Lucy Gernon (00:05.678)
you addicted to work? One of the biggest mistakes I see with high achieving women leaders is that you believe that if you do more, it proves your worth. In this week’s episode of the 360 leadership, I need to say that again, because it’s not called a 360 leadership. Sorry, Ali. Are you addicted to work? One of the biggest mistakes I see for high achieving women in leadership is believing that doing more proves your worth.
In this week’s episode of the 360 Leadership podcast, I am sharing mistake number two of five that I see with high achievers. And you definitely don’t want to miss this because I know you’re going to resonate deeply. If you feel like you’re always on the hamster wheel, it might just be because of what I’m going to share in today’s episode.
Lucy Gernon (00:57.262)
Hello there, lovely lady, and welcome back to another episode of the 360 Leadership Podcast. We are on part two of five in our five part mini series on the hidden mistakes that keep even the most smart, capable women leaders feeling stuck, stressed or secretly unfulfilled. Now, yesterday we shared mistake number one, which might just be costing you your marriage, which is putting work before the things that are important to you. And today we’re talking about mistake number two,
which is that believing that doing more actually proves your worth. Now, this is a very sneaky one that, mean, I can definitely relate to this, right? And I know so many of you can, because on the surface, it looks like it’s just ambition and sneaky work ethic. But underneath, it’s often driven by self-doubt and a deep need to feel enough, smart enough, intelligent enough.
impactful enough, good enough, this word enough, right? If you’ve found yourself ever saying yes to things that you didn’t have time for, over delivering on every single project or chasing the next goal without really even pausing to celebrate the last, this episode is for you. Now, let’s talk about the high achiever conditioning. I don’t know about you, but I can really relate to this. And this is…
If you are a high achiever, you are with the right woman. And if you want to learn more about working with me in 360Litres Club, you’re going to find a whole host of high achievers in there. And we all support each other to try and hold each other accountable, not to fall into this trap. Most of us were raised to be good girls, hard workers, be reliable. We got gold stars at school when we got 10 out of 10 in our spelling, we got
praise when we got promotions, all for doing more than was expected, all when we achieved. And while that might have worked when you were a child and also earlier in your career, it literally becomes a prison at senior levels. Now, personally, as a business owner, I can still fall into this trap because when you’re a business, when you’re an entrepreneur and you found a company, it is
Lucy Gernon (03:20.674)
deep rooted in a passion to solve a problem. The reason I create 360 Leaders Club is because I have been in your shoes and I speak your language. I know what it’s like to juggle family and juggle leadership. I know what it’s like to have a team. I know what it’s like to have this pressure to be in male dominated rooms. I understand the want to achieve, the want to please, the want to be valuable and to feel like I remember when I was
pharmaceutical industry when I started my career back in 2000, I was going to say 2020, no wasn’t. Back in 2005 I’m going to say was when I first started out in pharmaceuticals. Before that I, you know, I was working in different industries but it was when I started in like the big multinationals that I really felt for the first time that I belonged.
I felt for the first time that I was contributing to something big and that I was being recognized because at school, I’ve told you guys before, I thought I was stupid, right? And I was brought up to be a good girl. I was a perfectionist, all of those things. And I still have to watch that in myself because those patterns are very hard to break, especially if you’re not aware of them. And I love what I do so deeply. I created 360 to
provide everything I wish I had in the corporate world. I wish I had 360Liters Club when I was on those days where I didn’t know where to turn or to develop my skills to be able to influence and to communicate and to really feel confident in my own skin. Like things would have been very different for me. So that’s why I’m so passionate about it because I know the work that goes in by you guys. I understand.
the level you’re leading at and the pressure you’re under. And I just want to make things easier for you because I wish I had that right. And when you care so deeply about your mission, and I’m on a mission to empower you with the tools you need to lead with more confidence, to communicate with more presence and live with more balance. So you really get that 360 degree success. I care deeply. But sometimes I catch myself using work as a way to feel worthy. And it’s not easy for me to admit that, but it’s true.
Lucy Gernon (05:34.87)
I’m aware of it, which is the first step. And I bring myself back. But the patterns still are hard to break. And usually when I’m overworking, it’s not because of necessarily a business need. It’s because I’m used to being busy. I remember one of my coaches said to me once, said, Lucy, said, who are you when you’re not busy? And I couldn’t answer that. Right. I couldn’t answer that. Now, side note, I’m close to getting answers to that because as I’m recording this episode, I am
in undergoing ADHD diagnosis. And one of the things with ADHD is you have this restlessness and this need, this drive. It’s like you’re feeling like you’re driven by a motor. And that’s actually most likely a physiological thing. can’t change, but I still want to feel more at peace and more calm within myself, you know. So something that I actively work on and I wanted to bring that here with you today. And I feel really vulnerable saying this to you because
You know, I just do. just feel really, I feel exposed. But I just think it’s important to be real. I really think it’s important for me to be real. So the common patterns I invite you to watch out for are. Number one, if you struggle to switch off, even at the weekends or holidays, if you’re saying yes out of fear or guilt, or if you are feeling uncomfortable doing nothing or resting, if you feel like you always need to be busy.
