”Confident, bold, creative, caring and with purpose and drive”.
“I want to be wowed”.
(Top bosses share their secrets on how to get a job, BBC Business)
That’s quite a list. How do you measure up? Interestingly this also looks the same as what bosses are looking for to promote people. So how many of us wow? Can we all wow and what stops us wowing?
How courageous are you feeling? If I were to share the core of it;
- Complacency
- A lack of confidence.
- An over emphasis on yourself.
Ouch! Sorry but let’s get to the bare bones. Our 2020 Global Survey into #beyourselfatwork shared that 100% of us feel that we need to prove ourselves at work. That means we all don’t feel quite good enough otherwise we wouldn’t push to prove. The survey shared that 67% of us don’t bring our best confident selves to work because of our lack of confidence and a third of us blame our manager and the business culture for making us feel like this.
Listening to radio 4 this week whilst driving I listened to the end of a live interview on the jobs market. The interview asked the leader of a recruitment company what their advice was for those seeking work in the pandemic. Her response went something like this (I was driving so couldn’t write it down!) …”the world has changed. The pandemic has meant that many of those looking for work have been furloughed or have not worked for a while. Whilst many of those who have stayed in work have had to fight to survive. They have had to pivot, create, multitask and work flexibly in many cases across seven days week. They have had to use initiative, work independently and not specialise. This is what recruiters are looking for. We see many people getting left behind as they are living in the pre-covid world. To get the job demonstrate your agility, your drive, your ability to flex and multitask and act like its your business. This is what employers are looking for”.
We can all wow. When we let go of self-consciousness and step into our zone we all have confidence and boldness. We create in our own way. Of the thousands of iAM’s undertaken at Courageous Success every single one has aspects of care on it, as well as drive. We ALL have the wow factor. Let’s explore what might be dampening it.
Complacency
We are creatures of habit. The fact that we mostly unconsciously move through our days and weeks with very little strength of relationship with ourselves means that time can pass without us really assessing and developing ourselves with boldness and purpose. Ask yourself, “What are my rhythms?” “How much routine has my working life become?” “How often do I shake the tree and create new ways that transform my working patterns?” If you are not awake to the new world what is stopping you? Draw a line on your approaches in the past. Make changes to your routine. Challenge yourself. Be braver. Be bolder.
Confidence
83% of us use recognition as our strategy to boost our confidence at work. The challenge with this is that it is out of our control. Having self belief is a choice and a way of life. You have to consciously work at it.
In the BBC article Ann Francke, CEO of The Chartered Management Institute shared, “Provide examples of solving critical issues under pressure and occasions when they have gone above and beyond”.
Reflect on the times when you are really nailing it. You were in your zone. You had solid confidence. List what made you great in that moment. Choose to switch yourself into believing mode. Your confidence is in your control.
Making Things About You
Are you an employee or an active driver of an organisation? Are you a team player or a driver of change and creativity? So many of us unfortunately perceive the working world as something that we belong in rather than find our purpose in. Mark Evans from O2 shared in his advice on how to get a job right now, “impress me with drive”. This isn’t just about really smiling, lifting your energy and talking at a pace. What is impressive is genuine active passion. A real will to make a difference. An approach that is not only bringing ideas and energy to work but is an actual part of the organisation and the organisations is a part of you. 100% of us use autonomy & control for our confidence at work. We make it about us. What about not making it about you, letting you go and getting in there…
In next Monday’s free 20 minute iAM webcast we will be looking at how to use your quirks for character. People buy you and they also buy your uniqueness. James Daunt, CEO Waterstones, shared that his top tip is “Character”. You have bags of that. So go be you, get promoted, get the job, use work as an opportunity to truly be you and make a difference.
Be you.