Four True-Blue-Can't-Go-Wrong Professional Advice

Business cultures are changing faster than the speed of light. What do you need to do that will have you competing and winning? Whether you are a Generation X, Millennial, or Generation Y, you'll find four easy-to-implement answers in this podcast.

ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought-leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams. 

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Ready to knock over every stumbling block standing in the way of the career you've aspired to achieve? You can have Nancy Fredericks in your back pocket through YOUR STRATEGIC EDGE coaching package…it comes with a ton of extra goodies. Check it out at: https://thrivewithnancy.com/executive/

Thrive@Work MasterMind program is a monthly 90-minute virtual community of professional women committed to growing and developing their careers through real-life, in-the-moment learning. Join this group of dynamic women acquiring the secrets rarely shared regarding career success for women--one that is satisfying and fulfilling to you. Check it out at: https://www.thrivewithnancy.com/thrive/ 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hi, all you fabulous executive women ready to kick down any barriers standing in your way of thriving in today's business environment, and you and I both know it isn't easy on this podcast. I'm opening my treasure trove of secrets for you and you won't wanna miss them. Welcome to Thrive with Nancy. By now, you know this podcast is dedicated to you, an executive woman ready to realize all you intend to generate in this world. One day recently, I was in a pause mode. In the silence, I began pondering the factors that aided me through the years. Some were very big time blundering missteps, the what not to do ever again kind of lessons. I'm sure you've experienced those yourself. Then I began considering all the mind boggling cultural and technological changes in the business marketplace since I began working. Believe me, the world of business has advanced faster than the speed of light. Here's where my years in business benefits you, so hang in there. I do have true blue ideas for you, whether you are a generation X millennial or generation Y executive that will answer any puzzles you have about your career. Can you imagine? I started working when the only computers were locked in. Her medically sealed enormous cold rooms. No one understood how to work them other than a well-educated few. Now reflect on what we have today.<laugh>, everyone has a computer on their desk. Just last year, over 30 million PCs were shipped around the world all with more memory capacity than those big thugs of the past run by a minuscule percentage of the workforce. That's a massive shift. Then I went on to contemplate the organizations that were termed global during my day. They weren't really global. Oh, they had offices in other countries, but for the most part, they operated as independent national headquarters. So even though we bragged on our resumes that we had global experience, we didn't even know what we were talking about compared to today's workforce, which is truly, truly global. Amid all of these ruminations, I considered the management landscape shifts through the years and the quantity of knowledge we needed at our fingertips. Then in comparison to now, yikes, today, the struggle to keep up with the ever-increasing avalanche of breakthrough information to stay relevant is real and scary. Not an easy task. As researchers tell us, the knowledge volume doubles every 12 hours at one time. Everyone with very few exceptions was culturally similar. All understood the words we used because they held the exact social meaning and more important, we looked our employees in the eyes as we spoke, either praise or discipline directly. It even had a name. Are you ready for this management by walking around now? Well, I don't have to tell you that none of that remains true today, and it requires massive communication growth to be an effective, successful leader. I can't even imagine all the transformations you'll be experiencing in your work lifetime. The mind boggles with the expectations placed on management today. It isn't simply managers who are feeling the pressure. Every employee has way more on their plate than time to complete their tasks. Let's generate a foundation that we all can stand on regardless of your generation or gender or cultural background, all trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. I have rarely spoken to an executive who didn't experience an unsatisfying unfulfilling career at some point in their professional journey. It's part and parcel of the fabric of growth. Some chose to use these types of disappointments as prods to challenge them to greater heights while others preferred to hunker down and protect themselves. I began thinking of the change and the ramifications of it and internally concluded that nothing remains the same. Instantly I challenged that thought. Is it really true? That got me Considering all the success secrets I've realized that are still wise. Counsel for today's up and coming leaders, and there's a lot, so let me share four true blue can't go