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www.privateairny.com Private Air | Summer 2020 58 And it's an essential mindset to learn, because being willing to face challenges you've never encountered before so that you can overcome them is crucial to your growth, both as a professional and certainly to elevate to team leader status. But self-limiting behaviors are about more than just a lack of confidence. ey are labels we apply to ourselves to justify specific actions we take—or don't take. For instance, not attending that networking event, you know you should go to because you're an "introvert." Or not correcting a team member's behavior because you're a "bottom-up leader." "All the great leaders I know engage in regular and rigorous self-examination," Esimai continued. "ey're constantly thinking about where they want to be, what they want to achieve, and how to get there." Do the same for your professional approach and goals at large, and take a hard look at the labels you put on your own character—whether cynical or even self-inflating. Are any preventing you from being an effective leader? Often, we put undermining labels on ourselves simply because certain things make us momentarily uncomfortable, not because we'll actually suffer harm from doing them. Reportedly, that feeling of discomfort mixed with excitement you sometimes get is often caused by new information entering the brain. e next time you say "no," consider why you're making that choice and what the upside would be if you course corrected. 3. ey Define emselves, Instead of Letting Others Do It for em. You likely have experienced no shortage of people trying to put you into neat, nicely labeled boxes. Whether you're an immigrant or a perceived outsider for some other reason, some might immediately make disparaging judgment calls about your level of education, ability, experience, or other key factors for professional growth. Being a woman comes with its own set of assumptions, of which ladies likely need no reminder. Many of the people you will meet, both professionally and otherwise, will invariably come to certain conclusions regarding how you should act and who you should become. is "well-intentioned" advice will come from coworkers, bosses, and of course, family. So, what is the key to effectively utilizing that advice ... or knowing when to turn a deaf ear to those recommendations and judgments and plot your unexampled course? "Irrelevant or outright bad advice is inevitable," Esimai noted. e most precise way to discern which feedback fits that description is already knowing where you want to go, how you intend to get there, and believing you can make it so. ose doing something unusual must have thicker skin and dwell a little bit less on what people think of them. After all, it's been found that only 13 percent of immigrant women pursue a profession. In one noteworthy account, Indra Nooyi, former CEO of Pepsi-Co, lamented that her decision to attend Yale resulted in a family gathering where relatives debated whether or not she could go because sending an unmarried young girl off to the United States alone was considered scandalous. But, she stuck to her vision and became one of the world's most powerful executives. Ultimately, it comes down to believing that the best person to makes decisions about you, and for you, is you! Have confidence and even brazen certainty that the path you set out upon is achievable. Perhaps the Most Important Trait of All… You don't have to do any of the above alone, nor should you. A universal trait among the top leaders Esimai has engaged with is their keen ability to work with others to achieve their goals. It's easier to embrace your differences when you have others who share it. is is the case with both male and female immigrants, women in general, those with handicaps, or anything that makes them look, feel, or be perceived as different. You notice your self-limiting behaviors faster when you have a friend who can give you that extra pair of eyes. A mentor or coach who has already walked a similar path to yours can provide you with hope and inspiration that you can walk it too. Reach out to others. Tap into your unique advantages without apology. And believe that yes, you really can do it. "ere are so many brilliant people out there from diverse backgrounds that will go on to do amazing things," Esimai assures. "ey just need to embrace who they are, what they believe, and their ability to exceed expectations." BUSINESS

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