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Jo Cameron - Nobody remembers the runner up Successful business women and Social Entrepreneur who made her debut on the TV series The Apprentice. Today Jo talks about life’s challenges:As women we are used to bringing up the rear. Our races come second in the Olympics. When we are announced we are “Mr and Mrs”, when we get married we give up our names and in our careers we get paid less. In politics we are almost invisible and if you came down from the planet zod and read the newspapers you would think that men outnumber women 20 to 1! In business, we always seem to take second place too. Fewer women start their own business than men. There are no real reasons why this should be the case. In business we clearly have the skills to succeed. We can multi-task, we can empathise, we can listen and we have the same abilities and brains as men. We have the strength of resolve (we must do if we endure child birth!) and we have great networks of encouragement. All ripe for the ‘business taking’ it seems. The main reason I believe that we seem to get relegated to the second division is that we just don’t seem to recognise our own strengths. We are so accustomed to coming second that sometimes we don’t even enter the race. We don’t sing our own praises and we don’t tell everyone how great we are. We don’t look back at our achievements and puff out our chests with pride. We don’t value our contribution and give to everyone else before ourselves. We stand in the shadows and let everyone else take the glory. We put ourselves down and speak with modesty about our achievements. We don’t like profile and we don’t accept praise when it’s given. We let people pinch our ideas and pass them off as their own. We support everyone else and forget to watch out for ourselves. Of course this is very gracious and generous but mostly goes unnoticed. Unsung heroes (well heroines) are just that - unsung! We live in a world where business and money talks and it is for this reason that we must make strides in the commercial world. If we don’t do it for ourselves we should do it for our daughters, grand-daughters and nieces. Otherwise we will listen to them in years to come with the same complaints that we have about the reason why we don’t get on. Our forbearers didn’t fight for us to have the vote for us to give it away willingly...... As women we need to get comfortable being in the firing line. We need to put ourselves forward, and put our head above the parapet and sing a toast to ourselves for what we have done. We need to push aside the doubting Thomas’s and cast away the demons of self doubt. As women we can do anything, we just need to believe it ourselves first. As girls we were told to be “seen and not heard” but this is our time to emerge to stand tall and shout it from the roof tops... If you come into our offices at URHired it is a celebration. It’s a celebration of how far we have come. It’s a snap shot in time that reminds us how far we have travelled. It’s a party of gratitude as we thank our supporters for their complements. We acknowledge our contribution and hold our heads high with pride. We speak with authority about what we do and converse in a language that business understands. We are succinct in our communication, strict with our time and assert to others about where we are going. Our testimonials sit proudly on our website for all to see. It’s as far away from blowing our own trumpet as chalk is from cheese but it’s recognition of the difficult journey we have travelled and a symbol to the world that we are here to stay. It’s about leaving our mark in time, a legacy that lives on long after we have gone. Owning a business can feel like running through a storm but unless we acknowledge how far we have travelled, when the wind blows in our faces it makes it more difficult to keep going. Do it today – tell yourself how great you are!! You are worthy and strong and have everything you need to win at the business game. My top tips to recognise how far you have travelled : Ask for testimonials and display them on your website
Display awards and achievements on the office wall Start a file and put all your nice letters and emails in it Take time to look around and reflect on your achievements Learn to say how proud you are of what you have achieved (practise it over and over again) Tell potential clients about the great feedback you have had in a gracious manner Do it for your daughter! About Jo: Jo launched URhired as a result of her academic and professional background. |
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