wrong. Professional advice. The first true blue secret, remove failure from your equation. I took a leadership course at the midpoint of my career where the woman facilitator boldly demanded of us charged towards failure with open arms. That's how you reach your dreams. That advice turned my world upside down. I'd always try to be a good girl doing everything right and believing that was the pathway to success. I confess I try to make that approach right. You know, it felt to me a bit masochistic to move forward at a mass clip toward failure. My thinking was, can't I rest on my laurels a bit? But it radically changed my definition of failure and how I emotionally experience it to this day. Failure is a profound learning point is a time to reckon. Order to reassess actions is the unqualified first touch of my future. Triumph. Start crediting failure is often the first step towards success. Living this way necessitates holding close the second true blue secret. Embrace being uncomfortable. If you judge your career success based on being comfortable, please accept that the career of your long-term ambitions will in all probability be unattainable. Understand that seeking out discomfort and overcoming obstacles constitutes segments of your professional growth, necessary steps for your growth. To some, this may sound counterintuitive, and it's not researched by Caitlin Wooley of Cornell University and eyelet. Fishback of the University of Chicago found that people who aimed to be uncomfortable when facing new endeavors believe they made more progress toward their goals than those who weren't seeking out this kind of vulnerability. Being uncomfortable is not a sign that you have a problem. Instead, as wooly and fishback worn, growing is often painful. People should see the discomfort inherent in growth as a sign of progress instead of avoiding it. What great advice to tackle now for the future? You being uncomfortable leads to the third true blue secret. Stare into your doubts. It's natural to question yourself, but it becomes a drag to your career future if you don't use it as inspiration and improvement. A level of fierceness, persistence and self-confidence is essential as you move through or around or over anything or anybody attempting to hold you from being all you can be. And this includes yourself. Overcoming obstacles, standing between you and your future, even if it is yourself, is the only way to arrive at your intended destination. Self-doubt is your instant thermometer telling you this is an area where growth is necessary. Take a step back. What can you do to turn your doubt into confidence? Is it hiring an experienced executive coach to take you to the next level? Is it confronting your uncertainty head on by stepping out over and around your self-doubt to experience how good you really are? Is it delving deep into your psyche to uncover the experience that led to this insecurity and then courageously take action that nibbles away any qualms you have about your ability. The fourth true blue secret may be one you haven't thought of before. Surprises are stampeding your way. The future will look more like uncharted territory than you can ever imagine. That's why resiliency is a much thought after attitude for today's future leaders, you've experienced a taste of this already. In your wildest, wildest imagination, would you have ever considered a global pandemic that changed the face of business forever? Suddenly working from home was necessary leading to remote work becoming acceptable when once it wasn't Welcome by many organizations. How do you plan for unprecedented chaos like this? You can't never invest entirely in building your career future from your previous success formula because the environment will undoubtedly be different. Yes, there are true blue secrets that remain foundational and you do have to be ready to acquire new ones too. For long-term victory success rests on your ability to hold your own when everything around you is topsy dvy and in crisis. Such a response requires confidence in self, a commitment to producing results no matter what, and a willingness to adjust on a dime. How good are you with that? Prepare yourself. More is coming your way. There is plenty advice that I could give you though. This is a good start for you to jumpstart your successful career and then steadily keep it on track as you bring your aspirations to fruition. Do you have any of your own you wanna add to this list? I would surely love to hear about them. What are your takeaways? Is it remove failure from your equation? Embrace being uncomfortable. Stare into your doubts or surprises Are stampeding your way after listening to this podcast and hearing today's business environment? Are you ready to up the ante for your career? Is it time to boost your strategic edge results? Go to www.thrivewithnancy.com/executive/if you're interested in talking to me, click the link on the page to schedule a free work. Through your career challenges and concerns with me, you have nothing to lose. This is a free call. I'd love to discuss how together we can achieve all you hope is possible. Remember, no one ever makes it to the top or even arrives at their next career destination alone.