When my boss hired me for this new position at WGU, she let me know I’d be challenged to STRETCH, to grow in new ways that would be be difficult. Actually very difficult for me. Adapting to a higher-tier leadership role requires that. You have to be more, do more, regulate yourself more. It’s all a part of the identity shift. My dissertation chair challenged me in the same way, when I transitioned from student to scholar. You’re no longer getting validation all of the time, but rather you find pushback against your ideas, plans, strategies. All of the time.
A shift like that is transformative, a complete move to a different person… almost. I mean, you’re still YOU. You have the same DNA, but you’re in a different phase of life.
This means more discipline.
Advancement in your career requires that kind of reinvention of self. As life spans increase, this ability to change will become increasingly more & more critical. If humans born now can live to 150 years old, then imagine the number of career shifts that would occur to morph to the future of work. Humans will need improved self-awareness. We will need radical candor. We will need to solicit feedback from everyone around us. What do others perceive? That’s important because we can often ignore or remain blind to our negative characteristics, which work against us, creating barriers to the things we want to accomplish.
Really, I’m inspired by a friend, former colleague Joan, who’s not only a brilliant writer & creator but an academic tour de force.. also a professional dancer, instructor, & choreographer. She makes very difficult things look effortless, like figure skaters on the ice. You know, those physical feats that are incredibly grueling & yet there these individuals are, moving so fluidly, like they are a whole different specie of human. It’s not only impressive but intimidating.
You see, I’m not a naturally balanced person like that. I envy the people who attain balance, who can function at incredible levels with no sleep & with indefatigable energy. They baffle me, but yet I’m surrounded by them, the more I move forward.
I’m different. See me more as the cat who, as an introvert, needs regular periods to recharge. Naps, quiet time, silence, alone time. Such requirements that make me feel quite self-conscious in an extrovert’s world. The Dale Carnegie HOW TO MEET FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE kind of world. My mom even bought me the book at one point, looking to inspire me. So I’ve spent a lot of time feeling like a square peg in a world of round holes.
That disjunct can feel oppressive. But you learn to navigate & endure.
And so, here I reflect on the work ahead, my work.
How can I be a better leader, a kinder person, a dreamer who sees beyond barriers & challenges? As I push & nudge towards a better version of me, these are the things that dominate my mind. All good, of course. But challenging nonetheless. We stretch, right? We have to. There’s no choice because life requires adaptation, change. It’s the only thing we can count on.
