How to Boss Up—Both Personally and Professionally

I can’t tell you how many times, a client has told me that they didn’t want to elevate too much because they didn’t want the headache and responsibility. They didn’t want to deal with bad personalities, crazy situations and all of the other things that are associated with the next level.

Or, they didn’t want to step out in front because they would face criticism about their ability, their way of doing things, their education, their lack of “credentials,” etc. So they stay small.  

Do me a favor and take a moment to assess your life—personally and professionally. Are you someone who tends to hold toward the back? Stay under the radar? Never rock the boat? Do you wait for praise and acknowledgement from others or are you someone who simply won’t be denied? 

There is a saying that I have adapted within my household: how you do anything, is how you do everything. If you are someone who holds back in one area of your life, chances are pretty high, you are holding back in other areas as well. And if that is the case, chances are self-worth, self-esteem are playing a vital role in your decision. 

Know this, you deserve to have a seat. Your voice deserves to be heard. Your ideas are worthy of being shared. You don’t have to go through life watching the manifestation of others’ dreams while your lay dormant. But, you need to understand that nobody is going to come over and tap you on the shoulder and say, you’ve got next. 

Stand up. Lock in on where you want to be. Walk in that direction. 

Through the years, I can’t tell how many times I sat on my ideas and watch, moments later, other benefit from articulating them to the group. Or how many times, I thought of an idea and decided to wait because, I didn’t know enough, feel ready, have enough money or time. Or, to be quite frank, feel confident enough to “go for it.” 

I’ve been a CEO for 10 years Nothing about it has been easy. But what it has taught me is the gift of “going for it despite how I felt.” Recognize that if you are holding yourself back professionally, chances are your personal life isn’t as dynamic as you would like it to be. 

Make 2018, your year of no excuses. Push yourself, ideas, voice and visibility toward the front. Here’s how: 

1.    No excuse approach: You must get to a point where you stop letting yourself down. Keep your promises to yourself. Even if you have never voiced them out loud. The next time you say, I should or I am going to do something—do it. Devise a plan and figure out what you need to do to implement it. Example: I should put in for that new assignment overseas…

2.    Accountability:Identify an accountability buddy. Too many of us are set up to fail and haven’t put in a system to ensure that doesn’t happen. Find someone who is going to hold your feet to the fire so you stop the practice of “quitting on yourself.” 

3.    Elevate your Mindset: Don’t believe the hype. There are a lot of incredibly accomplished women who weren’t necessarily born that way. The have developed that skill-set by setting themselves up for small wins, adopting a new way of thinking, reading books that expanded their mindset, and hanging out with people who were spiraling up themselves. Your mindset is a muscle that needs to be exercised, daily.  Once you begin to work those muscles, you will get to a point where you wouldn’t dream of floating under the radar.