THRIVE NOW: 2 STRATEGIES FOR TOUGH TIMES

Hi there, my friend!

?

Today's newsletter is part 3 in a 3-part mini-series?on

empowering yourself to empower others.

(See here for part 1 on Self-Awareness and here for part 2 on Self-Advocacy.)

?

In this third newsletter, let's dive into Self-Advancement.

?

Now, I don't have to tell you that these are not easy times,

especially not in automotive and tech,

and you may feel that just about anything is out of your control.

Or out of control, period.

?

Which is about The. Worst. Thing. Ever. for human brains.

Fortunately, there is a way out of the funk!

?

But before we dive in, I want to make clear that these tips

are meant to complement your business goals and KPIs –

with the explicit purpose of giving you (and your team)

a greater sense of accomplishment along the rocky road.

?

So again, let's start with two questions:?

What is a recent win you had that was in your control?

What have you learned?

?

Among all the disruption we are seeing or experiencing right now,

I invite you to take a moment to think about?

yourself, your progress, your sphere of control.?

Even better, write down what comes to mind!

?

Maybe your list reads something like this:

• “I have become much faster at handling task X.”
• “I taught person Y to do thing Z.”
• “I made an excellent suggestion in meeting A that we're now exploring.”

These things may not sound much by themselves and are easy to forget,?

especially when corporate success metrics are hard to meet,?

when your org's traffic lights show a lot of red or yellow instead of green.?

And of course you have to do your best to meet your KPIs.

?

But ignoring your own personal progress will not help you?

improve your metrics or change the color of your traffic lights.

?

In fact, adding progress metrics that?

focus on things you can control?

makes you more resilient?in challenging times.

?

For more insights on this and related topic,? check out my recent talk at AUTOTECH DETROIT here : TAKE THE DRIVER'S SEAT!

?

?

Now here's what's next:

?

1) Set your personal metrics and checkpoints

What exactly you want to measure here is, as it says, personal.

Most likely, it will be around learning something new,?

or around becoming more efficient, faster, better –

compared to when you started your role or this particular assignment.

?

The next step really goes hand in hand with this:?

For progress metrics to be effective, you will need checkpoints,?

preferably set to show up on your calendar.?

Our own progress is so easy to forget when we are focused on business results. Which are, of course, a top priority.?

But adding personal progress checkpoints is not taking attention away.?

This is true for you as an individual, or for your entire team.

As I said before, knowing that you have made progress

makes you more resilient, no matter what life throws at you,

be it a success or setback.

?

Speaking of which …

?

2) Learn from setbacks and get used to them

I’m sure you have heard ?that “there’s no failure. You either succeed or you learn.”

I disagree.?

I would argue that there is success and non-success (call it failure if you must), and for your own sake and that of the organization, you better learn from both.

?

Interestingly enough, studies show that you can build confidence either way,?

no matter if things worked out the way you wanted to or not.?

The important part is to take action in the first place.?

?

“First time right” may be a good target on the shop floor,?

but it is not a good guideline in development and innovation,?

where an agile fail-fast attitude serves you a lot better.?

And this approach is also extremely effective in non-technical fields.

So better get used to things going sideways every once in a while!

?

Together, these two steps can empower you and others –?

and benefit your company along the way:

?

?

Opening up to progress metrics and?

judgment-free learning from successes and setbacks?

can have a significant effect on teams:?

?

It takes people out of the victim mindset?

and comparison culture that easily arise?

when things you cannot control go wrong.

?

?

I hope you enjoyed this mini-series on empowering yourself and others.

Let me know what you think and?what you would like me to write about going forward.?

?

And if I need support to work through this, let's chat!

?

Love, Micha

????????????

Book Me as Your Keynote Speaker

Are you inspired by these insights? I'd love to bring this energy and expertise to your next event. Book me as a speaker to empower your audience with actionable strategies for personal and professional growth. Whether it's a conference, workshop, or corporate event, let's work together to inspire and uplift women in the automotive and tech industries.

Feel free to reach out at [email protected] or book your call at bit.ly/CallGoBig .?

?

?