Now its time for you to develop your success stories.  At this point, you may be thinking:  “But I don’t have any success stories.”  To that I say:  Hogwash!  I know you do! 

Every woman I coach through this process has feelings of self-doubt in the beginning.  Each and every time, I help them develop strong, powerful stories that truly exemplify their greatest strengths and talents.  If you are feeling some anxiety right now that is ok - your emotions are valid.  Just remember, you are a legitimate professional with lots to offer and a track record of success to prove it. 

Most women get stuck when its time to develop their success stories because they aren’t sure what compelling contributions they’ve made.  The main reason for this is because women tend to devalue their own contributions.  For many, this is due to a combination of not wanting to brag and simply not knowing (or not owning) their gifts and talents.

Everyone has areas in which they excel.  Too often, women overlook or devalue their greatest strengths.  Since certain skills come to them so naturally, they assume everyone possesses these same gifts.  The fact that a certain assignment may feel effortless to you does not negate the fact that it is a valuable skill.  This exercise will help you identify your unique skill sets. 
Step-by-Step Instructions

Develop conversational stories that paint a vivid word picture of your accomplishments.  They should be short and concise and clearly highlight your role in the outcome. 

To start, brainstorm a list of topics for your stories.  Review each of your past jobs and write down your top accomplishments from each position.  Use the above success story examples as inspiration.

You can also get ideas from: 

• Feedback you’ve received from clients, managers, colleagues, etc.
• Praise you’ve received in your past performance reviews
• Comments from audience members from your public speaking presentations
• Information in your “Success File” – You do keep a Success File, right?  (If not, see my book Thrive in Your Job for detailed instructions on how to keep a Success File.)

Each vignette should be a “before and after” story.  Clearly show the cause and effect.  Describe the original set of circumstances and how you contributed to improving the situation. 

This week, gather information for your success stories.  Next week, I’ll show you how to start writing them!

Until next week…

Warmly,
Maret

This entry was posted by Maret McCoy on March 10th, 2008 under Career with keywords .

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