Empower Yourself: Tackling Workplace Judgements

“Why did you not pitch that brilliant idea to your boss?”
“What is stopping you from posting these research findings on LinkedIn?”
“Why did you not stand up for what you believe in and share it with your colleague?”

These are some of the questions I have asked my clients in the last week in our 1:1 mentoring session and the answer is mostly the fear of being judged.

“What if they judge me and my idea, my research or my opinion as ridiculous?” is a question that has made majority of women feel stuck in their careers not harnessing their full potential.

I did a recent survey and asked 100 women,

“What is their biggest fear of being judged when it comes to going for their wildest career dreams?”

82% women replied, “The fear of being judged as a woman who is selfishly going after her career dreams and neglecting her family/kids’ needs.”

Now will these women be performing at their peak innovation, intelligence and capability if they are having this fear of judgement?

Of course, no.

What is a judgement?

Let’s break down judgement in a simple way. A judgement is an opinion about someone or something. An ‘opinion’ can be a projection. An ‘opinion’ is not the ultimate truth about you, it is someone else’s perspective. It is relative. Not absolute.

Read that again and let it sink in.

Once you know that a judgement is not the absolute truth, the weight of the judgement starts loosening up. Now let us explore some steps to let go of the judgement by taking an example of the fear of being judged about your idea:

1.  I am sure there will be two different judgements about your idea. Some people in the room will love it others may not. The idea is the ‘same’. This itself is like evidence to the brain on how judgement is relative and just a perspective.
   

2. Now ask yourself, “What is the worst judgement that can happen to me when I present my idea in the room?”
   Now your brain knows that the worst judgement is also just an ‘opinion’. How does your body feel in this new realization?
   

3. Your self worth is not determined by a judgement. An idea is an idea. Do not make it something which is equal to your self worth. When you let go off that pressure, handling judgements becomes easier. That is when you learn the art of not taking a judgement personally.
   

Those were my 3 steps to handle one scenario of judgement. If you feel you need more inputs on handling your specific scenario of facing judgement, hit reply with your query and I will be honoured to provide insights on the same.

How did the leaders handle judgement?

Indra Nooyi, 12 years CEO of PepsiCo, was once judged as being very intimidating. She says in her memoir, ‘When I changed my clothing and went with more tailored outfits—and it wasn’t high fashion, it was just elegant corporate outfits—a board member told me that he found me intimidating, whatever that means. I don’t know. I don’t care.’


After failing the exam for medical school, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw trained as a professional brewmaster. When no company in India’s male-dominated beer industry would hire her, judging her to be incompetent because she was a woman, despite her education and certification, she decided to start her own business developing industrial enzymes. Thirty years later, Mazumdar-Shaw is chairman and CEO of Biocon, India’s largest biotech company and Asia’s biggest producer of insulin.

These women would have not have been who they are today if they had allowed judgements from others to rule their world. They knew the judgement is a projection and not a reality. You can navigate judgement just like them.

Leaving you with some questions as you see judgement in new light today,

“What career dream would I go for if I knew judgement is just people’s projection/opinion about me and not my ultimate truth?”

“What one step can I take today towards this dream of mine?”

 Own it. Pursue it. Fulfill it.

Share it with a friend or colleague who might be benefitted with this knowledge.

Much Love,
Pradnya

PS: Want to work with me and break through your gender inhibitors at work, I have two programs for you:

1. Get Unstuck
   1 majestic 2 hours deep dive to identify why you feel stuck in your career culminating into an impactful professional goal plan.

2. Elevate X - Elevating Women’s Careers 
   This is a program for driven, hungry and inspired career oriented women like you where we:

• Expand your career identity.
  The shifts I am experiencing with this work is phenomenal and I want to bring the same to you.

• Building an authority and persona where you stand out in any room you enter at work. Creating a unique you proposition at work.
  This work helps people to remember you and your niche.

• Cultivating mindsets and internal capabilities to embrace your gender positioning, driving your confidence to apply and step into higher leadership roles within the C Suite setting.
  This is the most potent and transformational shift you will experience in your career journey.

Hit reply, to know more!