Is your work really letting you tap into your passion and use your talents?

Does it excite you every single day?

Or are you on autopilot mode, in an executive job you do enjoy but feeling you haven’t hit your stride as a leader quite yet? Or we might never even realize that we are not capitalizing on our true talents. We just feel that something is not quite right and we wonder why. After all, we do like the work!

If you are feeling that way, it’s a sign that your self-awareness is on mute. And self-awareness is the #1 skill we need to step fully into our leadership roles.

My Moment of Self-Awareness

Prior to becoming an executive and team development coach, I had a good job in a good company with a very good salary.  However, the work had become stale to me and I had become stale with it. It was clear that I was bored but I didn’t really know – or did not want to acknowledge – what the problem was.

Then one day, I had an amazing experience that awakened my self-awareness and demanded I listen. I had flown to Dallas to give a sales presentation to a group of bankers.  I was nervous. I was used to selling in the quiet comfort of a conference room with one or two people. Presenting to a large group of professionals, using PowerPoint slides and a microphone in a darkened room was way out of my comfort zone.  Plus, I was not excited about the material I was to deliver; I was just doing “the job” that had been asked of me.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Once I started the presentation, I came alive in ways I had never experienced. I was surprised by the way I stayed relaxed, bringing a lot of energy to the topic and interacting with the audience with poise and grace I did not know I possessed.

As I sat on the plane on my way back to Chicago, I was finally self-aware and there was no avoiding it.  “Boy, I had no idea how much I love speaking.  I have not felt this alive in years or maybe ever!”  I could not get over how easy and fun it had been for me to work the room and connect with the audience. I had tapped into strengths and passion I didn’t know I had. I knew I was having one of those “aha” moments and what a rush it was! I knew I was not going to be stale forever. If I got such a “high” presenting material in which I had no interest, what would it feel like to talk about subjects I really enjoyed?

Self-Awareness and Hitting Your Stride

For me, that “aha” moment eventually led to transitioning into executive and team development coaching but developing self-awareness doesn’t necessarily result in a career change. I work with a lot of executives who love their job (and are a perfect fit for it) but feel that they are not quite able to bring their best self into their work.

Once we get to that self-awareness breakthrough, everything starts to change.  They begin to realize where their strengths and passion truly lie and then we look at ways they can approach their work differently to put them to use, every single day.

The results are amazing. They find new excitement for their work and their impact as leaders skyrockets!

What about you? Is your self-awareness on mute, preventing you from hitting your stride as a leader in a job you otherwise love?

Let’s get you thriving! Contact me.