Power Up Your Career With Gandhi

dhi Quote, with 6 short phrases, is the key to a successful, sustainable career. I had fun with this one. I hope you do, too, while gaining powerful concepts that will transform your career.

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Why the Yellow Brick Road from the Wonderful World of Oz? Because it represents the best, most intelligent way to accomplish your career aspirations. I’ve always considered it speaks of moving ever closer to your destination through challenges. The truth is that being a successor is much like being on the yellow brick road—if you’re the heir apparent aligned with your aspirations.

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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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.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:03

Hi everyone. Welcome to Thrive with Nancy. You already know this podcast is for you, an executive woman wanting more from your career, or you wouldn't even be listening and tuning into this program. In the podcast, we'll take a career quest with Gandhi by tapping into one of his quotes for our power up your career with Gandhi. First, let me read you Gandhi's quote, your beliefs become your thoughts. Your thoughts become your words. Your words become your actions. Your actions become your habits. Your habits become your values. Your values become your destiny. Wow, career transformation in six short phrases, let's tear into them first. The quote begins with your beliefs become your thoughts. Beliefs are your touchstone for measuring your career activities, either good or bad. The good news is they will support your career for years to come when you make the right decision that is in this area. But what if, and I observe this frequently in clients that I work with, they have you tilting at windmills instead of enabling your career as one or more are misleading. One misguided belief is that if I work hard, dig in, produce projects on time and under budget, my worthiness will be recognized and rewarded. No, a healthier, more fulfilling belief would be yes, I am a hard worker and in addition, I'm acquiring higher level leadership skills that are building the foundation for achieving influence for years to come. Another possible misguided belief is that my company recognizes my contribution because my performance evaluations are always stellar. That proves I'm being considered for senior leadership. Surely no look around. How many outstanding performance evaluations do you know are given out every year in your department? A lot. I can tell you that and I'm willing to bet you know that too. However, not all of those performance evaluations with those high scores equate to leadership positions. After all, opportunities for promotions shrink. Did you hear that? Shrink the more elevated your position. So a new guiding belief may be something along the lines of, great. My promotion evaluation places me on the pathway for the next career qualifier. New game, new rules should be your thinking. The next misguided belief you may hold true. I need to do it on my own to demonstrate leadership. No. A more effective idea is where can I attain support from others to advance my growth? Such an attitude actually opens the door for identifying powerful leaders and opportunities to grow your potential for the next level of your career. Revealing statistics on mentoring should break up that erroneous view that you may hold according to Forbes. Mentored executives are promoted five times more than those who are not mentored. Woo , that's heavy. And Harvard Business Review found that 80% of CEOs have received some form of mentoring. You get the picture. Don't you challenge your already knowing and generate concepts that have you stepping into the destiny you envision and wanna embrace for yourself. The quote second phrase is your thoughts become your words. If this is true, and we absolutely know it is, saturating yourself with a leadership frame of reference is crucial for your success so that those words are always coming out of your mouth when executive women are not getting the expected results. Often when we examine it in coaching, it is because of their overly deferential tone and word choices. Part of what I work with women on is speaking as the professional they are. You know, the power that they own. So if you ever find yourself presenting a project to your boss, saying something along the lines of, what do you think we should do on this project? I mentally gasp and you should do it for yourself too. This attitude is not leadership presence dialogue. My recommendation is to practice before meeting with bosses or senior leaders or those all important client meetings, saying something to the effect of, this is what I'm proposing for the project. This is what's going to get the results that we're looking for. Then and with, do you have any additional add-ons? And does this meet with your direction, the direction you envision boss, it has you owning your work while simultaneously recognizing your boss's positional authority rather than sounding like you need help or are directionalist, which is what the first set sounded like, what do I recommend? Take out your phone, hit record and practice. Practice. Practice your approach and the words when discussing initiative and strategies with your boss that you plan on using. If you don't like your tone to submissive or the phrases, lack authority, expertise, or leadership bearing, mentally erase it and try again. Speaking aloud is far more valuable than simply reviewing your approach mentally. This repetition and repetitive practice has you stepping into the future you. The third phrase is your words become your actions. Leadership in its truest form is an inside out affair. Action is the outward demonstration of all the internal work you've done. How do you ensure you're appropriately aligned to generate your intended career? By paying attention to your inner dialogue? Ask yourself, is my ruminating, you know those thoughts running through my mind, supporting my future? And if they aren't, do I need a mindset adjustment? This continual process of alignment adds power and might to your future career. When you fine tune with intention, you become more in sync with yourself, and that's a promise. The next phrase for evaluating is your actions become your habits. We all know repetitive activities trigger the formation of new habits consciously or unconsciously. And what I'm talking about today is conscious habits that you develop. Research confirms that those proactively generating healthy career habits arrive at their chosen destination faster and far more effortlessly. That sounds so good to me, and they are far more successful. Wow. How do you envision your future? Why? Because habits determine 95% of one's behavior. What new patterns do you need to develop now? And along the way, too many executives I work with have fostered practices that are counterproductive to their heart's desires. Check your daily schedule. Go back in your mind after the end of each day, are your habits supporting your future success? Are you ready to tackle the next phrase? Your habits become, your values. What you focus and spend time on reveals what's important to you, or at least it should. It is sad to see executives who have lost their way in the jungle of corporate America because they've lost touch with their values. Don't let that be you if you speak of value and then don't walk it. Your personal power is diminished. And of course those on the outside start wondering if you're really true blue leader. More importantly, it just isn't about what the outside world determines. It really is about how you measure yourself. It's difficult to have confidence if in your own eyes, your not worthy of the next promotion, and thus careers are derailed or at a very minimum stalled. Last but not least, your values become your destiny. Work takes up a lot of space in your life, so you wanna position yourself to find your place where you are more fulfilled and productive. Standing with both feet firmly on your designated values points the way to your optimal career and your destiny. By the way, I , which one got your brain stirring? Was it first, your beliefs become your thoughts or your thoughts become your words or your words become your actions or your actions become your habits or your habits become your values or last, your values become your destiny. It's time to ensure you have the most powerful foundation to boost that career of yours into the future. Are you eager? For more women Executive success insights? Check out the free, free resources at my website, thrive with Nancy. If you're considering investing in yourself, and I hope you do, is now the time for you to consider the Your Strategic Edge program as your pathway to success. It is where you and I create full on partnership. Sign up for free strategic call, www thrive with nancy.com/executive. And by the way, statistics on working with a coach are far higher than statistics. Working with mentors. No successful executive ever makes it to the top or even arrives at their next destination alone.