One Bold Move A Day

As I progressed in my career, impostor syndrome crept in at unexpected moments. You may have experienced this, too.

Research shows more than 70% of people experience impostor syndrome at some point, and it particularly affects women and people of color. Even when you advance to the top ranks in your career, it can occasionally still happen. (I can personally vouch for this!)

This episode will provide tips for how to overcome impostor syndrome. (Pro-tip: Making your one bold move a day is an excellent way to choose confidence and yourself.)

Your One Bold Move: Overcome impostor syndrome by reminding yourself of your strengths and accomplishments. Find a mantra that works for you. Look in the mirror and cheer yourself on. I’m cheering you on, too.

There’s a lot going on right now. You may be feeling like you’re not sure how to move forward at work. Or you may be experiencing mixed feelings about your work or your workplace. When you’re stuck in survival mode, it can be hard to feel like the best version of yourself. Finding meaning at work is important for your motivation, and also your mental health.

This episode will provide three tips to help you rediscover your purpose at work.

1. Make forward movement

2. Focus on your superpowers

3. Reconnect to your why

Your One Bold Move: Spend some time reflecting on what's important to you, what you can control, and what your strengths are to rediscover your purpose at work. Remember, the world needs you. Especially now. I’m cheering you on.

Are you navigating a job search right now or thinking about finding a new job?

During college, I spent four years working as an intern in fundraising. During my senior year, I sent 100 applications around the country to be a major gifts officer at a university. After many lengthy interviews at different organizations, I received rejection after rejection. (I often heard I didn’t have the experience needed for the role.) In the end, not one university offered me a job. Ouch. At that point, I had to acknowledge I wouldn’t get to start my dream career on the timeline I planned—but I also refused to give up the dream.

I’ll share some of the things that worked for me and I encourage you to consider, too.

This is a hard time to graduate and be out there looking for a job, or pivoting your career, or if you’ve been furloughed. You’ve worked hard to get to this point. None of that goes away because the world is in crisis. Keeping showing up for yourself even if it looks different right now. The world needs you.

This episode will provide four things you can start doing today for your job search.

Your One Bold Move: Stay true to what feels important to you in your career while you navigate your job search, put yourself out there, and follow through.

Apologizing is generally something people do too much or too little of. You don’t need to walk around apologizing all the time. As a matter of fact, I don’t want you to do this. (I could do a whole episode around why women, in particular, should not say sorry all the time!) In today's episode, I offer guidelines on how to thoughtfully apologize when it’s appropriate.

When you prepare to apologize, consider what your intention is. Do you want to repair the relationship so you can get on with things or do you want to be the best version of yourself? If you intend to admit your role in what went wrong because you're upset by your own actions, you'll be far more successful in your apology.

I'll share three tips on how to meaningfully apologize, which can be used at work and home.

Your One Bold Move: Consider the next time where an apology is appropriate how you can do so with grace for the person you’re apologizing to and for yourself.

It’s far more fulfilling when you can bring your whole self to work, and your emotions are part of that. Showing emotion at work, though, can feel complicated. Earlier in my career, I tried to avoid showing any negative emotion at work. By suppressing any negative feelings, I ended up hiding my happiness, too.

This episode will provide tips on how to thoughtfully approach emotions at work.

Your One Bold Move: Tell yourself it’s okay to show your feelings at work. Being aware of your emotions makes you stronger and leveraging your emotions makes you powerful.

I am fortunate to have had many mentors in my life. I’ve had some mentors that have stayed with me throughout my career, some when I was at a particular job, and some for one project. Some mentors have chosen me and some mentors I chose for myself.

If you're ready to grow your career, it's time to get others involved in your journey. Mentors can offer insights from their own experiences, help you think more strategically, and open doors.

This episode will provide tips to ensure a positive mentoring relationship.

Your One Bold Move: Cultivate great mentor relationships and grow your career.

Note: I will continue sharing content to support those who are expected to keep showing up right now, even with everything going on.

I’ve heard a lot of friends and co-workers talking about they can’t be productive right now. It would be one thing if they were just saying it as part of conversation, but I can tell they deeply feel it. They’re beating themselves up for what they aren’t able to do. I have to say, it breaks my heart a little. This isn’t just working from home. We are, after all, still in a global pandemic, trying to work and care for our families.

There’s got to be a better way to advance your work and honor how far you’ve come. That’s why progress at work matters.

This episode will provide tips on how to create and recognize meaningful progress at work for you and your team members.

Note: I will continue sharing content for those who are expected to keep showing up right now, even with everything going on.

I had been struggling with a work project and the deadline was looming. I wasn’t sure how to do part of what I had been asked, but I was afraid that by saying that I would look incompetent or unprepared for the task. I didn’t want to let my boss down. Instead I dug deeper into the work, but I didn’t get farther. I got more frustrated, started to doubt myself. When I finally went to my boss, she asked me why I hadn’t come earlier.

This episode will provide tips on how to ask for help in ways that reflect positively on you and may even help build better relationships.

Your One Bold Move: Ask your boss for help when you need it. Present your question clearly and concisely, share your perspective, and ask for their input. Keep notes on what you learn and use this to inform yourself for next time you face this situation—that’s where growth comes from.

Note: I will continue sharing content to support those who are expected to keep showing up right now, even with everything going on.

Our world right now is in pain. Our country is in a lot of pain. I’ve been reading and listening, as I’m sure you have, too. What is happening to the African-American community affects all of us.

I am often known to say: Let’s walk into the discomfort and get comfortable together. This may feel uncomfortable. You might not know what to say. That is privilege.

This is all sadly not new. There have been many times before when things like this have happened, when we as white people have been called to do more. We have not done enough. I have not done enough. Let us make this the moment when that begins to change.

I will use my platform to speak up and I will listen more deeply when others speak about their experiences that I do not know personally.

I don’t have all the answers and I will not get this right every time. I will continue to do my best and I will seek candid feedback when that best is not enough.

To make progress, you have to do the work and follow through.

This episode will share what I'm doing and learning right now and I invite you to join me.

Be yourself boldly is using your voice to help others rise.

Have you ever noticed yourself waiting to move on something that was important to you, because others hadn’t fully supported your idea?

I know I’ve done this before, intentionally and unintentionally.

You might hesitate to make decisions or share your ideas because they may upset others or because you’ll be criticized—or because you worry this will happen. You may even be unaware that by doing this you’re turning over your control to others.

To be your best self, you’re going to have to be willing to do something that may not have been done before.

This episode will provide tips for how to do this for yourself and your team.

Free yourself from whatever is holding you back, especially if it’s your own limitations. The world needs you. Permission granted.