Know Your Worth and Make Others See it Too
Once upon a time, I worked with an executive who lived in Silicon Valley.
Her name was Samantha.
On our first call, she told me everything.
Where she had worked
What she had done
And the things she was most proud of in her career
She was direct. Passionate.
I imagined she was excellent at her job.
"The problem is," she told me... "Nobody sees that."
She felt there was little acknowledgement or recognition for the skill and dedication she put into her work.
And it was beginning to frustrate her.
"I'm ready for my next big career move," she told me.
But first, she knew she had to do one thing.
She had to communicate who she was + what she had accomplished more effectively.
This way, she would gain the respect and recognition she felt she deserved.
I told her I could help.
So, we began.
I asked Samantha the following questions:
Who were you as a child? Describe your upbringing.
What is something you’ve always struggled with?
When you imagine your most idyllic life, what do you see?
I wanted to know—who was Samantha, really?
As it turned out, she was not the woman I thought she was.
In fact, she was better. So much better.
On the weekends, she practiced yoga and meditation, hiked Mt. Tamalpais with her border collie, Delilah, and volunteered at the Conservatory of Flowers to meet people and build community.
She was single, had experienced her fair share of heartbreak, often took on more than she could handle, and held herself to impossible standards—which was likely what led her to accomplishing some extraordinary things in her life.
We talked about these things.
Every week, she told me more.
And every week, it was through this process of inquiry she understood more deeply who she was, what she wanted, and how to communicate it.
As it should happen, Samantha did not want the things she initially told me she did.
She didn't want to work for someone else.
She was ready.
To go out on her own, start her own consultancy, and use the lessons she had learned in her career to help others succeed in theirs.
And that’s exactly what she did.
Samantha built her brand and launched her company.
Her new clients appreciated her.
They were vocal about the positive qualities they saw in her.
And this healed something inside of Samantha.
For so long, she had felt inadequate, less than, and not enough. But as a consultant, working with for herself, she felt respected.
Gradually, she stopped looking for respect and acknowledgment from her peers.
She didn't need it.
She found it in the joy and satisfaction she derived from building her own company and doing meaningful work.
In the end, she told me, “Thank you for helping me to see what I really wanted. If I never would have taken the time to reflect on your questions, I’m not sure I would've realized what I was supposed to do all along.”
Personal Branding Tip
Samantha’s story is a menagerie of several women I have worked with.
And I imagine many of you who are reading this might feel a similar way.
If so, I want you to know something.
If it feels challenging to communicate your value.... if people just. aren’t. getting it...
This doesn't mean you are an ineffective communicator.
Instead, it could be a sign of an internal conflict.
There may be a discrepancy between what you do now, and what you actually want to do.
Many people think they know, but when it comes down to it, they find they really don't.
They don't know, because they haven't asked themselves the right questions, or they haven't been honest with themselves about what the answers are.
It's challenging to communicate something we don’t understand. Confusion is what leads people to stay silent. And silence is what ultimately leads us to getting overlooked or under-appreciated in our lives.
Know this: You are valuable.
You have talents worth being recognized for.
And if people can't see this, or you aren’t able to share it with them, then you are likely in the wrong environment or trying to solve the wrong problem.
Therein, lies the solution.
If others can’t see your worth, stop asking them to.
It’s an impossible goal.
Instead, create the opportunities you deserve in order to utilize your talents. This makes it possible to affirm your own worthiness—without having to ask for it.
Personal Question
What do you actually want? Does your life, as it is right now, support those aspirations? If not, what needs to change?
I'm here if you need me.
When you're ready, here are two ways I can help you:
1. Communicate Your Value Through the Power of Storytelling
Learn how to craft an effective Personal Brand Story that makes people pay attention.
This course will teach you how to show your value without having to explicitly state it. You already know what to say, you just need the right formula to make it resonate.
2. Join a Motivating Community of Content Creators
Drastically improve your content, 10x your social media engagement, and get noticed on social media. You have something important to say, more people need to see it. Stay consistent with your posts by joining our new community.
