You Are Just As Qualified As He

You are Just As Qualified As He

Recently, I participated in a major project at work. I was part of a team which included persons from other annual conferences in two states. Coming together for this project was my introduction to all these people.

To accomplish my assignment, I needed to work outside of my comfort zone. I told my boss I didn’t want to be a part of the team but that wasn’t an option. My boss and I were both given assignments to complete for the project.

The more I thought about that I didn’t want to do this work, my confidence plummeted. When I thought about what I needed to learn, freaked me out even more?

To say no was an easy way out. If I knew in advance what was required, I would have prepared before saying yes.

According to a 2013 article in the Harvard Business Review, women are more deliberate and tend to do more research before making a move that has high stakes. Men will take the risk and jump without a plan. They will figure it out on the fly. My response in this situation proves what studies have shown in recent years, although the details may vary on risk taking characteristics between men and women.

I suggest in my case, not performing with a high level of knowledge and talent, was a risk. I didn’t want to make my organization look bad.

Let me be clear. I have not conducted my own scientific study.

I believe we need to break the cycle that keeps girls and young women from taking risks. We need to encourage them more to try something new even when they don’t know the details. It’s okay to not have all the answers. That is how we learn.

I committed to the project and got to work. In the middle of it, I began to struggle and felt stuck. One day, I recalled a video Shonda Rhimes posted on social media, encouraging women to take the risk just like men. Then I thought, “Why would I rather throw in the towel, rather than try without knowing all the details?” That has not been my nature over the past few months.

As our team became more comfortable during our bi-weekly Zoom meetings, we all revealed lack of knowledge of some aspect of the tasks we were given. We all confessed how much we had learned. Just an FYI, all of my team members, except one, were women.

I see more of the millennial females treading in waters I would not have risked at their age. I also see them not wallowing in failure, being okay with risking trying again.

I am working on being a risk taker and trying new things to see where they take me. I recognize I must keep being vulnerable enough to admit what I don’t know and brave enough to learn to be equipped for a task.

What do you want to learn outside of your comfort zone but are afraid to take the risk?