I want to be a manager but I’m different

This was something I thought and now I hear it from clients. “I want to be a manager but…”and then they list all the reasons they are different. For me, it used to be “I want to be a manager but I have young kids and my husband works outside the home”. 

From others I’ve heard, 

• I am painfully introverted and everyone else is an extrovert. 

• I am female and everyone else is male.

• My degree is in engineering and everyone else is business.

• My first language is not english.

This list could go on and on for the ways we are all different.

It is normal that our brains want us to fit in. The default is to compare and find people that we look like to fit in with. To our brains that is safe: we are part of the group.

The problem with comparing yourself to the other people doing what you want to do and looking for all the ways you are different is that you start to pull back. You don’t speak up about your ideas, volunteer for the project, or apply for the job.

It is not a problem that we are different. The incredible part is that the world needs leaders that are all different.

The world needs a leader just like you, not like someone else. They are already filling that hole. There are people who want to work for someone just like you.

All the ways that you are different are assets to you. They are what make you special. They are things that will help you relate to other people, have unique ideas, and make an impact.

When your brain offers all the ways you are different, pause and remind yourself that that’s a good thing.