Is being a legend in your own lunchtime a good or bad thing?

Here in Australia, the expression legend in your own lunchtime is alive and well. For those of us who indulged in school yard trash talk back in the 70’s or 80’s, you may remember it as legend in your own lunch box. Either, either. They both mean the same thing. The expression is not exactly positive. It’s a bit like saying you’ve got tickets on yourself and that you’re too big for your own boots – in fact, a braggart or boastful.

But maybe we got it totally wrong.

Maybe to succeed in corporate or business Australia, we actually do need tickets on ourselves. Quite possibly we need to be a legend in our own lunchtime – because if you don’t think you’re any good, no-one else will either.

We know from various studies that executive women struggle with the following

• Self advocacy

• Self promotion

• Owning and claiming their expertise

We also know that executive women tend to

• Downplay their own achievements

• Underestimate themselves, and

• Second guess themselves and hesitate in taking risks with their career.

Which ultimately leads to other people thinking we’re only as good as we’re saying we are, which isn’t necessarily very good anyway.

For those with leadership aspirations but who are naturally modest or humble, learning to become a legend in your own lunchtime, may just be a prerequisite.

In this era of #selfpromotion, you are your own marketing department, and that requires a healthy dose of positive self belief.

Self belief >> Self confidence >> Self advocacy >> Self promotion >> Legend in your own lunchtime

• You don’t fly around the globe solo Amelia Earhart style if you don’t believe in yourself

• You can’t become the most powerful female tennis player of all time, a la Serena Williams, if you don’t have healthy self confidence

• You wouldn’t become the 1st woman PM in Australia, facing all the trolls, criticism and constant media scrutiny like our own Julia Gillard, if didn’t have positive self belief

And you cannot lead a company if you aren’t prepared to self advocate, self promote and to own, claim and share your expertise.

In a world that confuses confidence with competence, you’re going to have to fake it til you become it anyway.

Being a legend in your own lunchtime is simply a prerequisite.

Vive la révolution!

#ambitionrevolution #LookOutCSuiteHereSheComes #feminineambitionrocks  #executivewomen #careerfutureproofing