Recently, many of us have experienced situations that we could have never imagined.
COVID has impacted family members, friends, or co-workers. Many of us have struggled in our businesses and at home due to the changes in the business and schooling landscapes. Many of us are still trying to adjust and develop a plan B for how to move forward confidently.
In this post, I want to share with you how you can not only survive but thrive in the next 12 months.
Face "denial"
Denial is the first strategy or the first tactic we'll tackle when moving from surviving to thriving in any year.
Denial is a mechanism that we use to avoid what is troubling us or causing us to stop in our tracks. In the workplace, denial is when we have a tough situation or a challenge, and we choose to ignore it.
But unfortunately, what happens when we do that is that the situation doesn't improve. If anything, it actually gets worse as time goes by.
The longer we stay in denial about our situation and don't do anything about it, the worse off we will be.
If you are not happy with your current employment or your leadership role, if you have conflicts at work and don't know how to handle them, the longer we wait to face those challenges, the worse they will get.
Ponder the "possibilities"
It's difficult to think that you can change anything if you don't see the possibilities ahead of you. I know from working in the corporate world for over 30 years, in leadership roles for over 20 years, and having lots of friends in my professional network, many of us get to a point in our careers where we don't see the possibilities anymore.
If anything, it seems like it's Groundhog day. It's more of the same. We get to the point where we're praying every day that we don't lose our job. And that's a worthy ideal, to be gainfully employed. There's nothing wrong with that. However, that is the definition of living in survival mode.
In other words, we may not be necessarily excited about what we're doing. We're simply surviving.
Wherever you are in your career, every phase has possibilities.
I want to invite you as your coach to explore: what are those possibilities?
Develop "trust"
How do you develop trust in yourself over the next 12 months so that you believe in your abilities, even when you may not have done that thing before?
That's where the real trust comes. To accomplish what you want in the next 12 months, it requires that you develop trust in your own abilities, your strengths, and your unique value proposition.
When you trust in your unique value and your abilities, you get to take chances.
When I launched my business back in 2017, I wanted to write my first book. Had I ever written a book before? Absolutely not. Did I know that I had a message that I wanted to impart and share my experience as a leader and as a woman in technology and financial services for over 25 years? Yes, I did.
That trust in myself and my desire to help and impact as many leaders and women as possible fueled me to publish my first #1 bestselling book, Fearless Women at Work.
In your career, where do you need to develop more trust in yourself and others?
Get "planning"
In every area of our lives, moving from surviving to thriving requires us to be conscious creators. Otherwise, we're floating in the ocean, and wherever the waves go, that's the direction we're going to take.
But there's an alternative. The alternative is that we begin to live in possibilities. But to live in possibilities requires that we take a look to see where we are in denial. We need to own who we are and our unique value proposition. That is when we begin to look at this compelling future for ourselves, despite where we are in our career or stage of our lives.
What do you want to create in your career and life to thrive, not only survive? What is your compelling future, and what competencies will you need to achieve it?
Take "action"
What can you create moving forward in the next 12 months? And what is it going to take for you to develop confidence in your own abilities?
Some of us are proactive "doers." It's how we function. For some of us, taking [bold] action can be very difficult. It's not one of our natural abilities or superpowers, and we struggle with it.
My recommendation is to consider what you want to accomplish and break it down into smaller implementable pieces. Tackle each piece one step at a time. Schedule it; make sure you're clear on why this goal is meaningful to you.
Bringing It All Together
If you want to take your career and life to the next level, this is a perfect time to take bold action.
If you don't do something different, how will things change for you? Answer honestly.
Coach Ginny 💕
We'd appreciate it if you share this article with your network by clicking on the "..." at the top.
If you want to explore how we can support you, let's connect over a complimentary strategy call. I will give you my undivided attention and help you identify your "Why" and most significant challenges quickly. We'll even begin to strategize on the right plan of action that will support you moving forward.
