Page 34 - Free Yourself From

Taking Action for Knowing and Being Yourself 17

with your time. If you fail to learn to delegate the small stuff, it sends
the message that you don’t see yourself as an important thought
leader and other people won’t see you that way either.
The strengths and traits that got you to where you are, such as
getting results, being detail oriented, being process focused, or a
team player, are more of a recipe for being a good middle manager
than an executive-suite executive. In contrast, executive-level leaders
need to think strategically, have a vision for their organization and
people, lead complex change, and build strategic and collaborative
relationships inside and outside the organization. To advance to the
executive level, you need to develop these skills and traits, and in a
sense repackage yourself to draw attention to them. I have coached
a number of women advancing to the executive suite that it is essen-
tial to really know your strengths and be able to demonstrate them,
so you will stand above the crowd in what you do best. Even if that
strength is 10 percent of a new job you’re taking, lead with that
strength so you have an anchor and a greater sense of confidence.
Seeing yourself as executive potential and acting that way is part of
the game. This calls for an inventory of what you need to develop,
and what you need to continue or stop doing, to build that outer
and inner image.
It is important to reinforce that no one is going to excel at every-
thing. Many women at this juncture in their career instinctively try to
be all things to all people when in fact it is more about narrowing in
on the skills and traits that have the greatest impact for you and your
organization.
Take me as an example. I’m not the best at developing training
programs, but that’s okay; I have hired far more competent people to
do that job for SHAMBAUGH. I bring more value developing the
right relationships, maintaining the vision for the company, and keep-
ing the organization on a strategic path.