Photo 139682360 © Sergey Krotov | Dreamstime.com
This, once upon a time, in Huffington Post, regarding Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple
“The King of telling purposeful stories has temporarily left his throne without telling a story about the new leadership that gives confidence to the legions who have invested in his kingdom. As a result, many are abdicating his stock. Long before the news broke that Steve Jobs is taking two years off, his gaunt frame told a not congruent story with his words. When there is a lack of authenticity or congruence with who you are, what people see, and the story you tell or don’t tell, your brand, product, service or offering is bound to suffer.”
As recently as five years ago, being authentic and congruent with whom you are wasn't a talking point. Incongruencies were ignored, disingenuousness overlooked, and authenticity a rarity.
There was an unspoken rule about gettting that new job: Find out exactly what the hiring company wants and become that person. It might involve exaggerating your skillset, creatively embellishing your industry connections, inflating your roles and responsibilities, or exaggerating your salary history.
That usually worked for precisely six weeks, in which time the honeymoon wore off, your true self emerged, and your manager became annoyed that you weren’t the person the company had hired.
Dissonance breeds dis-engagement
A few years back, I had lunch with eight CEOs and Presidents of banks at a Women in Banking Conference. The executives unanimously agreed that alignment between employees and companies occurs only 50% of the time. This means, of course, that 50% of the time, there was an ill-fitting match between the individual’s brand and the organization's brand.
In the past 18 months, the confluence of COVID, civil unrest, the election, remote working and, homeschooling have polarized the workforce. On one end, you’ll see people who are willing to do any job at all, just to be working. I commend their determination, grit, and adaptability.
On the other end of the spectrum, gaining bandwidth daily, are those who are using this time to stop and evaluate:
who they (authentically) are
why they do what they do
what they want to do next
This group is genuinely invested in identifying what work they’ll be the most passionate about while earning the most they possibly can and making a difference in the world. These people take the appropriate steps to discover their Purpose, and systematically create their ideal job, business, or career by solidly, establishing their brand and seeking work that is congruent with it. These people don’t even consider compromising their authenticity in exchange for a buck. As a result, there is little, if any, space between who they are and how they present themselves. What you see is what you get.
People who are on Purpose are engaged.
What does this mean for you? Consider this:
“You can get more of what you want, by being more of who you are" ©
-Solomonism # 181
That's right. If you want to earn a promotion:
Bring all of yourself to work.
If you want to start a six-figure business, integrate all of yourself into the business plan- that would include everything about you that is physical, mental, emotional AND spiritual. If you want to change careers, you're going to have to discover who you are, in your bones, and use that as the most significant compass to develop your course.
For an in-depth read on authenticity, engagement, and life success, take a look at Chapter 34 in my book, Impact! What Every Woman Needs to Know to Go From Invisible to Invincible. (Kindle)
What’s your Purpose? What’s the job you were born to do? The job that will be the most fun for you, the career that will inspire you the most, create the most passion in you, and pay you more than any other job or role? When you know that, you’ll know everything you need to know to achieve the success that, up until now, has just been a fantasy, a hope, or a wish.
What’s YOUR story? How did you discover your purpose? How did you convert it into work that you’re screaming happy about?
PLEASE SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS in the comments below.
Remember to like this article and follow me on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and all your other favorite sites. nancy@theleadershipincubator.com
__________________________________________________________________________________
Are you ready to make a change? Are you willing to put aside and work through your obstacles to realize your potential? Then schedule a 15-minute complimentary call with Nancy on our calendar .
Nancy D. Solomon, MA Psych is the CEO and Founder of The Leadership Incubator where she helps leaders identify, address and resolve people problems before they become profit problems so everyone can focus on what they were hired to do-- INNOVATE AND DRIVE GROWTH.
Known as The Impact Expert, she is a main stage speaker, expert trainer and veteran coach who helps leaders solve key issues related to leadership development, employee engagement, and advancing women.
Nancy has made a difference for such companies as Microsoft, Target, Acura, Westin, Nordstrom & ADP as well as with many passionate individuals.