Claim your value. Your life will feel more fulfilling. We promise.
During this time of graduation celebrations, we have been inspired by so many moving speeches. This one in particular stood out to us. Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code, gave the commencement speech to the class of 2023 at Smith College and she sent a galvanizing message to the grads about how to rise above the systemic injustices that hold them back and believe in themselves and their ability to change the world for the better.
Thinking about all the young people currently graduating from high schools and colleges, as well as folks of all ages wanting to make big changes, we offer an important message: before you start a new journey, get in alignment with, and claim, your value. You get to determine how you show up in the world moving forward. It starts with knowing what is important to YOU!
Alignment is about living your values and having continuity and consistency between what you say and what you do. Alignment creates clarity and shows you how to live every day according to your values. No matter how old you are, make sure your values are aligned with the work you are doing in world. One of the leaders in our book, Leland Franklin, walked away from a successful career to find his alignment.
“As the eldest child in a high-achieving family, Leland Franklin, founder and CEO, Kenshō Leadership, grew up chasing all of the traditional measures of success—his entire life was focused on going to a good school, getting a high-paying job, and pursuing promotion after promotion to make his family proud. He developed a strong work ethic, grit, and a dynamic skill set that helped him navigate the corporate world as a high achiever. Eventually, he landed a job that looked great on paper—leading a high-performing technical team at an education technology start-up. However, in reality, he was consistently in burnout, working eighty-plus hours a week on work that wasn’t engaging, and he often felt empty inside. He could feel in his heart that there had to be more. “My work had become so abstract—leading a team of customer-facing engineers who provided consulting services to engineers at other companies—that I felt increasingly disconnected from the people I was originally trying to serve: students and teachers.”
Digging deep into his values, he realized that he loved helping other people believe in themselves, discover themselves, become more, and create more. He was especially drawn to visionary, compassionate leaders who wish to spend their lives in service of something greater. Leland enrolled in an integral leadership coaching training program and now has a full-time practice as an executive coach for socially conscious leaders. He says, “the magic keeps on happening. My heart is full, my business is thriving, and I’m learning to live in this paradox of embracing the vast unknown, while knowing deep inside that I’m on the right path—my path.”
For all of you seeking the path to start your journey on, ask yourself these questions to explore what has made you feel the most alive in your life:
- “In what situations have I felt like my unique gifts were best expressed?”
- “What is really important to me?”
- “What is the impact I want to make in this world?”
Whether you are at the beginning of your career arc, mid-way through, or looking at your retirement dreams, we encourage you to claim and live by your values and bring them alive. It’s never too early, or too late. Stay in choice about the evolution of your career. And don’t leave your career in the hands of your bosses. Don’t let anyone groom you. They will groom you to what they want. But what do YOU want? What impact do you want to create? The average person has 12 jobs in their lifetime. How do you stand in the question of who you want to be? Either you claim and shape it, or it will be claimed or shaped for you. We believe you are the chorographer of your career. So, get clear on the value you want to claim and start your journey.
Claim your value. Your life will feel more fulfilling. We promise.
Humanity works because of YOU!
Kate and Debbie
