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Stand Up and Make a Change

Featured Author:

Renee Weisman

Renee Weisman, owner of Winning at Work, charted new territory as one of the first woman engineers, managers, executives and working mothers in the male-dominated semiconductor industry. Over her 40 years in education and industry, she learned to make gender differences work for her — and teaches others how to do the same. She is a frequent speaker at corporations and conferences around the US. She teaches classes tailored to enhance women in their careers and to enable male managers to better understand how to capitalize on the differences between men and women in business. She is the author of Winning in a Man’s World, Advice for Women Who Want to Succeed and the Men Who Work with Them.

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More articles from this author:

• 4 Reasons Your Job's Not Fun Anymore
• Job Searching? It's All About Who You Know
• How to Get Your Resume to the Top of the Pile

Is there a new job you want to apply for but you don’t think you are qualified? Do you want to start your own business but you’re afraid you don’t know enough to make a go of it? Do you want to meet more people but you are shy and don’t function well in large groups? Do you want to be promoted but think you haven’t proven yourself yet? Do you want to reenter the workplace but are afraid you have been out too long?

Why is it that some people can face obstacles and seemingly impossible challenges while others stay on the sidelines? What do they know that you don’t? Actually, not much more. And that is the crux of the problem!

When you want something, you can approach it with two attitudes:

1. I can do it. I just have to figure out how!

OR

2. I’ll never do that. I don’t have enough experience (or skill or talent or whatever flaw you imagine yourself to have).

The reality is, you can do it if you learn to believe in yourself. But for many people, especially women, we let our fears stop us. We think we have to be perfect or that if we fail we are not good enough. So we don’t try. If you can’t summon the courage to take that first step, here are three pieces of advice that have worked for me.

1. You can figure it out while you’re doing it

When you entered kindergarten, you couldn’t read, but you learned. When you started to drive a car, you didn’t know how to steer very well, but you mastered it. When you cooked your first meal, you had no idea how to get everything ready at the same time and now you can do it without thinking. When you had your first child, you were afraid of the first breast feeding, the first bath, the first diaper change, but you became a pro.

My point is, you will learn as you go. No one expects you to know everything the first day on the job.

In a recent university study, women and men were asked to review a list of skills required for several job openings. There were 10 skills required for each position, and the students were asked to identify which skills they had. When they were done, they were then asked whether they would apply for the job. Most of the male participants said they would apply if they met at least 4 of the 10 required skills. The female participants wouldn’t apply unless they had 8 out of the 10 skills, and even then were worried about the 2 they didn’t have!

The only way you can have 100% of the skills required is to do the job, and frankly, if it is that easy, it will quickly become boring. Stop waiting to know it all, and learn as you go. Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Whenever you are asked if you can do the job, tell ‘em, Certainly, I can. Then get busy and find out how to do it.” Instead of being afraid, say “Yes I can” and then figure out how.

Not yet convinced? Read on.