Last month we spent 5 episodes creating your executive brand. In one of those episodes, we discussed the common pitfalls new executives step into while creating their brands. That one episode generated so many questions and inquiries that I decided to spend this month diving into the common pitfalls of new execs. So here we are. Are you ready to spend the month discussing common pitfalls?
While you may already be thinking about various tripwires, hang-ups, and frustrations that you are facing in your new executive role, I’m going to share with you the 4 of the most common pitfalls new executives unknowingly step into as they are learning to exec correctly. Lets’s dive in!
The number one, most common, most dangerous pitfall new executives make, especially women, is the pitfall of self-blame.
We have talked about this one indirectly, so let’s just call it out and discuss it.
As you know here at Legend Leaders, we talk about the 4 Ps of executive success.
Promotion. Preparation. Performance. Permission.
Self-blame rears its head when a new executive hasn’t prepared to exec correctly.
The majority of women I work with have found themselves sitting in the executive role of their dreams, crying in the shower, working insane hours, and living in hell with the thought that they just tanked their careers. All of these feelings, actions, and reactions are self-blame.
Why are they living in this space?
Because they didn’t prepare to exec correctly.
While it’s not career-ending to not prepare, it can be career-ending if you NEVER prepare.
Yet as high-achieving, high-performance women, and find ourselves in a situation where we feel like we have made such a serious mistake, that we missed seeing the signs in preparing to be a good executive, and we can’t forgive ourselves. We beat ourselves up relentlessly.
Self-blame is a pitfall for new executives. Why? Because self-blame is a momentum killer.
It reduces our likelihood of success because we are so focused on what’s wrong and how reckless we are in our careers, that we stop looking for ways to win/ways to perform and start seeking evidence to prove how bad we are in the moment.
We don’t have time for that!
Should we have prepared before we stepped into the role or as we were stepping into the role?
Of course, we could have.
But we can’t change the fact that we didn’t so let’s do it now.
Let’s shift the focus from self-blame to action and resolution.
Are you a newly promoted female corporate executive who is blaming yourself for not preparing yourself for the executive role?
Get the workbook and work through the questions to stop blaming and start preparing.
If you want additional support, schedule a free call with the Legend Leaders team.
Be Legendary!