If you’re a leader or an emerging one, you’ve probably heard the phrase, ‘take your leadership to the next level’. What does this mean for you personally and what would you need to do to level yourself up?
Here is what some of my clients say…Maybe you want one of these too?
• A promotion
• More responsibility or an expanded job role
• A juicy assignment where you get to stretch and learn new things
• To be more effective
Maybe you are ‘ready’ for something new and the call to adventure is bubbling up so fiercely inside you it’s hard to ignore. Or maybe you’re just not ‘feeling it’ in your current job.
Did you see yourself in one of the statements above? If you said YES, maybe you’d like some help.
What should you do?
Let’s face it, you probably don’t need to be smarter or work harder; you’ve earned the right to be where you are, even if there are days where you question yourself. To develop as a leader, there are both external and internal skills and behaviors that either create your success or instead spiral you down down down.
Which one of these below do you think you need to focus on next?
What is external leadership development?
External leadership development is related to the development and successful execution of specific business and management skills and competencies. Although women represent 50% of middle management roles, they represent less than only a third of that number in the top jobs within organizations. If there are so many women in middle management, why aren’t these women moving up? This has been the hot topic of conversation at women’s leadership conferences, inside progressive organizations, in books like, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg, and among aspiring women themselves. Susan Colantuono in her 2013 TedTalk, “The career advice you probably didn’t get,” hypothesizes women might be missing business, strategic and financial acumen and don’t know enough about how to move the organization forward to meet the strategic business goals. Is it possible you might need to learn how to develop more of a strategy mindset that has you relate your piece of the business to the overall success of the company? Might you need to increase your financial acumen? Do you know how to scan the external environment and make strategic business recommendations most effectively? If you are lacking in any of these areas, do something about it. Take a course or two, find yourself a mentor who has the skill sets you are missing to teach you, and/or ask for a next assignment that will help you develop these skills more fully.
It takes hard work to develop your strategic business and financial acumen. The thing that often takes women out of the game however, is how they think about themselves and their capabilities. Just this week I was offered the opportunity to join a senior executive networking group, and I almost put tape on my own mouth as I heard myself say to the president of the group who was screening me, “I wonder if I have enough to contribute to the group as a potential new member. OMG did I really say that?! I know I have 30 years of solid experience in my field and would be an asset to this group; what the heck was I doing?
What is internal leadership development?
Internal leadership development is simply how you think about yourself. How you perceive yourself matters and creates the foundation as to how others will perceive you. Internal leadership development involves learning not to rely on external validation from others, developing your self-confidence, reducing your negative self talk, acting with certainty and assertiveness, unleashing your limiting beliefs about yourself and exuding executive presence. If you are struggling with any of these areas, you must do something about it and get some help. Women in particular, even those women in the most senior roles, need to constantly work on their internal beliefs and behaviors. Coaching is a very effective tool to assist development in this arena.
At our upcoming Women’s Leadership Programs we have designed our programs specifically to help women develop the leader within. We focus on helping create new habits and learn new practices that elevate how you perceive yourself which will in turn create a cascade effect as to how others perceive you and your capabilities. Specifically, our June 1-2 programs will help you discover your best self and identify the intersection between your skill sets, your passions, and your purpose and how to use that knowledge to increase your leadership footprint.
There isn’t anything like what we do out there. Anywhere. Period.
Women who attend our programs know they have something special to offer and are determined to keep going until they figure out what that is, and then do it!
If you want it; we’ll help you make it happen.
Upcoming programs.
Here are the 2 programs left for this year. We hope to see you at one or both of them. Don’t wait to register, as space is limited.
• 11th Annual Women’s Leadership Retreat – June 1, 2017
• Shero Intensive</a> – June 1-2, 2017
Come join us. We’ll help you reach further, dream bigger and support you as you step into your greatest gifts, talent, and potential more fully.
We are honored to become a part of your journey. Welcome to our tribe!
