The struggle between being yourself and being who they expect you to be
Amanda Natividad (VP of Marketing at Sparktoro) on rejecting conformity and finding success being unapologetically herself.
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At some point, most of us get feedback that we need to work on our “executive presence.”
The annoying code phrase for presenting yourself a certain way. A more formal way. With more command, more influence, and more poise… like an executive would.
Amanda Natividad, VP of Marketing at SparkToro shared her experience during our conversation for the podcast.
At first, she tried to change herself to fit a certain mold.
“I tried dressing differently, but I looked like a kid wearing her mom’s clothes. I changed the way I wrote my emails, the way I spoke — even lowering the register of my voice to sound older, more mature, more senior.”
But playing the part never felt authentic.
It created an internal tension between being who she was vs what others expected her to be. Eventually she realized there’s more power in just being her true self.
Amanda found out that she wasn’t the only one struggling to be her authentic self at work when she posted about her experience on LinkedIn:
She clearly hit a nerve.
In addition to hearing how being her authentic self has unlocked more influence than playing executive - we had a really great conversation about the highs and lows of her career, including:
When a stranger’s first comment to her was, “Wow! Rand really opened a lot of doors for you. That must be nice.”
The time her boss said “it’s obvious when you don’t know what you’re doing”
Being told she was “too junior” and “too direct”
Watch or listen below 👇
Things to listen for:
[06:34] When Amanda was told “Wow. Rand must have opened up a lot of doors for you”
[15:39] During the pandemic, she was furloughed from her job at Liftopia
[19:01] Feeling powerless in her personal and professional life…
[27:29] Being told “It’s obvious when you don’t know what you’re doing” by a manager
[31:11] Seeing feedback as positive and her co-workers wanting to help
[32:38] Being told “You’re too junior” and “You’re too direct”
[39:34] “I don’t know” shows maturity and awareness on a personal level
[45:57] The skills she wishes she worked on earlier
Resources:
Connect with Amanda on LinkedIn
Check out SparkToro
Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
Learn more about Appcues
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