Don’t let yourself off the hook by deciding that something is out of your reach, instead, ask yourself, What would I do if I weren’t afraid?
Sheryl Sandberg
We all have been guilty of playing small. We make one excuse after the other to keep ourselves in our comfort zone: “How can I move to sales, I don’t know any connections? How can I do this job well, I don’t have the skills?”
Sometimes, we internalize these fears: “I don’t have the leadership skills. I did not get the job because something is wrong with me. No one will like me if I spoke my mind. I need to follow the rules….”
All of these are reasons that are shackling us, preventing us from being our best self and growing into leaders we were meant to be. So on this international women’s day, I want to challenge you to think about how YOU can break free of the fear, truly be bold and own your career.
Be bold. Own your career.
If we want a fulfilling career, a career that gives us joy, satisfaction, and pride, we got to be bold. I don’t mean be brash, or arrogant or unrealistic. I also don’t mean taking career sabotaging actions. Be bold means do so with our mindset and how we reflect it upon others. Be bold so we are:
- Not afraid to dream big.
- Not afraid of our big ambition.
- Not afraid to own it.
Not afraid to dream big
Three years into joining Schlumberger, I told my manager I wanted to lead the business development group in 5 years. He humored me as this was a bold ask, but he could also feel the passion and conviction in my voice. Saying why not, he helped me realign to a more realistic, yet aggressive timeline and guided me on what skills I needed to get to my career goals.
We cannot be afraid of the big dreams in our hearts. If we don’t dream, we cannot see it. And unless we see it in fine detail, we cannot make it real.
“I am totally unapologetic about being an ambitious woman, and you should be too.”
Shinjini Das
Not afraid of our big ambitions
One of my dear friends at work, who is also a mentor I deeply respect, once told me she will not sacrifice on family time until she makes President at the company. I was taken aback by her confidence. She has a big dream, she is not afraid to put it out there and is working her way up by getting the skills, and network needed to get the job. I think I fell in love with her some more that day!
We cannot be afraid of our big ambitions or sharing it with others. Remember, if others get intimidated by our ambition, it’s their problem and not ours.
Not afraid to own it
For many years, I have been fascinated by the consulting world. I think consultants get to work on intellectual business problems, in a very dynamic environment, while enjoying the perks of traveling. After turning down another consulting interview a few months ago, I was complaining to my friend that only if I was not in the country on a visa, only if I had a choice, I would be a consultant. My friend, who was a patient listener to my frequent rants on this topic asked, “so why don’t you apply for a consulting job in India?”. It at that point I realized that I was just using being on a visa as an excuse. I did not want to live a consultant’s lifestyle when raising two little kids. I did not want the job bad enough, at least not now.
Being bold means not being afraid to own it. We cannot blame it on others. We cannot blame it on our boss, or the HR, or the visa situation or the bad job market. There is always a choice. If we want it bad enough, we can learn a new skill, go back to school, switch roles, make a lateral move, change countries, change jobs or even change industries. Sometimes it takes a bold move to make our dreams a reality.
So, on this International woman’s day, what bold move would you make for your career if you were not afraid?