Self- Strategy
Check out the podcast on this topic here and I can talk at you!
If you are in any type of work at a corporation (profit or non), you are likely talking about strategy and thinking about strategy, even for those of you who work for companies that have no strategy. You are still talking often about how you’re going to win, who you need to beat, or barriers for growth, and how you need to measure success. And while some companies are better than others at developing, articulating, and socializing a strategy for what winning means and how they are going to do it, there is one major gap I see in those I coach, and that is…
They don’t have a strategy for themselves. Are you in this boat? You may be in this boat if you cannot articulate the following:
- Your whole-self vision for your life—not just the role work plays into it, but the way your personal life operates around work to bring your life in alignment to what you want and what works for you personally.
- How you know if you are successful- not just external proof…
- How you plan and invest your time
- What it is that you produce that is valuable
I know a lot of you have a “why” that is usually the thing that propels you out of bed in the morning, even if that why is something as functional as, “my kids can’t be late for school.” And I know that personal growth is important to you, but you may not be defining your why and your own strategic plan. And this is important, because when you don’t do this, here’s what you do, do instead:
- Follow a path that others create for you (if you’re feeling this you are asking yourself, how did I get in this job)
- Failing to make yourself accountable to specific metrics (if this is happening, you’re likely unable to articulate progress and you may feel stuck)
- Do not take responsibility for your time (you tell yourself you don’t have enough time, or you don’t know how you’re going to “cram it all in”)
- Cannot articulate what value you produce in service of your larger vision (what is it that you personally create--- think about this beyond service literally and into “essence”)
Now I might sound a little harsh, but I know you can take it because you are a tough badass woman and I know you want growth, and I am here to tell you that there is no boss, no perfect job, no salary, no assistant, no magical school supply that can do this shit for you. You must define your standards and put in place indicators for yourself so that you know you are moving in the right direction. And I am preaching to you because I was a part of this choir.
A few years ago, when I was working for my last employer, a large Fortune company, before I started as a consultant, creator and coach, I had a performance appraisal that was actually kickass. And my well-meaning boss was excited for me and he asked me what was next for me, and I couldn’t answer the question. In fact, I was actually wanting him to answer it for me. I wanted him to give me an option, or a title or a new challenge… he was surprised as I was to have to “think about it.” Because as a driven, accomplished high-performer, one would assume that I was very clear to what I was working towards and why I was working so hard.
Sure, I could say that I wanted to set an example for my kids, and I wanted to feel significant, and I felt a sense of service to those who I was responsible for leading, but I couldn’t answer what I wanted for myself. It took me a while to answer this question honestly, then have the tits to go and take risks on myself and lean into the answer. But here’s the thing, a lot of mental fatigue, useless drama, wasted energy and wasted time could have been avoided for me personally if I would have answered some hard questions sooner than later. I would have spent less time playing the victim, or settling for confusion in my own brain that I tolerated.
Your whole-self vision for your life—not just the role work plays into it, but the way your personal life supports this endeavor is critical to your happiness and fulfillment.
The reason I am not just talking about work in this instance is because I believe that you bring your whole-ass to work. And sure, you may not let it all hang out, you may remove your piercing or cover your lower back tattoo, you may “put your game face on” and you may be super polished, but my point is, is that you are human, and the factors that are outside of the realm of your career/your job do, in fact show up at work one way or another.
You may be needing a revised self-strategy if:
o You suppress your feelings about unworthiness in the office, and put on a confident façade, but you over-work yourself to the point of burnout and that leaves you snappy with your family, tired all the time, feeling extremely guilty for not spending enough time and energy on the things that do matter to you.
o Your title looks great and you work for a solid company, but you know you are underpaid and undervalued at work. Instead of moving forward to find a new role outside of the company or have a difficult conversation with your boss about the topic, you drink your feelings on the weekends. That leads you to put more stress on your body, impacts your ability to show-up clear headed at work, and leaves you in a situation where you find yourself tolerating the status quo instead of changing it.
o You are having a difficult time with your spouse because he is having a challenging time at his job. He has checked out and is spending more time on the golf course and at the bar then with you and the family. This is leading you to take on more than your fair share of the home work, and the second shift is exhausting you as you keep it together for your 3 kids under the age of 10. As a result, you find yourself having little to no patience with your team and your clients, and you start to assume that everyone is taking advantage of you. You resent everyone around you. You don’t fly off the handle at work, but you notice you’re grinding your teeth at night and as a result, have a nagging physical pain on top of all the emotions.
o You are bored AF with where you spend your 40+ hours a week. You can do your job in your sleep, and you happily collect your paycheck, but you wonder if there is more to life than pointless meetings and workplace politics. Because you are lacking excitement in your work, you create your own drama outside of it. You constantly pick fights with your sibling because you don’t like his partner. Talking smack about this person becomes a way you distract yourself from making moves within what is in your control which is how you spend your time.
Misplaced energy.
Buffering uncomfortable feelings with booze, food, social media, drama.
Projecting emotions from one situation to the other.
All because you are not operating within a strategic framework that is aligned to what you want… you’re responding and reacting. And you are normal for that. I did the same damn thing.
As women, we are often used to asking for permission, or putting our heads down, doing the work and waiting for the results to come- waiting to be noticed… I am not suggesting that your growth isn’t depending on hard work, or collaboration from others- what I am advocating for, is that you get very clear in articulating what it is you want to the most influential person in your life who can give that to you: Yourself.
If you want more on a great roadmap for how to start your self-strategy, shoot me an email at contact@lizmayercoaching.com and let’s chat.
