Are You Suffering from Impostor Syndrome?
I love hearing the buzz of high-achieving women! They are going places and doing things and of course, look like they got it all together. A common theme that I hear amongst these powerful influential women is that they “feel like a fraud” or often referred to as “impostor syndrome” discovered by psychologists Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes in 1978. They often wonder: What if people learn that I am still working at a job while striving to be an entrepreneur? What if they learn that I am not as talented as they think? What if they learn that I do not have as money as they think I do?
There is a saying that someone once said, “What other people think of you is none of your business?” Stop worrying about what other people think of you and focus on what you think of you and start showing up as the best you. Don’t compare yourself to others – you are comparing to one moment in time not their lifetime.
Impostor syndrome is often perceived by high-achieving women who are perfectionists by nature. They feel that nothing they do is good enough. They become concerned about being found out. They are quick to dismiss compliments and acknowledgements.
If you are showing some signs of suffering from Imposter Syndrome, there are things you can do to help:
Acknowledge Your Accomplishments. Start by recognizing your achievements big and small.
Believe Your Deserve Success. You need to internalize your achievements and recognize your strengths and talents.
Develop Your Courage and Take a Risk. Complete your due diligence and take a leap of faith in yourself that no matter what the outcome is you will make it.
Learn from Your Mistakes. Instead of punishing yourself when things do not go as you planned, learn from your mistakes so you do not repeat them.
Embrace Your Challenges. Plow Down the Obstacles – Look at the opportunities and possibilities available to you in the challenges you face. How will it develop your character or perhaps push you out of your comfort zone.
Finally, for heaven’s sake, quit being the world’s best kept secret because you are worried about being “fake” or “fraud”. There are many people out there thinking the same thing – wanting you to think everything is perfect and you have it all figured out.
Take the mask off! Let the best you show up every day! When you give your best and deliver, people will be naturally attract to you and what you have to offer. You have amazing gifts in which the world needs – get going!
What Makes a Good Executive Great?
Some people believe that great leaders are born while others think great leadership can be learned. I believe it a can be a little of both – what you are born into and the role models and mentors you learn from make the biggest difference.
There are certain qualities that propels a good executive to a great one!
Great executives:
- are committed to sharing the mission and vision of the organization and try to onboard all the champions to continue to share the message
- make regular appearances throughout the organization. The staff need to see that you care about the work that they do. Take time to learn about your people. Get to know some of their names – everyone from the janitor to your assistant.
- are strategic systems thinkers who communicate in an all-inclusive “we” – collaborative message.
- are open to listening to ideas and opinions of others even if they are different than your own.
- help build the capacity of the people within the organization by encouraging growth and development. They take a step back from the control of being a micromanager.
You know who those great executives are.
They are the only one who brings that high powered energy to a room. They are theones people in the organization look forward to seeing and hearing from. They are the ones who believe in the work being done.
The people who work for them respect and admire the leadership.
These fine executives surround themselves with the very best – you may be one!
What are you willing to do to shift from good to great starting TODAY?
7 Reasons Entrepreneurs are More Resilient
I remember when I was first introduced to a networking meeting with entrepreneurs. The room was buzzing and people were laughing and sharing different ideas. I thought I was in a totally different world. People had such a different mindset than the employees I had been around. Entrepreneurs seems to have such control over their destiny or circumstance. I needed to be a part of it. The energy was contagious!
I have learned that being an entrepreneur is both an art and a science and that not everyone is cut out for the job. There have been several moments when I felt exhausted from trying to get ahead with my business that I just wanted to quit. How can you quit when you may be 3 feet from gold? Instead, I studied successful entrepreneurs. I learned that there are 7 main reasons that entrepreneurs are more resilient.
Entrepreneurs are resourceful and are willing to ask for help.
Many entrepreneurs’ passions have been mapped out on the back of a napkin. They have a vision and a dream. Even though they might not have the “know how” at the moment, they are willing to learn or figure it out. The motivation is the quest of making the impossible- possible. They learn quickly to tap into their network of people and ask for help.
Entrepreneurs see setbacks as temporary and a lesson worth learning.
