Ready to Rise? Overcome Career Obstacles and Grow Your Career with Confidence

Are you tired of watching others get promoted while you stay stuck in the same role? Do you find yourself working hard but not getting the recognition you deserve? It's time to stop playing small, get to the root of the issue, and start taking control of your career growth. In our recent Empower Hour session, we discussed some common obstacles when it comes to women's career advancement and how to overcome them. Some of these obstacles are real, but many are “perceived to be real”. Most are controllable.?

I often say, “You can’t control when your dream job will post, but you can control your readiness for it.” This includes clearing obstacles as much as possible, and I shared a lot of strategies to help with this.

Let's start with: Common Obstacles in Women's Career Advancement

We identified obstacles that can hinder women's career advancement. Some, like the lack of room for advancement or a job not being posted/vacated, are not controllable. Other obstacles like not advocating for yourself, imposter syndrome, lack of confidence, fear of rejection, self-disqualification, etc., are completely controllable and it takes work to overcome them. Focusing on what you can control, such as your mindset, clarity, and calendar management (yes, that again), can help you overcome these challenges.

Mindset Matters: Overcoming Self-Disqualification and Perfectionism

One of the biggest controllable obstacles we discussed is mindset. Many women hold themselves back by doubting their abilities or waiting until they meet 100% of the job qualifications before applying for a promotion. I see this a lot as women pursue countless certificates, advanced degrees, and training trying to be 100% perfect. Meanwhile, our male counterparts are applying with only 60% of the qualifications and they are advancing faster.

Ladies, this perfection mindset is killing your career growth and preventing you from advancing as quickly as your male peers. When I have a client struggling with this, often prescribe some serious journaling and creating a list of accomplishments, skills, and experience. You have to proactively build your confidence and believe in yourself before you can advance. Mindset Matters.

Clarity and Confidence: Defeating Imposter Syndrome and Comparison

Another common controllable obstacle is a lack of clarity. It's easy to get lost in the day-to-day tasks, it’s comfortable and we know what outcomes to expect. This comfort zone is preventing us from showing up as promotion-ready leaders. Then when we want to try something new, we get lost in the vicious cycle of imposter syndrome or comparing ourselves to others.

Ladies, we have to stop this. Documenting your accomplishments, recognizing your unique value, and setting SMART career goals will help you remain focused and motivated. By creating SMART career Goals, you can gain more clarity on what actions you really need to take to reach your goal and create a clear, action-oriented timeline.? Your job shouldn’t be about everyone and everything else all the time. You deserve to be a priority, and if you don’t make yourself a priority, who will?

Calendar Management and Visibility: Conquering Fear of Rejection and Lack of Confidence

Calendar management was a surprise for many participants, as it is for my clients when they first start working with me. Improving your calendar management not only helps you stay organized, it also boosts your confidence. By delegating, consolidating, and eliminating tasks, you can create white space in your calendar to work on yourself and your career. You can also use this time for important activities that are often overlooked by female leaders like being visible to people outside of your team, sharing your goals with other leaders, and getting involved in ways that truly highlight your leadership abilities.

Taking Action: Breaking Free From the Comfort Zone and Advocating for Yourself

The key to overcoming whatever obstacles are in your way is to take action. Whether it's working on your mindset through journaling, creating lists of your accomplishments, proactively getting more visible at work, elevating up out of the weeds, or enrolling in my EmpowerHER group coaching program, committing to just one small thing can start to shift your mindset and the way others perceive you. This small action will also move your slightly forward toward achieving your next promotion.

Are You Ready to Rise?

If you're ready to stop playing small and start taking up the space you deserve, my EmpowerHER group coaching will help you overcome obstacles, get on the path to promotion, and grow your career with confidence. This program is designed to give you the strategies and support you need to achieve your career goals. It’s not just another program with a certificate at the end, it’s an exclusive action-oriented program designed to position you to achieve your career goals faster. The best news is that the homework fits into your day job, with limited exceptions.

Don't wait for someone else to recognize your worth. Take control of your career growth today and join us for the next EmpowerHER coaching session starting the week of 6/3. Enrollment is now open, flexible payment options are available, and I have revamped the program to allow clients access for an entire year…Yes, everything from mindset shifts to elevating your leadership to advocating for yourself to elevating your team to job interview prep is included and you can access sessions and me for an entire 365 days.

Are you ready to rise? APPLY for EmpowerHER Group Coaching now or Book a CALL and let's empower you to reach your full leadership potential!

In Case You Missed in: Click the link below to access the May Empower Hour recording and workbook to start working on overcoming your obstacles.

Click HERE to access workbook and recording.

Looking for additional career advice?

Check out my recent podcast episode and learn tips to "Negotiate Like A Boss" with host Dawn Andrews on My Good Woman: HERE

Be sure to add "My Good Woman" to your podcast playlist.