#yoyowhat’sthescenario
Hold up a minute. Before you head into the Boss’s office and BOOM, take stock. Are things really that bad? Are you just having a rubbish day, rubbish week, rubbish month?
Could you improve the sitch by owning your career? Explore training or development opportunities, find a mentor, shadow a colleague in a different area of the firm to see if it’s for you. Try to think — clearly and without other peeps around to give their IMO — what it is that’s making it so bad and what could make it better.
Maybe it’s just the wrong fit. You’re trapped in a role that doesn’t resonate with your values or with a manager who doesn’t appreciate, nurture or promote your talent. In this environment, your skills will not develop further. Treading water will leave you stagnant at a crucial time in your career — the time when you need to explore new roles to discover hidden abilities and, hopefully, your true calling.
Victoria Beckham, former Spice, was born for celebrity but not so much for singing. As Victoria admits, she was not the best vocalist in the group. They even turned off her mic during shows. Despite being part of the world’s biggest pop sensation in the mid-1990s, Victoria apparently felt uncomfortable all the time. Defo a case of the wrong fit.
But when it’s right, it just works. It feels natural and it all falls into place. Celebrity suits Ms B, and her latest incarnation as ultra-fem fashion designer even more so. One thing led to another; don’t underestimate what the apparent wrong fit can lead to. Being Posh meant Victoria could capitalise on her name recognition and high stylin’ persona, to eventually launch her own label. (With a
$140 million fashion empire, it’s obvious that her love — and eye — for fashion was always there.)
Only after pushing on from Posh did Victoria also discover her talent for brand management. Redefining her celeb image from Posh Spice to chav football WAG to respected fashion designer is no easy feat. It proves she’s kickass when it comes to building a brand and, importantly, protecting it. Case in point: her no-go on a Spice Girls reunion tour. Maybe it was fear of again feeling like an imposter without dem singing chops, but Victoria knows that any throwback would diminish the value of her carefully curated ‘sophisticated designer’ look.
That business acumen is underappreciated. It deserves respect because it has extended the Beckham brand to the tune of $1 billion. (And, btw, Victoria is not the only woman to kick it; KarJenner momager Kris Jenner is the Queen of Brand atm. Period. Check it at #meetthemoment.) Without Victoria, David would be just-another-great footballer endorsing product. But with Victoria driving decisions, David is an empire unto himself and Team Beckham is an unstoppable force that’s permeated into the celebrity rise of multiple mini Becks.
Sometimes you’re unexpectedly thrust into a role that reveals hidden talents. Former US First Lady Michelle Obama counted down her White House days, feeling trapped by the intense scrutiny and not being free to do the day-to-day. Initially reluctant, during those eight years Michelle transformed the role by championing issues like women’s empowerment and childhood obesity.
The lawyer in her probably felt like FLOTUS, a highly visible yet largely ceremonial role she didn’t ask for, was entirely the wrong fit. But she grabbed it with both hands and made it her own, delivering a powerful example of adaptability. Think carefully about the possibilities in any unexpected role. Can the position hone your skills or introduce you to the peeps that will make the next stage of your career? Only then decide: do you stay or do you go? Don’t discount the power of staying (even for a little while) by rushing the decision to go.
