What’s stopping you?
'What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us, and when we bring this out into the open miracles happen' Henry David Thoreau.
Women are renowned for assessing ‘why they shouldn’t’ as opposed to ‘why they should’. It is important to know what you are good at and focus on that – not your gaps. However, a self-awareness of where your experience may leave you a little exposed, and of your personal attributes and style can help you to identify the kind of people that you will need to surround yourself with and enable you to manage the challenges you may face. Don’t let traditional perspectives of who fits a role limit your thinking.
Don’t be type cast or let a role define you. Be true to yourself, be authentic and love what you do. We all make mistakes and you will make more if you take the sort of risks that you will probably need to take to make a real difference. That’s okay providing we learn from them. The toughest choices you will make is where they impact on other people. Be kind to yourself and be kind to others recognising that not everything you will have to do will make you feel that way. Imposter syndrome is felt by all reflective managers. Ultimately, the only thing stopping you is you. Shoot for the stars – you’ll be surprised how far you can go.
Vice-Chancellor Liz Barnes CBE