CHALLENGE STORIES : TALES OF WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH
In November 2014, after a year of significant growth in my business, my husband decided to leave his senior corporate role. In the same week, my friend Elise accepted my offer to leave her career as a primary school teacher and come and work with me, full-time, as my executive manager. Even though this had been discussed for a couple of months, when they both made their respective decisions, I felt the weight of responsibility terrifying. At one point, I remember feeling like I was going to vomit. It was now up to me to continue the success I had experienced over the last 12 months, to keep Elise employed, and, as the only breadwinner, to keep … well, bread (and other things) on the table.
It's a story that I often share when I'm being interviewed and asked about times of self-doubt or challenges. I also share it when I'm mentoring people on the ups and downs of running your own business.
There are often many challenges in business, especially in the early days of struggles, setbacks and self-doubts. These can all be very powerful stories, yet they are often not shared because they involve us showing vulnerability.
Through the amazing work of Brené Brown, however, we have come to realise that showing vulnerability is not a sign of weakness, but rather a sign of strength and courage.1
WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN CHALLENGED AND WHAT DID YOU DO TO OVERCOME IT?
Personal challenges
A good example of a challenge story comes from ...
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