Ask Your Friends This Summer and Unlock Your Career Confidence
Ask your friends these questions this Summer (in the pub / on holiday) to increase your career confidence.
When we’re thinking about ourselves at work, we can sometimes be tempted to see ‘work us’ and ‘home us’ as very different people (and for some people they can be, especially if the role requires a particularly specific approach or has very particular context or environment) but more and more businesses are encouraging us and asking us to be ‘our authentic selves’. Do we know what that is at work? Would it help? How do we do it?
Often, we can gain much self-awareness by looking to those who know us best. By asking our nearest and dearest for their insights (as long as they haven’t been in the pub TOO long…) we can discover things about ourselves that might be a real professional asset or have been consciously hidden at work for fear of it not ‘being appropriate’ or ‘not how others do things’.
Try these questions to uncover some of the unique traits we have to give us some more personal career data.
Ask your friends, when have you seen me happiest in my work? This question gives insight into preferences and activities or situations that might give us energy and could be clues to areas we want to incorporate more into our working lives or lean into for a pivot.
Ask, when I’m at my best, what impact do I have on you? This enables us to see the result on others when we do work that is meaningful and we’re motivated and inspired. Being able to see or know your impact on others and the connections and value you bring is important.
Ask, what do you think I don’t know about myself? We all have blind spots – sometimes it might be a positive trait we don’t realise we have, or a habit we are unaware of, or even a change they’ve seen over time. Whatever is highlighted, seeing ourselves through others’ eyes is always insightful – remember to digest the information, don’t judge or disagree straight away!
Ask, how do you describe me to others when I’m not in the room? Many people, especially women, are very often able to describe friends, family and colleagues beautifully and with real love and nuance in terms of the strengths and value, but unable to do the same for themselves. Take note of the words they use to reflect on how often these traits are utilised at work and even how (if appropriate) you might use them to describe yourself or reflect on how many of these feel aligned to your personal brand in a professional setting.
Leaning into our personal brand sets us apart from others and is the thing that is inimitable – being uniquely US. Everyone has a personal brand whether they like it or not, and it might just be enlightening to see it from more angles.
For more expert help in finding your purpose, driving your career, finding balance, regaining confidence, or becoming a leader you know is in there somewhere, find out more about working with a credible, specialist female career coach. In your corner and committed to you building a life you love and a career you’re proud of.
https://calendly.com/coachandbloom/discovery-call
