Loved this bit or wisdom from a 40-something executive on not trying to be something you are not. There is a huge difference between stretching and improving yourself and continually beating yourself up for not possessing a skill that someone else does..and that you think you should. What you are good at may not be new business, maybe it’s analytics (for example). Realize that while you might not get the kudos for a new client, what you do is essential to the company and if you do it well you will be respected. Embrace your strengths!
“Know your strengths and don’t think you have to be something you are not to succeed. We’re all wired differently. There are people who are visionaries. They need to be in a job where they get the opportunity to do that. There are people that are more tactical implementers and they can take very big picture ideas and narrow them down to something that people can go do.
So you’ve got to play to your strengths. I know that I’m not a visionary yet I gravitate towards people who are because I just love the way their minds work. I also watch how they’re paid attention to and see the respect that they get. I sort of want that but I’m never going to be a visionary and I’m okay with that. I’m okay knowing what my strengths are and how important I would be to a company because of what I can do. Because those visionary people, they can barely unlock the door to their car or do their email on a Blackberry. Not always but you know what I mean like they’re just so forward thinking that day to day stuff becomes so difficult.
So you have balance between striving to be respected for what you can do and trying to be something you are not. Know there is a level of respect that goes with someone who does what they do well. Trust what you’re good at — even if you see other skill sets that other people are good at and maybe you don’t have that skill set yet or you’re not just wired that way. Find a way to make your skill set one that’s used, respected and needed because if you’re not feeling that way then you’re not in the right place for people to get it.” – 40-something, Los Angeles, CA