Leaving a senior position and a big brand can be tough. Your diary clears, your phone stops ringing, and the silence is creepy….As we rise to positions of influence, a big change can be bruising…
To begin with, you’re in shock. It diminishes your feeling of self and you just have to get on with it. What we don’t realise is that we must pick up your sense of self afterwards, and that’s a really big process.
Emotionally this is quite testing, especially when dealing with the ignobility conferred by your newfound lack of status (as seen by others).
The tough bit is dealing with your brand-new sense of self. If you hadn’t already realised it, you soon discover just how much your work and your identity are entangled.
What did I learn after my first women’s business breakfast?
- We sometimes overlook a lot of things we shouldn’t overlook – such as our relationship with others, this is important and should be nurtured all the time
- It’s okay to have ambition and drive for the big things, it is part of our self-discovery process
- We lose sight of what is actually important to us and our personal life and often regret comes to late or at an expensive price
- Much as we are defined by what we do, it’s how we define ourselves that matters, and that takes some realignment, each in our own time
- We must think more about: my own person, my own role and my own purpose
- Eventually, after many years, you get to a sense of equilibrium
- It is okay to feel like you could be very good at something else
- There are very few women in positions of authority and influence in business and we need to support each other more
- We can learn to live more comfortably with the softer side of ourselves
- We are much stronger than we think we are
- Surround yourself with people you can trust
- Always pay it forward
“we all move forward when we recognise how resilient and striking the women around us are” rupi kaur