When you spend a lot of time with me, you know I am all about equality. And even though the majority of my work revolves around women more specifically, I “secretly” am working on bringing both men and women of all colors, sexual orientations, life styles and cultures together. My “life goggles” see everyone and everything connected. No wonder I LOVE traveling so much!
By focusing on bringing one group at the time up to their fullest potential, it naturally narrows down the barriers and discrepancies between diversities. However, the master key to it all is inclusion.
In my blog post “How wide is your capacity to be with others”, I wrote, “I have never seen anyone I have worked with that was deprived from strengths or qualities”. The challenge is that a lot of people do not even know what their strengths and qualities are or sadly, they BELIEVE they do not have any that are valuable.
Trust me, I have been there. I used to think that all my singing and on stage performance experience was completely useless and could not see the extreme value of it. Without having stage experience, I would not be so comfortable expressing myself on camera nor be confident speaking authentically in front of groups of any size. I can work a room like no one else and facilitate productive interaction between people on various topics by simply and powerfully be myself.
As leaders, it is our job to identify strengths and qualities of those surrounding us, be it our teams, colleagues, employees, tribes and even family members, regardless of their background. Our “strenghtsdar” never shuts off and is a huge gift when it comes to contribute at developing someone’s talent or even empower those near and dear to us.
Embrace diversity. Embrace YOUR diversity. All you need to be is yourself to thrive and hone the skills you already have.
In my chapter of Elizabeth Barry’s book “Own your vulnerability – Become a self-loving powerful woman”, I wrote something very important on the career topic: “My late father in law once said: “No one looks back at their life wishing they had worked more”. When it comes to work life balance, it is important to understand that the choices we make are directly connected to the outcome we are most attached to. It could be financial freedom, success, family support, recognition, fulfillment, status etc. What’s essential is to recognize why we do what we do and see if it is in alignment with our core values. Then and only then, work and life balance won’t seem mutually exclusive anymore.”
In other words, what outcome do you really want out of your career and how does it translate rightnow in your day-to-day life? Are you chasing the “shoulds” or are you embracing your strengths that are naturally in line with your core values?
As I always say, life is too short to spend time being someone we are not so start by acknowledging why you do what you do and confidently include and express the pure talent already residing inside you. I promise that by doing that, everything you want will be at arm’s length.
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Self-Expression Manifesto of the week: Embrace diversity. Embrace YOUR diversity. All you need to be is yourself to thrive and hone the skills you already have.
Join the conversation: What are your biggest strengths and how do you use them in your career?