Whenever you're ready, we want to serve you with what you need support the most! Here are some ways in which we can do this together: #1 - Want to become our partner in populating the world with great leaders? Here is how! If you know someone in your trusted network of friends and colleagues who can use the support of a coach like me, I would like to invite you to check out my 10% referral program. Get the details from our Affiliates & Referral Partners page. #2 - Check out our virtual, proven career and leadership training: Learn the #1 success secret to becoming the highly impactful, influential leader you are meant to be without sacrificing your well-being. Spots are limited. Get the details here: www.fearlessledershipmastermind.com. #3 - Develop your Personal Brand with our two-week virtual program: We share the exact steps to stand out in a new job market, confidently, despite today's economy. Get the details here: www.personalbrandingmasterclass.com. #4 - Coach with us, virtually, privately, one-on-one: Join one of our private coaching programs, designed to address your specific challenges and goals, accommodating your busy schedule. Our clients earn promotions, higher pay, transition into new roles and industries they love, and enjoy a higher level of financial, emotional, and even spiritual well-being. They "do the work" and see the results! 100% virtual, join us for a complimentary session: www.executivebound.com/get-started. #5 - Introduce us to your company to deliver virtual and live motivational talks and leadership training: We partner with organizations and individuals over a wide range of industries, providing the support and structure to develop talent and grow your leadership teams. Please email us at info@executivebound.com, and let's connect.. #6 - Read our book: Fearless Women at Work: Five Powerful Strategies to Thrive in Your Career and Life! This book’s sole purpose is to ignite your personal power to pursue the life of your dreams by applying five practical strategies in a unique process named C.A.R.E.S. Get your copy and BONUS Book Club Guide companion today at www.executivebound.com/book. #7 - Read our blog & share it! Keep your mind fresh with ideas. Retool with strategies to navigate challenges at work and in life. And take action that will propel you forward. Knowledge and execution are power. Visit our blog, and if you enjoy the articles, please share them with your friends and colleagues.
About Dr. Ginny A. Baro
Dr. Ginny A. Baro is a sought-after international motivational speaker & leadership coach, a career strategist, and #1 bestselling author of Fearless Women at Work.
Ginny specializes in partnering with organization to develop leadership teams at all levels of management. And she supports individuals navigating a corporate hierarchy or moving into an entirely new phase of their career. She has successfully facilitated live and virtual leadership training and coaching programs for individuals and Fortune 500 companies with over 140,000 employees and delivered keynotes impacting international audiences larger than 7,000. To learn more, visit ExecutiveBound.
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So this is your invitation and your challenge. Consider: what would that structure look like for me if I were r running my own business while working from home, and as an employee of a company?
What would support you to get ready in the morning and feel energized?
One of the behaviors you may notice is that you will stop shutting off your camera and "show up" to vitual meetings.
In this isolated environment, showing up is crucial and it will help you keep your edge. It's tough to accomplish that when others are staring at a black square on the screen with a little avatar of you.
Showing up means showing your face and connecting with people, face to face. That connection is the best that we've got right now.
Don't waste it. Don't give it up, and don't miss this opportunity to "see" the people you connect with every day.
CONNECT!
I'm going to give you a strategy that I use and teach my clients. And this is connecting regularly through a 15-minute cyber coffee.
One of the biggest recommendations that I give my clients is to make networking part of their job. In my book, Fearless Women at Work, I say that networking is not something we wait to do when we need a job, a new opportunity, or need facts about our field.
Networking needs to happen regularly.
It's important to network because, for one, you're going to learn more from people and be able to connect with them on a deeper level than if you're only transacting with them. The goal is to build relationships and move away from being transactional.
The other benefit is that when you need to access your network, for whatever reason, you will actually have one.
As a professional, most of us connect on LinkedIn, and it's the easiest group of people to connect with—people you are already working with or with whom you have worked in the past. Those people know you.
Send them a LinkedIn request. Then, after you connect with them, send them a message and say something like, "Hi, Ginny, I know it's been a while. What's going on with you? How's your family? Would you be open to a 15-minute cyber coffee to catch up?" and provide a couple of dates/times that work for you the following week. And most likely, the person will reply and say, "Yes."
Now, who are the people that you want to connect with? These are the people you have worked with in the past or present who you appreciate and respect and would like to continue a professional relationship.
Include mentors and those you've lost touch with who've sponsored you in previous roles. This could also be people who you're interested in learning from. These are all possibilities as to why you would want to connect with them.
Make sure that you come to the table with an offering. If you check out their LinkedIn feed, you will see some of their most recent activity. Do a little research before meeting with them. See what they've posted or what they've "liked" recently. You can use that as a point of reference when you speak with them.
For some of us, this is very simple. But for others, this could be very difficult and intimidating.
To muster up your courage, do a little research and begin the conversation by simply saying, "How are you doing?" How's the family? How is the job?"
This is only a 15-minute cyber coffee. And if you would like to continue to connect in the future, then say to the person, "Would you be open for me to reach out to you in a couple of months?" That's how you also develop organic mentors and sponsors.
