Inspiring women wanted

Do you remember Sally Fields at the Oscars several years ago when she cried and said “you like me, you really like me.”  It speaks to how we all can second guess ourselves and need that pat on the back to say we are doing a good job.

I remember when I won the Entrepreneur of the Year award.  I felt such an imposter.  I’d been running Company of Women for six years then and it was still a struggle to make a profit.  I remember at the time thinking that while I may have the entrepreneurial spirit, I was glad they didn’t ask to see my financials, or they might have taken the award back J

Over the years I have received several awards and while it is often a humbling experience, it is also a proud one too.  It reaffirms that you are on the right path; that you are making a difference and your contributions have not gone unnoticed.

It can also be the confidence boost you need to go further in your career, business or personal life.  And so this year at the Journey 2 Success conference, I am thrilled to announce that we will be presenting the first Woman of Inspiration Award.

Now we are not looking for someone who has built an empire – we want to honour ordinary women who have shown extraordinary compassion for others; who’ve gone that extra mile in their business and in life.

Can you think of someone who has helped you in your business - giving you advice, helping you find customers or been there or provided support just when you’ve needed it?   Or maybe she volunteers in the community, giving her time to a special cause.

You can?  Good.  Because I want to encourage you to nominate her for our Woman of Inspiration Award.  So many women quietly go about their day-to-day lives without realizing the impact they have on others or expecting any recognition for what they do.

Well no more.  With this first Woman of Inspiration Award which we will present on May 26, we want to celebrate and recognize women who have had the courage to successfully launch a business and given back, helping others to succeed, be it through their volunteer work, mentoring or financial support.

In celebration of International Women’s Day, we want to launch this award as our way of celebrating the achievements of women within our Company of Women community.   The deadline for nominations is March 27, 2015.  To learn more, go to http://journey2success.ca/?page_id=418

Storytelling as a learning tool

I recently had the honour of being a judge for a contest that required women to share their stories.

I read their words and as always, was truly blown away at the courage and persistence of women to stay true to themselves, even if they’ve gotten drawn off track because of life situations.

But what struck me is that while storytelling has become recognized as a valid business tool, often we fail to take it far enough.  We don’t get to the point where we actually help other people learn from our experiences. We just share our story and assume that people will capture the kernels of knowledge through osmosis.

Now to find the lessons does take a certain level of self-awareness and perhaps maturity to recognize that others could benefit from learning from our mistakes or more tactfully put, our detours en route to greatness.

One story that I often share with new entrepreneurs is about when I started a vegetable garden and how the results could be easily correlated to what it is like when you start a business – in that you never know what will grow easily, and in addition, you don’t plant something you don’t like (to eat or do) such as radishes. That radishes story captured people’s imagination and it’s almost become an inside joke.  Every time someone in the group finds themselves off track and doing work they hate, the response usually refers to radishes.

So next time you write or share your story, think about how someone else could benefit from hearing what you have to say.  How can you weave in some insights that will help others to grow and learn from your experience?  Sometimes that means you have to join the dots, so people get the picture.  Because then the challenges you have faced have meaning. Then you are truly helping someone else grow and learn.