Believe.
Do you ever wonder what you would tell your ‘younger self’ if you could? This is one of the most frequent questions I get asked when I am speaking at events along with what would you do differently? What have your learnt?
When I finished university at the ripe old age of 22, I would never have believed that I would be a CEO at some point in my career. I had an ambition to be a director but didn’t really know what that meant and if I am honest, didn’t really believe I was capable. Good old Imposter Syndrome! When I started university, I decided not to do law as I doubted my own ability and felt that everyone else doing this course was different to me. I appeared to be the only one who had gone to a comprehensive school in the North. I falsely believed that everyone else was smarter than me. I went on to get a master’s degree in history and don’t regret that choice for one minute. However, there is a big lesson that I learnt in this story. Believe. This is the one word I would go back and say to my younger self. Believe in yourself. Believe it is possible. This isn’t about being arrogant or delusional about your abilities. It is about changing your mindset and not putting barriers in the way that don’t exist. I often speak to, observe and coach people who are hesitant in putting themselves forward either to speak up in a meeting, to speak publicly or to apply for a promotion. Most of the time I find that this is linked to a false perception that they aren’t good enough or everyone else is better than them. It is simply not true. So, my advice is to believe. Be open to opportunities. Take a risk – what’s the worst that could happen? Push yourself outside your comfort zone and you might be surprised. Be kind to yourself and proud about what you are good at.
Natalie McMillan
CEO
McMillan and Associates Ltd
www.mcmillanandassociateshr.com
Twitter handle: @Nat_womenleader
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/Natalie-mcmillan-85325a
Natalie has worked as a CEO and HR Director in senior board-level roles within Operations, HR and Organisational Development and Transformation in public sector, not-for-profit and manufacturing. Natalie now runs her own business, McMillan & Associates Ltd offering both HR and boardroom consultancy across all sectors from SMEs to large corporations. She is an experienced career and business coach. Natalie is passionate about supporting others to fulfil their potential and runs events and speaks publicly to share her own experiences as a board-level executive, the pitfalls and advice to help others. She is particularly interested in increasing female representation in senior roles and reducing social inequality. She is Chair of Kyra (women’s charity in York).