Backwards and in Heels, with Sue Hawkes and Ali Stieglbauer

As a bestselling author, keynote speaker, Certified EOS Implementer, Certified Business Coach, WPO Chapter Chair, and globally recognized, award-winning seminar leader, Sue brings over twenty-five years of experience to her clients. She is the CEO of YESS! and has designed and delivered dynamic, transformational programs for thousands of people. Sue has received numerous awards including the Dream Keeper award recognized by the Governor’s Council for her leadership program, the Regional U.S. Small Business Administration Women in Business Champion of the Year award, the Exemplary Woman of the Community award, WomenVenture’s Unsung Hero award, Women Who Lead from Minnesota Business Magazine, NAWBO Minnesota’s Achieve! Vision Award and named a 2018 Enterprising Woman of the Year. Sue has been featured in publications including Inc., Entrepreneur, Thrive Global and The New York Daily News.

What you’ll learn about in this episode:

What it means to dance backwards in heels

How to deal with the lack of credit where credit is due for women in the workplace

What we can do to persevere without being perceived as pushy or angry

Practices for success when the odds are stacked against you

Why you need to go after what you deserve no matter what

How to gain leverage when you have to make difficult decisions

How to reframe your perspective and identify your pathway to success

Resources:

Course: https://yess.learnworlds.com/course/chasing-perfection-sampler

Learning Community: https://yess.learnworlds.com/

Website: https://www.sayyess.com/

Books: https://www.sayyess.com/books/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suehawkes/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/suehawkesyess/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YESScoaching

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SueHawkesYESS

The Decision of Worthiness

Chapter seven of “Chasing Perfection” is called “Backward and in Heels,” paying homage to Ginger Rogers’ ability to match Fred Astaire’s skill while dancing backward in heels. This is a common theme in the workplace because women are often forced to do more with less and to settle for less than a man would. We have to do twice the work for half the credit, all while being dismissed as pushy for persevering. In this episode of Intentional Greatness, Ali and I dissect the notion of dancing backward in heels, and we explore the practices that will bring you success when the odds are stacked against you.

Go After What You Deserve

Confidence is a major part of success in your personal and professional lives. You need to allow and tolerate what YOU think you deserve in every situation. Go after what you deserve no matter what, even if the task is easier for someone else than it might be for you. Everything you have in your life is a direct correlation to how you see yourself and what you believe you’re worth. When you take on that perspective, I believe it gives you leverage when you have to make difficult decisions. Once you make the decision of internal worthiness, you will begin to look for the external factors and draw connections.

Define Your Reality

Unfortunately, “backward and in heels” is a reality that many women accept. The good news is you have the power to reframe that reality with a new perspective. Success is looking at a challenging situation and asking yourself who you need to become to succeed. The transformation that takes place en route to your goal is where the real success stems from. It is that old cliche, “it’s about the journey, not the destination.” By learning to be present, defining your reality, and persevering no matter what it takes, you will achieve success like you’ve never seen before.