HOW TO CRAFT AN AUTHENTIC AND STRATEGIC CAREER PATH

Do you feel that you can only be either authentic or strategic at work??

What I see a lot with clients and in workshops is?

that women in particular tend to hold the belief?

that authentic and strategic don’t go together well

or may even be polar opposites.

That, of course, is a huge career obstacle –

especially in male-dominated environments such as automotive.

Because men usually don't hold this belief.

You may consider being supportive and empathetic of others

a core part of your authenticity?

while being strategic means for you that you are the one who benefits?

from your actions or whatever situation.?

That's where the clash is.?

If this is you, I want you to know that you are in good company.

And more importantly, let me tell you:

It is perfectly possible to?craft a successful career path

that is?both authentic?AND?strategic.

What that requires is being?intentional.

And no worries, I'll tell you the three steps you can take?

to find a way to make this work for you.

(There's no right or wrong here!)

1) Define?what ‘being authentic’ means to you ?

I would like you to really look very specifically into?

how you act in everyday situations and in conflicts?

and how you approach relationships.

From there, think about what makes these feel authentic or not:

Go over interactions with your colleagues, your boss, customers, clients –

and distinguish which interactions felt good to you.??

When die you feel you showed up as yourself??

When didn't you? And why was that?

2) Rethink your take on ‘being strategic’?

Many of us define “strategic” by the worst examples out there –

narcissistic politicians, inconsiderate bosses, you name it.

But that's not the textbook definition. How about this one:

“Being strategic refers to the ability to lead ourselves, our teams, our organization in a way that advances the mission and goals and creates long-term benefits. It means being able to plot a course of action that leads to results, in light of opportunities, obstacles and change, and ensuring actions are implemented to achieve the desired outcome.”

No big egos required at all!?

Would you be open to embracing this more neutral definition?

Are you open to being strategic in this way?

?

3) Find your way to bring it together

At this point, you might know pretty well what your non-negotiables are?

and where you feel in alignment or out of alignment –?

with yourself, your personality, your values.

I would call this the pragmatic approach.?

Because we all know there will be compromises along the way.?

And for people who don't make up the majority culture,?

in society or at work, there will be more.?

So being?very?clear on your non-negotiables is key.?

It allows you to compromise in other areas or?

adapt certain behaviors without feeling that you are inauthentic.?

Because the things you compromise on?

are not at the core of who YOU are.

Now, here comes your action step:

Make a very basic Venn diagram –?

one side showing what makes you genuine and authentic –

and the other showing goals, areas where you could be strategic,?

the things you want, the things the company wants.

From there, find the overlap!

?

This is the starting point for?crafting your authentic strategy.?

Let me know if this resonates.?

And please reach out if you need help with this.

I'm always happy to support you.

Love, Micha

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