This is one way that you can stand out during the pandemic. If you don't feel that you have the time to network this way, my challenge for you would be to identify one person a week with whom you would like to connect.
Make that one connection. Send them one LinkedIn message, and ask them if they would be open to connecting with you for a 15-minute cyber coffee, and you will be shocked at what you learned.
BE POSITIVE
Many of us find ourselves in tough situations, especially if this is the first time you are working from home.
Whether you're in the office or working remotely, bringing positivity to your interactions will help you stand out.
When working in a hybrid workplace, how do we do positivity to the workplace?
It's very difficult to be positive when you individually are not feeling optimistic.
One way I teach my clients to be more positive and embrace a growth mindset is to always look for opportunities to learn in whatever situation you are in.
You may have heard the phrase, "Life is happening for you, not to you." That simple phrase has a lot of implications. One of which is that how we frame what is happening in our situation determines how we feel about the circumstance.
In your case, you may be facing some challenges around projects. Perhaps it's difficult to collaborate now that you are not seeing your teammates face to face. This experience is an opportunity to get creative.
How can you continue to collaborate as much as possible with your teammates, given your current circumstances?
Maybe you are not very comfortable getting in front of a camera. This is an opportunity for you to show up, connect, and get more comfortable. Step out of your comfort zone and become better acquainted--the more you do it, the more comfortable it becomes.
Building positivity and developing a growth mindset will serve you in many areas of your life.
And to cultivate a growth mindset, look at other areas where you want to shift the way things ar today. You may say to yourself, " I'm going to nip that in the bud. I'm going to start spending less. I'm going to start saving. I'm going to be more cognizant of where I put my financial resources so that I can cut down that monthly bill. I'm going to stop buying things that I don't need."
These are different ways to embrace your growth mindset and bring self-awareness to what you're doing right now.
I also cultivate positivity in my life because I get myself in a positive state every morning. When I get back from the gym. I play upbleat music while showering. I then make a quick, delicious, nutritious breakfast. When I sit down to write, I light a candle, play spa music in the background. These things put me in a positive frame of mind.
What is that for you?
What would help you join your meetings with your teams, manager, vendors, partners, etc., in a more positive way?
Your challenge is to figure out how to be more positive in your interactions with the people in your life.
And guess what? With a growth mindset, you believe that you and other people have potential and that you and they can change.
GET HUNGRY!
I want to bring up something very near and dear to my heart. It really speaks to who I am as a coach, as a mom, as a woman. And that is: get hungry.
You stand out from the crowd when you get hungry about creating a compelling future for yourself.
What is that compelling future for you?
If you've been in the workforce for decades, after a while, having a purpose and performing meaningful work is significant. And the need to generate income, of course, is always there.
Perhaps once you started to meet the need to generate income, other human needs kicked in, i.e., the needs for growth and contribution.
Initially, we're primarily focused on certainty--the paycheck to pay bills and secure housing. We want a good job. While in that job, many of us satisfy our need for significance.
As humans, se also crave connection. And when we work, whether it's virtual or live, we connect with our colleagues.
But then, over time, we become very complacent. At first, we're growing, we're learning. And then we plateau, and we are in this mode for a while, until we realize that everything is predictable. If we're not making progress, we typically dont' feel fulfilled.
What will it take for you to make progress?
What is it about you as a subject matter expert that you need to learn?
Have you stopped learning?
Many of us are forced to learn because of the nature of our jobs. But if you have the type of job where you can coast, that is a trickier position to be in because you can easily fall into a rut. You may feel stuck, or you may have even been bumped from one role to another. And now you're sitting in a role that is not aligned with thwat you want.
Sometimes we use the excuse, "This is it for me. This is all I'm going to accomplish. This is as far as I'm going to go. I'm done. And I should be lucky because I have a job." And if you know me, you know that I'm all about gratitude. Of course, I am so grateful that I get to do what I do every day. And I'm also ambitious in that I want to reach my full potential. And I know that I have so much potential that I still haven't even gotten close to tapping.
I am inviting you today to ask yourself:
What am I hungry about?
What have I deferred?
What have I forgotten about?
Which of my dreams have I given up on?
The worst thing that can happen is that while alive, you feel dead inside--the fire in your belly is gone, and you are going through life on autopilot.
I don't want that to happen to you, just like I don't want that to happen to any of my clients. That's why embracing self-development and answering these empowering questions is so important.
