. Feeling stuck in a role that no longer lights you up. In a mindset that doesn’t let you shine. In a situation that feels frustrating or uninspiring. When feeling stuck in a current chapter of work/life, that feeling might just be there to let you know that it’s time to write the next chapter.
At this point, you might be wondering how they did it. How they made the shift from ‘proving’ to ‘being’ once they were ready. Well, you’ll be glad I asked them.
It turns out, it all starts with getting clear on what it is that you truly want. Not what your parents wanted for you or what you think your boss wants for you, or even what YOU wanted 10 years ago. What YOU 👏 truly want 👏TODAY👏.
From there, you can create agency to build that life bit by bit and start to see those opportunities to shine - both inside and outside of work.
You can start to separate what you do from who you are and your value as that person.
You can start showing up fully as that person. And then you find out, that’s where you true power was lying all along.
BONUS CONTENT
Stepping into your truth (and full power) can be facilitated in a lot of different ways. This week, I’m sharing some of the ⚡️weirdest⚡️ ways I like to go about it. If that sounds interesting to you, check out this free resource: 5 Quirky Power Practices For Leaders by clicking below.
WORK WITH ME
I partner 1-to-1 with high-performing female leaders to hone their authentic leadership style and write the next bold chapter of work and life. If you are wondering how to make the shift described in the newsletter above a reality for you, get in touch and we’ll have a chat. We’ll either conclude that we are a good fit, or I’ll share some resources/ideas of where you might find the support you need.
COMING SOON! Progress with Purpose is 6-week online course designed to support emerging female leaders to gain control, ease and the clear next steps they need in order to own the next chapter of their careers. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, click below and I’ll make sure you are the first to receive notice of enrolment opening in May.
In all curiousness,
Joy
P.S. If/when the spirit ever moves you or you have questions - always feel free to get in touch and let me know what’s coming up for you!
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