“You are brilliant.”
I uttered that phrase to an audience of HR professionals in higher education as part of a challenge for them to own their brilliance at work and in the world.
Almost as soon as I asserted the last word, I noticed what seemed like bewilderment and intimidation in some of their expressions — as if they were thinking: Who me? No. I’m not a genius.
Let me level with you.
Each of us is unique and imbued with brilliance that generates from our talents, perspectives, experiences and essence. In fact, an organization’s ability to reach its highest level of excellence is directly connected to each employee’s ability to exercise the fullness of their potential and power at work. It’s not always easy, though, for professionals to put their greatness on display if organizations haven’t invested deeply in creating a courage-ready culture where all team members feel respected and connected (more on that another day). It’s also not easy for employees to demonstrate their brilliance if they don’t recognize they have it. That’s where we’ll focus for now.
Through my partnership with coaching clients, I’ve come to understand that there is a critical mindset shift that professionals must make to step into the responsibility of courageously owning their brilliance — to speak up, show up and step up in the workplace.
Recognize your brilliance.
How do you leverage personal agency to demonstrate your brilliance if you haven’t first recognized that you have it? It’s a pretty tough task to execute. So, let’s take a moment to make a mental shift and acknowledge that you’ve got the power.
The unique idea you have to increase customer feedback? It comes from your source of brilliance. Your unmatched ability to use metaphors to break down complex concepts so people around you can get on the same page? Same source of brilliance. Your unconventional approach to a client’s campaign? Your brilliance, once again. It might be tempting to pass off these qualities as “nothing special.” And, many professionals do. It’s not surprising, then, when it’s time to own their brilliance — to defend their divergent ideas and express their values— they can’t find their voice or footing. That’s because recognition is a prerequisite for demonstration. For women, this recognition seems more clouded. Research shows that women find it more difficult than men to promote themselves and their abilities to employers. And, this external difficulty, may in part, originate from internal conflict.
In fact, if thinking of yourself as brilliant conjures feelings of anxiousness, it could be because you’ve accepted a narrow definition and corresponding mental image of the word. Brilliance can reveal itself as genius and call up images of Einstein. (Interestingly, research reveals that brilliance is often implicitly equated with white men.) But, the coveted quality is more accessible than that. It shows up as the bright light that emanates from uniqueness. No one thinks exactly like you or expresses ideas in the manner you can. No one has the identical make up of your background, education and experiences that informs your creativity and contribution. This isn’t just particularity nor is it self-inflation. It’s brilliance. It’s the source of light that, when fully leveraged, can elevate yourself and make your teams and organization shine.
The question is, do you recognize the stuff that makes you brilliant? Your brilliance can generate from your keen ability to listen intently and reverently. It can come from your inclination to to say “yes” to new ideas instead of dropping an easy “no.” The stuff that makes you unique, and thus brilliant, can come from the way in which you ask questions, feel empathy, present yourself to the world, approach life as an experiment or work up a plan.
If you’re feeling motivated, write down the qualities that come to mind that make you want to channel Jay-Z and brush your shoulder off. If you’re having a hard time lifting the veil of modesty, as a friend or family member what they think makes you brilliant.
The first step in owning and demonstrating your brilliance is first recognizing it within you. That’s the mindset shift you must make if you’re going to courageously step into your potential and power.
