Just a few of the issues creating chaos in today’s business marketplace.
Navigating Your Career as an Outsider
For example, according to the 2021 “Women in the Workplace” study by McKinsey & Company and the Lean In organization, there is still a “broken rung” at the first step up to manager: “Since 2016, we have seen the same trend: women are promoted to manager at far lower rates than men, and this makes ...
...it nearly impossible for companies to lay a foundation for sustained progress at more senior levels … Women of color continue to lose ground at every step in the pipeline – between the entry level and the C-suite, the representation of women of color drops off by more than 75 percent.”
That’s why important to navigate our chaotic society as it is today.
The good news is that we can use the strengths and skills we have learned as outsiders to our advantage and shift the power dynamic in our favor. We can achieve big success precisely because we are outsiders.
Overcoming Chaos Makes Us Stronger, Wiser and More Resilient
We have been made strong by our experiences. When chaos keeps coming at you from every direction, you develop certain skills, such as situational awareness.
We Can Stop Being Burned by the Fire and Become the Fire Instead
Because throughout the years, there have been many times when the chaos of my life was so bad, it felt as though I had been thrown into a fire. Flame after flame the chaos came, unrelenting in its desire to singe and sear.
But by battling each blaze, I became stronger and wiser and less afraid. Through this process of overcoming, I learned that fire has an energy that can be destructive or constructive. Instead, I figured out how to become the fire.
Success in career and life is not dependent on how smooth a path we have. It’s all about mastering our own transformation — from being thrown into the fire to becoming the fire — every single day.
What does this mean — become the fire?
So, right now, let’s set some intentions
We will see ourselves engulfing those flames as energy to fuel our success.
In her new book, Become the Fire: Transform Life’s Chaos into Business and Personal Success, Schmitz — a trailblazing Latina entrepreneur — shows how to transform obstacles that can block the progress of women and BIPOC into the unstoppable fuel of success.
This guest post was authored by Elisa Schmitz
Or subscribe to our weekly email featuring our latest articles.