FOCUS
During a time when many different opportunities may come our way, it's important to stay focused.
One way to stand out during a pandemic is by staying focused on what's most important to you, the business, and your team.
It's very easy for us to get distracted, Focus on your projects, building relationships at work, continuing to do that self-development to expand as a subject matter expert (SME) in your field and add the most value.
Team focus is something that so many struggle with. There are many reasons why we do. We struggle to focus in some cases because facing what we need to face seems harder than deflecting it and postponing it. We automatically tend to look for other activities that will take us away from what we don't want to tackle.
If that's the case for you, where you find yourself deflecting and not wanting to pay attention to that one thing that needs to get done, this is how I set it up for myself so that I can succeed. If I need to do something, I put it on my calendar. That helps me to create the focus and structure that will support me.
Once it's on my calendar, it's much more difficult for me to say, "No, I'm not going to do it." We can trick our minds so that we don't sabotage ourselves, the team, or the project. When you put it on your calendar, you allocate that time, and make it a sacred time.
The more actions you take, the more results you will see.
The results you get validate the belief that you're on the right track, which will help you take more action and see more results. If you don't see the results you want, you can always tweak and redo.
If you find that you're not getting where you want to get to in your career or find yourself stuck, look at yourself and consider these questions:
When was the last time I did anything for myself professionally?
When was the last time I learned something new?
How am I applying what I'm learning to be a better teammate, employee, and leader?
With love and appreciation,
Coach Ginny 💕
We'd appreciate it if you share this article with your network by clicking on the "..." at the top.
If you want to explore how we can support you, let's connect over a complimentary strategy call. I will give you my undivided attention and help you identify your "Why" and most significant challenges quickly. We'll even begin to strategize on the right plan of action that will support you moving forward.
Whenever you're ready, we want to serve you with what you need support the most! Here are some ways in which we can do this together: #1 - Want to become our partner in populating the world with great leaders? Here is how! If you know someone in your trusted network of friends and colleagues who can use the support of a coach like me, I would like to invite you to check out my 10% referral program. Get the details from our Affiliates & Referral Partners page. #2 - Check out our virtual, proven career and leadership training: Learn the #1 success secret to becoming the highly impactful, influential leader you are meant to be without sacrificing your well-being. Spots are limited. Get the details here: www.fearlessledershipmastermind.com. #3 - Develop your Personal Brand with our two-week virtual program: We share the exact steps to stand out in a new job market, confidently, despite today's economy. Get the details here: www.personalbrandingmasterclass.com. #4 - Coach with us, virtually, privately, one-on-one: Join one of our private coaching programs, designed to address your specific challenges and goals, accommodating your busy schedule. Our clients earn promotions, higher pay, transition into new roles and industries they love, and enjoy a higher level of financial, emotional, and even spiritual well-being. They "do the work" and see the results! 100% virtual, join us for a complimentary session: www.executivebound.com/get-started. #5 - Introduce us to your company to deliver virtual and live motivational talks and leadership training: We partner with organizations and individuals over a wide range of industries, providing the support and structure to develop talent and grow your leadership teams. Please email us at info@executivebound.com, and let's connect.. #6 - Read our book: Fearless Women at Work: Five Powerful Strategies to Thrive in Your Career and Life! This book’s sole purpose is to ignite your personal power to pursue the life of your dreams by applying five practical strategies in a unique process named C.A.R.E.S. Get your copy and BONUS Book Club Guide companion today at www.executivebound.com/book. #7 - Read our blog & share it! Keep your mind fresh with ideas. Retool with strategies to navigate challenges at work and in life. And take action that will propel you forward. Knowledge and execution are power. Visit our blog, and if you enjoy the articles, please share them with your friends and colleagues.
About Dr. Ginny A. Baro
Dr. Ginny A. Baro is a sought-after international motivational speaker & leadership coach, a career strategist, and #1 bestselling author of Fearless Women at Work.
Ginny specializes in partnering with organization to develop leadership teams at all levels of management. And she supports individuals navigating a corporate hierarchy or moving into an entirely new phase of their career. She has successfully facilitated live and virtual leadership training and coaching programs for individuals and Fortune 500 companies with over 140,000 employees and delivered keynotes impacting international audiences larger than 7,000. To learn more, visit ExecutiveBound.
Join our community and receive valuable strategies delivered to your inbox (we don't spam). Read other articles in our blog, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Here's how we help!