Every mistake, failure, or setback is an opportunity to learn what not to do and how you may readjust. Instead of playing the victim, entrepreneurs have learned to silence the inner critic telling them they cannot go after their dreams or change the message that they hear to ones of empowerment and encouragement.
Entrepreneurs actively build their network and make connections.
The resilience of the entrepreneur is evident even in the most challenging economic times. The businesses that survive are the ones who have set themselves apart from their competition, share resources and freely offer referrals, and have an abundance mindset. Entrepreneurs help others achieve their dreams.
Entrepreneurs invest in themselves. Many entrepreneurs have eliminated the hypnotic television shows and opted for reading industry articles, books, and magazine. They play educational or motivational programs in their cars so they can focus on their end game. Entrepreneurs know that if they do not have the knowledge, skills, or abilities that they can outsource or jump in and learn it themselves. They strive to reach their personal best through teleseminars, webinars, conferences, or books. They readily invest in a coach or find a mentor to accelerate the business growth.
Entrepreneurs strive for progress over perfection.
Some entrepreneurs get caught up with procrastination and perfection. Deep down, they all know that in order to put food on the table for their families that progress is more important than making everything perfect. Entrepreneurs tend to be more decisive – as time is money. The more you wait, the less you will make.
Entrepreneurs are grateful.
The mindset of an entrepreneur is focused on gratitude because entrepreneurs know that their business cannot excel without the help of others people. The success you are experiencing today is because of the people who have helped you along the way.
Entrepreneurs are innovative and creative.
With the speed of technology and the changing market, it is important for entrepreneurs to be on top of the latest and greatest information, products, and services for their customers. They take risks and brainstorm new ideas. They discover better ways to get things done. An entrepreneur’s character can be defined as resilient. You may even spot one a mile away. They have an air of confidence that no matter what happens they are prepared and ready to make a decision, plan it out, and take action. Hats off to all the entrepreneurs!
The 5 “Rights” of Using Twitter Effectively for Business
Social media is where the action is so if you have not started yet you better get tweeting. Twitter is adding 500K new followers every day. Twitter is real time conversation sharing but it needs to be used with a strategy to be successful in business. There is no sense in tweeting your update if no one is going to pay attention to it. If you do not tweet intentionally, you are wasting value time and even money.
To get the most out of the Twitter experience, you need to know the 5 Rights in order to get the biggest bang for your dollar especially if you are hiring someone or the biggest bang for your time.
#1 Right Platform
Is Twitter where you target audience hanging out? Think of Twitter as the real time discussion around the water cooler in 140 characters or less and 120 characters if you want your message to be retweeted. If most of your followers are on another social media platform, is Twitter where you should be dedicating your time?
#2 Right Time of Day
Learn more about your audience. What time of day are they tweeting? Are they only checking their Twitter accounts while they grab lunch or when they are running off to a meeting? Are they checking their accounts early in the morning or after supper? The timing of your tweets can make sure your message gets shared at the right time for the greatest impact.
#3 Right Message
Are you providing value to your audience? What advice or information are they seeking? Content rich tweets are ones that save people money, time, inspire, educate (the how to), or entertain through pictures, articles, external links, or retweets. Give a shout out to those who retweet your content. Everyone loves to be appreciated and to know the information they are sharing is making a difference. Promotion should only be about 10-20% of your tweets otherwise people will unfollow or even block you for blasting their Twitter Feed.
# Right Hash tag
Are you using the right hash tag to get your message out? hash tags not only let people know what is trending on Twitter but it is also a way to promote your business and share valuable information.
Hash tags like #biztip for business tips, #B2B business to Business, #Business for Business news, or #Howto for sharing information can help optimize the way you use Twitter. A hash tag is like a naming convention of a folder with a great deal of information inside. If you use it properly, the information and research inside may boost your business’ bottom line.
#5 Right People
Are you following everyone who follows you or are you being intentional? Are you following people who have not been active on Twitter for a long time? Make room for those who you want to follow you. Ensure you are targeting your messages, hash tags, and messages to your audience. Your tweets say a lot about you and your brand – your reputation. Make it great! Make it memorable.
Twitter can be a very powerful and robust tool to have in your social media toolkit. Know your rights and you will make an impact!
What hash tags do you use to promote your business message?