Rising to a challenge isn’t easy. It requires you to buckle down, do the hard work, and persevere. And at the end of it all? You end up growing exponentially because you stretched the limits of your ability. We all have times in our lives where we encounter something new—sometimes expected, other times blindsiding you. What matters is how you tackle the challenge. This week, we’re looking at how Carmen Vernon became a leader.
At work these days, I find myself and my peers are reluctant to take charge and lead. Whether it be answering a client’s question, laying out the parameters of a research project, or collaborating across teams, I catch myself and others freezing up, waiting for someone to interject and chart a path forward for me. Recently, my peers and I have been waiting for our superiors to give us step-by-step instructions, but I’m here to say, and remind myself . . . it’s okay to charge your own path!
I understand that leading, however small, is scary for some of us, whether it be leading a situation, leading a team, or leading a project. After all, if you are a leader, you become responsible for the outcomes: both successes and failures. Often, instead of taking charge, we would rather have someone else tell us exactly what to do because that is safe and comes with a more limited risk of failure.
But I’m here to challenge that safety net around you. Make yourself uncomfortable this season. The best growth comes from moments of discomfort. The stretch comes when we push ourselves past our limits.
To give you some inspiration, I’ll walk you through a time when I rose to the challenge and led when no one else wanted to.
Lean into the Fear
My time to lead came sophomore year of college when I became treasurer of the Feminist Student Association at my university.
I remember the election for leadership positions vividly. I was one of four women who showed up, tossed my name into the ring, and came out with a position . . . by default. Besides us four, there was no one else to vote on our student group’s leadership positions.
I was SO nervous, and going in I did not expect to walk away from that election with a position.
But you know what? If it makes you nervous, it’s probably worth it. Otherwise, the task ahead is too easy for you.
Charge into the Unknown
Before that position, I had no idea how to be a treasurer, let alone plan campus events for students. Long story short, I had NO idea what I was doing. But that didn’t stop me from charging forward.
Leaders do not always have all the answers, but they have the energy to seek out solutions and fix problems.
Often, people wait for a manual or playbook to tell them how to do things, but a step-by-step guide usually doesn't fall in your lap. You just gotta go for it and figure stuff out along the way. You have to have gumption to get from point A to point B.
Repeat Often: “I am qualified to be here.”
We see leaders as the experts, decision-makers, and innovators. But we often don’t see ourselves as those things because of our negative self-talk.
Challenge the doubt clogging your brain.
You do deserve your leadership position.
You are qualified.