This Is What Easy Looks Like!

Time to read: 53.57 seconds on my stopwatch

A client, we'll call her Susie,* came to me frustrated and sad. It had been 9 months since she left her job during Covid. She needed a break. One month, became two which became nine. She started to worry that she wouldn't find the right fit or that she'd have to go back to the unsatisfying work she was doing before. She was apathetic and filled with self-doubt.

Job searching is brutal, especially if you are changing fields or changing careers. Uncertainty does a number on your self-confidence.

In years of experience as a coach, I know that the path to finding a job is a magical combination of working on yourself and taking strategic steps that bring positive energy to the search. Susie and I worked on her self-doubt and motivation. She resolved some tired old stories that were not serving her.

Susie called me excited last week. She landed a thrilling new job that starts right away. The role is a perfect fit. Susie loves the industry, sees a future for herself and said, "My confidence is back!"

How did she get this job? Did it come from struggle and worry and hard work?

Nope. She sent an email. One email to someone she had spoken to a few years ago. He was happy to hear from her, told her of an opening in the company, she applied and was hired. The whole process was easy.

When I asked her what she learned from this experience she said, "I can trust easy things. Ease is real."

There it is. Ease is real. I see it all the time. Clients struggle and worry and wring their hands until a magical moment happens when the perfect job and the perfect candidate find each other. When that happens, everyone wins.

Ease is real, and it's not just for job hunting. Ponder that concept.

If you have a friend who is job hunting, contemplating a career change or simply needs some ease in their life, please forward this artcile to them. They can sign up for my newsletter here.

10 Ways to Increase Your Visibility at the Office

Estimated read time: 1 minute, 9.98 seconds

When you make yourself visible, you stand out.

When you make yourself visible, you stand out.

I hear from many of you that you wish you were more visible, that more people would see and appreciate your work. For a few of you, you tell me you wish even one person valued your work.

When you feel undervalued or unappreciated, take a look at whether you are truly allowing yourself to be seen.

When I first decided to call my business The Corporate Rebel, I could hardly choke out those words for fear that my corporate clients would never let me in their buildings again. One morning, a colleague of mine and I were presenting about managing conflict to a room full of people when someone asked about our businesses. I said something bland about being a "leadership coach" when my friend grabbed the mic and declared, "She's the Corporate Rebel Coach. Isn't that awesome?!" I couldn't believe she said it out loud. I wanted to disappear.

Take a look at your situation. Where are you hiding? Playing safe? Holding back from saying what you really think or believe? What are you keeping your accomplishments to yourself because "it's not polite to brag?"

Then consider how much more satisfying it might be to allow yourself to be seen. If you want your management and colleagues to see and value your work, choose these things:

Take risks.

Show up.

Take a stand for what you believe and what's important to you.

Feel vulnerable, doubtful, unsafe, and uncomfortable.

Make mistakes - maybe really big ones (see #1).

Listen deeply to feedback. Learn. Grow.

Spend time with people who hold a big vision for you, maybe even a bigger vision than you hold for yourself.

Build trust that you can handle whatever happens. Even the mistakes. Even the wild successes.

Be accountable and responsible for your actions and words.

Clean up your messes. Recover and keep going.

Last night, I presented to a group of Executive MBA candidates at a prestigious business school. The first slide declared boldly, "The Corporate Rebel." I can attest to the fact that it is more fulfilling to be seen.

If you feel undervalued, afraid to been seen as you really are, or wish you were more visible to your management, I'd love to talk. Email me at christina@boydsmithcoaching.com to schedule a chat.

I hope this is helpful!

Warmly,

Christina

P.S. When you choose visibility, you'll make mistakes. Last week, I used the phrase, “rebel flag” in the subject line of this newsletter. Two friends generously pointed out the reference to the Confederate battle flag, a symbol that to many represents white supremacy. I stand for racial justice and apologize for referencing something that stands so counter to my values and may have puzzled or hurt some of you.

P.S. If you know someone who would like to receive this newsletter, they can sign-up for The Corporate Rebel Video Podcast and Newsletter HERE.