The Most Important ToolKit

Last week was arguably the most professionally successful week in my career. I attended two events, one for industry and one within my family of companies. I won an award. I received official notice of my designation. Huge milestones.

Over the weekend, I was able to reflect a lot on where I am now as opposed to where I thought my professional life would take me, and the 'baggage' that I still to this day drag around with me.

I am a terrible self-critic. I'm a perfectionist and competitive and have a lot of 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' that sabotages my enjoyment of career milestones like this. It's imposter syndrome coupled with a constant need to prove myself, and while there are times that this absolutely serves me well, those are the exception, not the rule.

So I tried to flip the internal dialogue and think about what got me here; overwhelmingly, the answers were not WHAT but WHO.

Think for a moment about the best leaders you've ever worked for and the best coworkers you've ever worked with. What do they have in common?

They're driven, funny, sharp. They know how to balance times when a good laugh is called for with times when absolute seriousness is what's needed. They are innovative. They make eye contact. They're active listeners.

It makes sense. We surround ourselves with the kind of people we want to be, and we do our best, professionally, when we work for the kind of leaders we aspire to emulate. Without knowing that's what I was doing, I have curated for myself a people toolkit, and without negating my own hard work, they are a large piece of the puzzle that has led me to where I am now and how incredible my last week was.

I have a trusted partner. In the age of social media and apps, and just by talking with my own children, I know this is harder and harder to come by. We are so lucky in that we know one another's entire story. Having someone trusted in the broad sense of your life is a gift and one I don't take lightly.

I have trusted friends. The ride-or-die's. The ones I know I can go to when I need to let off steam when I need to laugh until my sides ache, or when I need some real advice and a reality check. They will tell me like it is, and check me when I need to be checked. They are my MVP's and next to my partner and my children, I couldn't imagine life without them.

I have an amazing network. In the safety community but also as a professional woman. I have mentors and contacts and I make sure to give as equally in those relationships as I get, because where they are in my toolkit, I am in theirs.

I have my champions at work - the ones who I know I can rely on to support initiatives and changes. Change is never easy, and since safety never sits still, it is imperative that I know who will be my first adopters and change-makers in the field.

The people in my sphere are the most important in my life and professional work. Without them, I would likely be working in a job I don't love, in a field I don't have such passion for. As I look back on 2024 and forward to 2025, I hope I remember to turn off the internal dialogue more and listen to the voices around me.

I hope, too, that I can be that person of influence and difference in someone else's life.