Ep 5. What is Your Zone of Genius as a Woman Leader?

Episode Transcript

What are the things that set you apart from others and make up your unique personality?

And how do you leverage these superpowers at work? 

I’ve come to realize that one of the secrets to feeling good and perform at a high level, is to operate within your so-called zone of genius. 

This is where you find flow, things go easy and you get to use your full potential.

Supporting my clients to discover their superpowers is something that I absolutely love doing, and it’s so inspiring to see them shine up with boosted self-confidence, and sometimes it actually leads to a promotion or total career switch! 

This episode is all about how you can discover this for yourself, and unlock the possibilities that come with it.

Find the show notes and other resources at sofiavoncelsing.com/podcast. 

Hi ladies, 

How often do you take the time to sit down and think about your strengths, passions, and skill sets? 

Probably not that often.

When I work with high-achieving women leaders in my VIP program, this is one of the first things we do.

I have even made Discover Your Zone of Genius as a stand-alone strategy session as I've seen so many amazing things happening as a result of it. 

Why you might ask? 

Because of several reasons! 

Many of the women I work with have a big portion of self-doubt and loud inner bitch, and sometimes, have even forgotten what they are good at. 

This is not uncommon after a burnout or in times like these, layoffs due to re-organizations and cost-cutting. Even just being a high-achiever in a competitive environment, impostor syndrome, and comparison is very common, so if you feel this way, you are not alone. 

But in order to excel in your career, you need to find ways to stop undermining yourself with critical thoughts and start focusing on the positive and empowering stuff. And remind yourself of all of your unique awesomeness and talents.

Because no one is like you, and also - no one has got all of their shit together. So you are enough and it’s time to get your badass out.  

I’ve made an exercise that I call My Zone of Genius, where we go through a range of questions combining the Japanese concept of Ikigai with personal values and things that strengthen self-confidence and self-esteem.

So if you want to give yourself a boost, here are some questions you can ask yourself;

·      What makes me unique and special? 

·      What successes and wins have I had so far in my life? 

·      What would I never want to change about myself?

·      What am I really good at? 

·      What do I love doing? 

·      What can I be paid for? 

·      What are some causes I care deeply about? 

·      What are my personal values?

And I just want to say, that if you struggle with coming up with answers, this is very common, and also why it’s so much easier to do this exercise with someone else, a coach for example.

Last week I got this lovely feedback from Kristine; 

"I really enjoyed the 90-minute strategy session with Sofia, especially bringing the Japanese concept of Ikigai into the mix! It was a helpful and structured reinforcement of what I am good at and love doing and what gives me purpose.”

Thanks Kristine, I loved working with you too!

And for you that are not familiar with Ikigai: it’s an amazing Japanese concept, that means Reason for Being or Life Purpose. I could do a full episode on just that and will probably later on, but it’s a philosophy that can be used to find a dream career or just become happier in life. 

Because sometimes the root cause of stress or general unhappiness is being in a place where you don’t get to leverage all of your strengths. Or that you feel a lack of purpose or meaning, even if you have a successful career and role on paper. 

But it can also be used to understand which parts of your current role that you really enjoy and are great at, and how you can leverage your talents, time, and energy better.  

I’ve seen this happening with several of my clients, with pay raises and promotions as a result.

And I’ve understood that this is why I love doing what I do because supporting women leaders and unleashing their superpowers is my zone of genius!

So if you are curious about finding yours, to boost yourself or get a hint of what a new career direction could be, grabbing a Strategy Session with me could be a first step! 

Take care of yourself, and go be a badass!