
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft
(This article was co-written with my colleague, Letitia Bates)
Key Takeaway: Nothing can really prepare you for the perils of self-employment. The joy of it, though, is finding your own leaders to help you achieve what you set out to do.
Have you ever had a pair of pants that pinched? That’s what traditional employment was like for me. I didn’t understand at the time, but traditional employment simply was not a good fit for me.
I tried really hard to drink the company Kool-Aid, but I was always at odds with my boss and my work. (I was in sales.)
But does that mean that self-employment is a bed of roses? Hardly! Some of my hardest lessons have come from working for myself.
Without someone else at the helm telling me what the company line is and who the thought leaders are to follow, I found myself floundering.
What did I believe? What were my values? I was shocked to discover I didn’t know. I had questions that had no answers.
Moving Beyond Fear and Doubt
When you’re self-employed, fear can become a constant companion, blinding you from what you can achieve.
Sometimes (okay, most times) we are not even aware of what’s holding us back. We just know that what we’re doing is not working.
Authentic leaders help awaken our potential and to show us the way forward. They help us answer the really big questions.
What stories am I telling myself that keep me from getting what I want?
What am I really afraid of?
What can those fears teach me about getting what I want?
What do I need to learn instead? Am I willing to learn it?
What baby steps can I take today to get me where I want to go?
Finding your own leaders—whether it’s a mentor, through a podcast, or a book, a coach, to name a few—means you start to build a house on solid ground.
And that’s critical. Because there are no classes to take, no internships that can prepare you for the perils of self-employment.
Emboldening Courage: How Authentic Leaders Strengthen You
A true leader doesn’t have an allegiance to a company or to his/her advancement. They don’t have a dime in that dollar! That’s what makes them authentic leaders.
When Letitia worked in traditional employment, a leader told her, “You’re playing too small. You’re here to be more and I want you to know that.”
He saw the raw talent in her and guided her to greater growth, not because there was something in it for him but because there was something in it for her—fulfilling her potential.
As an authentic leader, he wanted her to grow beyond what she believed she could achieve.
Authentic leaders:
Tell you when you’re playing small
Push you beyond your comfort zone
Help you remove limiting beliefs
Awaken and inspire your own courage
Model what leadership looks like
Tell you when you’ve made a wrong decision and what to do
When an authentic leader gets results for people through a mutually shared value system, it emboldens you, strengthens you.
In short, a good leader nurtures the whole you. And as Letitia says, “I’ve carried that with me.”
The Way to Shine and Grow
With traditional work, you must choose your own leaders quietly and follow the mandates handed down by supervisors.
Not so with self-employment. You choose your own leaders to help you find your way on the thorny path of entrepreneurship.
It becomes your choice of who to follow. You decide the leadership qualities you want to put forth in your own world. And as a result, you have a stronger sense of who you are.
You not only do good work in the world; you embolden it. By turning up the volume of your authentic voice, you begin to trust yourself, and that shows up in your work.
And that means, you attract the people most aligned with your values.
What a blessing and a gift to have that choice!
Want some help with your health and wellness marketing message and a website design that converts? I love working with coaches to help them create an authentic message that helps them make a difference in the world! Set up a complimentary 30-minute consult with me today.
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