Self-worth, leadership and your career
Photo by Sergi Dolcet Escrig on Unsplash
What’s self-worth got to do with leadership and your career anyway?
Simple answer – a lot!
What is self-worth?
Self-worth is the value you give to your life and achievements. It helps you to trust your judgement and make better decisions and the good news is that it’s cultivated from within. Self-worth is a form of self-love – are you treating yourself as a good friend or a mean critic?
What has self-worth got to do with your career?
Self-worth is often tied up with our work yet many of us have found ourselves in work situations where we’ve doubted our value.
Ever found yourself working somewhere where your values weren’t aligned but you stuck it out anyway?
Ever put up with a miserable work situation because you didn’t think you’d find somewhere better?
Ever had your confidence knocked so hard that you thought you were unemployable?
Ever turned to retail therapy to soothe how bad you were feeling?
Ever tried to convince yourself that you were overreacting?
Ever put the blame back on you?
Unless you’ve made a seriously bad career choice I reckon there’s a build-up to these feelings and it’s probably a sign that you’re cooked or burning out.
How can we cultivate self-worth?
If any of this is feeling familiar you need to act fast. Even if you’ve decided it’s time to move on – you’re probably not in the right frame of mind, don’t risk acting in haste.
So start here:
Start doing the work to break this mindset
Start building your self-worth muscle – cultivating self-worth is a practice
Detox your life – clean up your diet, let go of negative people, treat yourself like a good friend
Commit to daily rituals and practices that lift your spirit and start every day on a high vibe
Allow the good stuff to come
Stop comparing yourself to others
Stop giving yourself a hard time
Stop listening to your inner critic and the relentless judge, both hellbent on bringing you down
Let's get practical:
Aside from exercise, sleep, a good diet, yoga, breathing exercises, meditation, getting out in nature and spending time with uplifting people…
Start a brag file and a notebook with the compliments that you get from others. Self-worth comes from within but we do need positive reminders from others. And if a gratitude diary works for you do that too.
Review this past year and reflect on how you want your life to be and what you’re grateful for! I know a lot of people have taken stock over lockdown and have reassessed their priorities – have you?
If your self-worth has taken a hit and it’s affecting your work – hire a coach. Getting support from well-meaning friends and family is lovely but they can’t be objective. You need someone who isn’t emotionally connected and qualified to help you map out your options.
Why is self-worth important for leadership?
Don't assume that the person at the top has self-worth! Those traits and behaviours such as micro-managing, acting like a control freak, and being angry and irrational could be driven by a lack of self-worth.
Tara Mohr is my go-to on female power and leadership, Playing Big is a must-read for any woman in business.
“Playing big doesn't come from working more, pushing harder, or finding confidence. It comes from listening to the most powerful and secure part of you, not the voice of self-doubt.” Tara Mohr
My job as a coach is to help people make good career choices and to land jobs where they can thrive.
The more I talk about authentic leadership and values the more senior leaders I attract to my services – people who are done with the old regime and with organisations that aren’t consciously people-centric.
As an executive recruiter, my success was down to my ability to find a great cultural fit for key roles. Now I teach my clients how to use their values to find the best fit for them. It’s not about landing a job it’s about landing the right job and you know best.
I’m enjoying helping people to be the role models and leaders we need – if you’re ready to do the work let’s talk.
How can we create company cultures where self-worth is valued?
Can you imagine the positive impact of people feeling good about themselves and their work? Not in a fluffy way. I’m talking about purpose and drive!
What part can we play to nurture self-worth and wellbeing in company cultures?
Let's get really practical:
Acknowledge the role of self-worth and start having positive conversations with like-minded people within organisations and the wider community.
Influence positive change through recruitment strategies and the way people are attracted and hired, onboarded and trained.
Get gritty on how you are leading and teaching your people. This isn't about being soft and fluffy. This is a call-out for firm boundaries, clear messaging, trust and emotional intelligence.
Coach and incentivise the leadership to cultivate and nurture self-worth in their teams. This is about creating a robust healthy organisation.
'“We don’t need giant personalities to transform companies. We need leaders who build not their own egos but the institutions they run.”
Susan Cain (writing about quiet strength).
I’d love to hear your thoughts on self-worth, leadership and your career.
If you're ready to talk about good recruitment, coaching and support, or why we need to talk about self-worth at work do get in touch.
ABOUT ME
I’m Tracy, Career Consultant, former Executive Headhunter and I help senior executives and leaders to land great jobs and be successful at work through 1:1 coaching.
I work with clients around the world from my London-based Zoom office.
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