How far are you willing to go to break barriers in your career path? I was reading through a list of quotes by women leaders and entrepreneurs that inspired me to think about the power of breaking through barriers. This quote from the CEO of TaskRabbit is what got me thinking:
“I wake up every morning and think to myself, ‘How far can I push the company forward in the next 24 hours?’” — Leah Busque, TaskRabbit
Are you familiar with her business? The concept is simple. You have a task that needs to be done – TaskRabbit finds someone to do it for you.
One of the principals that I have used to guide my priorities since leaving the corporate world and starting my business has been to delegate those tasks that keep me from my focus. Tasks like grocery shopping and cleaning. Leah Busque has tapped into that idea and created a wildly successful business.
She took an idea and pushed through the barriers of self doubt:
I can’t possibly succeed at starting a business.
She pushed past those naysayers that tried to hold her down:
No one is going to use a website to find someone to do their shopping – it is a stupid idea.
What barrier is keeping you from achieving your goals?
- Confidence
- Money
- Time
- Commitment
- Encouragement
- Knowledge
As you begin to formulate a plan to break barriers in your own career, don’t be afraid to rock the boat:
Don’t let your fear of rocking the boat; keep you from challenging the consensus thinking. Many boats are in desperate need of rocking. Like Yahoo’s. CEO Marissa Mayer has done some major boat rocking since taking the helm at Yahoo! and while her changes have not all been popular, there’s no doubt that they are helping turn the formerly wavering Yahoo! ship around.
Margie Warrell, contributor to Forbes shares more great ideas to help women in leadership break barriers in their own industry. Check out her article.
Just like we need to break a few eggs to bake a cake, we need to be prepared to break barriers to advance to the position of leadership we seek.
JJ DiGeronimo, keynote speaker for women, based in Cleveland, presents keynote addresses on women in leadership, diversity in business and advancement for women.