Or if you equate your value with output and being busy, right? If you feel like you haven’t delivered enough in a day, what does that say about me? What does that say about me? If that sounds familiar, I want you to know that you were absolutely not alone. I’ve shared my story, but many of the high achievement women in leadership in 360 said that this was their default mode too until they broke the cycle because awareness is the first step.
Does it mean that you’re fixed and you’re cured as soon as you’re aware? Hell no, it does not. But what it does mean is awareness gives you choice. And when you have choice, you can choose a different path. You can choose a different behavior. One of my clients, who is a VP in tech, she shared with me that literally she couldn’t even watch a movie with her kids without checking her emails. Her phone, if it wasn’t in her hand or in the same room as her, she felt totally anxious. Can you relate?
Lucy Gernon (08:00.066)
And she thought that made her committed. But what she realized in 360s, it was actually a mindset and boundary issue rooted in her needing to prove her worth. But now after we did all the work on saboteurs and self leadership and all of the things I teach you guys inside and my experts too, she sets more work hours. She leads more strategically. She has more time and much to her surprise. She’s getting a lot more respect and buy in from her team.
but also from one very, very tricky senior female leader who she really thought didn’t like her. Everything has changed there. But I’ll save that story for another day.
So if you are overworking, what’s the impact? Right, it doesn’t earn you more respect, it actually erodes it. And people stop seeing you as strategic and they start seeing you as a workhorse. I’m gonna say that again, if you’re multitasking, come back to me. People stop seeing you as a strategic leader and they start seeing you as a workhorse. And internally, what that’s doing, even without you knowing it, it’s chipping away at your confidence, your calm and your clarity. So we wanna shift the pattern.
So if you want to be seen as a powerful leader, you, lovely lady, you need to act like one. You need to act like one. And that means prioritizing high impact tasks. Again, when you join 360, I give you access to my executive efficiency system. I give you a beautiful branded journal that is literally stepping you through step by step how to prioritize so you can have it on your desk. It’s going to help you immensely.
You also need to let go of perfectionism. Got to apply the 80-20 rule here. And if you’re multitasking, come back to me for this one. Your number one job as a female leader is to protect your energy like it is your most valuable resource, because your energy and your time are far more valuable than money. But yet we put more value on this paper that allows us to buy stuff that we don’t need. Right?
Lucy Gernon (10:07.534)
Your energy and your time are your most valuable resources. They’re the things that allow you to feel good and to experience this earth. So you’ve got to protect them. Now, like I’ve shared already, in 360, we help women to unhook their identity from doing and honestly build true strategic leadership habits. In fact, we even have a whole CPD accredited advanced leadership training on strategic leadership where you leave with
some fabulous tools that literally are going to make you stand out as a strategic leader instantly with the right people. So you get access to that when you join. So if you want to join 360LitreSlope, what I recommend you do is to join our waitlist because our next 360 cohort will be starting super soon. This series is just the beginning and if it resonates, I really would love to strongly encourage you to consider applying to join 360LitreSlope.
Now, what it means when you join the waitlist is you get early access when the door is open and you will get behind the scenes insights before anybody else. So all you’ve got to do is go to 360LitresClub.com forward slash waitlist. And when we open up spots again, you will be offered an opportunity to apply. Like I’ve shared before, I’m very protective over the community. It’s very high vibe, high vibe community, high achievers, people who want to learn and develop themselves. It is not for you if you’re a negative Nally.
It’s not for you if you want to blame other people. It’s absolutely for you if you’re ready to develop yourself and just watch the magic happen. Can’t guarantee you’ll get a place. So please just if you’re offered an opportunity to apply, I recommend that you do. And if you were offered a place, I would grab it with both hands. Grab it with both hands. Now, side note, do, if you, lot of our members invest in themselves, but some also get their employers to invest. So if you want to reach out to me, we do have some guidance on how to approach that conversation.
if you want to get the ball rolling before we open the doors. So that’s why I would recommend. Now, in tomorrow’s episode, we are going to be going into mistake number three. And this one is one that is so common among senior leaders. And I think it’s what you’re definitely going to need to hear. So come back again tomorrow at 7am Irish time. The episode will be released and we will connect again.
Lucy Gernon (12:25.666)
And until then, lovely lady, please remember your worth is not measured by how much you do. It is defined by who you are, who you are inside, how you lead, how you show up for your family, for your friends, for yourself, and the things that are important in life. You’ve got this and I’ve got you. See you tomorrow.
