What’s something you’ve done that you never thought you could?
What’s something I’ve done that I never thought I could?
Be a CEO.
There. I said it. The woman who thought she was too introverted to lead an entire organization is apparently a natural at running one. Who knew?
I certainly didn’t.
I never fully understood what being a CEO entailed. I knew about strategy, budgets, boards, and the occasional meeting that could have been an email. But I didn’t appreciate the peculiar magic of holding two entirely different perspectives at once: the microscopic details of one person’s problem and the enormous, sprawling mission of an entire organization.
The person in front of you. The 500 people behind them. The mission. The money. The future. All at once. No pressure!
I always assumed my introversion would be a liability. Surely, CEOs were supposed to be relentlessly outgoing people who collected handshakes like Pokémon and thrived on being the center of attention.
Turns out, I like people. I like connecting, figuring things out, taking on big missions, and making things happen. I just also like being alone afterward.
Apparently, I’m an extroverted introvert. I can lead the room and then fantasize about being left alone in one.
Maybe that’s not a contradiction. Maybe it’s an advantage. You need to zoom in close enough to understand people and zoom out far enough to see where everyone is going. You need to listen, decide, connect, and occasionally have the nerve to do something nobody has done before.
The biggest surprise isn’t that I can be a CEO. It’s that I love being one.
Funny how life works. Sometimes the person you thought you were isn’t the person you discover you can be.
And sometimes your next chapter comes with a corner office, a spreadsheet, and 500 people waiting for you to figure it out.
Imposter syndrome, please take a seat. The CEO has work to do.
Categories: Culture, current events, identity, Leadership, Management, mental health, Psychology, society, workplace
What type of org do you lead, and how many people does it have? I also think this is more common than we think. From what I have read, many CEOs have a long day that starts early, with a lot of quiet time alone to digest information and read. Then the day is full of people, and there is a big quiet time at the end of the day to unwind.
LikeLike
To be Clear Dear Miriam is the CEO
On the Autism Spectrum without words for Sentences until age 4
Verbally Abused through Grade School Stuttering the way through
Bullied for being Androgynous in Northwest Florida and Of course for
being overall weak and strange
Eventually Graduating with
A Triple Major and 3 Degrees
Going on to start Work at a Military
Bowling Center handing out Rental
Shoes somehow finishing out a 25 Year
Civil Service Career at the GS 11 Level of
Pay through 5 Job changes and Promotions
in the Last 5 Years succumbing to Autism Burnout
In A Life Threat of 19 Medical Disorders in Synergy
With Type Two Trigeminal Neuralgia basically
Shut in my Bedroom wake to sleep for 66 Months
in a real Hell of Pain and Numb without even the
Memory of the
Feeling of A Smile
Not able to Use my eyes
and ears in so much Pain the
first 33 Months of 66 Months in
Hell then withstanding the Pain
enough to write 2 inches from a dimly lit
Screen on a Place for the Neurodiverse online
the ‘Wrong Planet’ as Words Finally Became Poetic
Free Deep from Soul Emotions Returning Pain going away
And Now 24,633 Miles of Public Spiraling Dance after being
assessed as a dizzy fly in Movement before in Government Life
Additionally with 16.7 Million Words of EPiC Longest Long Form
Poem Poetry an Anthology of Poetic Responses to Folks all around
the World in 158 Months i title “SonG oF mY SoUL” Also writing a
Subchapter of that titled “Depth of The Story” on the Wrong Planet
140 Pages of a Solo Thread with 7.55 Million Words in 74 Months of
Effort there as the Site is currently down for Maintenance for Safety
Yet Starting another “Depth of The Story” on their New Discourse site
The Weakest bullied Fish in the Aquarium in Youth increasing my Leg
Strength in Leg Pressing at the Beginning of the Public Dance from
500 Pounds to 1540 Pounds 12 reps Just warming up at the Military
Gym at the Navy Station i retired from
Yet it’s no more ever than one move
and one word of bliss in Holy Dance
And Sacred Song Only Now indeed
all the reward
is in the do when
the giving is the receiving
in
Deed
No i don’t
even need a Name
So Much Different
Than a Human who is Only a Name
The Entire Poem is recorded on WordPress, Several BlogSpot Blogs
And actually all on Facebook hehe with free ‘cloud’ space there for back-up
HAha the Video Voyeurs have spread my dance farther than i’ll ever see
on Social Media in the Last 158 Months and Over 5786 events of Public
Dancing yet as i note to the Elite Warriors at the Military Gym what Good
is 1540 Pounds of Leg
Pressing Strength if You don’t
Spread Millions of Smiles Freely
in a Public Dance floating on
Terrestrial Smooth Store Floors
Hehe meanwhile they learn how to
fly Airplanes and Helicopters while all i
need to Float an Inch above the Floors is me
And some cheap Athletic Shoes With Twinkling toes
Greatest Strength
And Will comes from
A Foundation of Inhaling
Peace Exhaling Love a Place
Where the source of
Most overall weakness
and strife No Longer Exists
Indeed
Fear is
No Longer me
Truly Breathing Loving Peace
Is Naked Enough Whole Complete
With a Little Love from Others Food
Shelter and the Rest to give away for Free
With
SMiLes..:)
LikeLike