EDGE Turning Adversity into Advantage

On November 11, 2020, The College of New Jersey School of Business hosted their 10th Annual Women’s Leadership Summit with guest speaker Laura Huang, Harvard Business School, and author of EDGE – Turning Adversity Into Advantage. These are two takeaways from the summit: 1. The power of feedback – The caveat is that not all feedback is feedback we can use. Honest feedback provided in the right way can clear up and guide perceptions. Obtaining feedback is an opportunity for self-reflection. We can empower ourselves from the inside out to turn situations in our favor. Questions to ask yourself – What is the best way to do this task? Is there something I am not doing that I should be? Are you willing to feel the discomfort of doing things differently? What is the intent of the feedback provided? 2. Using four tactics to turn adversity into advantage – Enrich, Delight, Guide, and Effort • Enrich -Authentically trying to understand how others perceive you so you can provide value. Each of us is a diamond with many angles and we are trying to show the angle of ourselves that shines the brightest. You must know the value that you bring, and other people must know it as well. • Delight – Getting the opportunity to showcase your knowledge, skills, and abilities by delightfully surprising people in a small way. This makes people take notice of you and what you can do. • Guide – As you enrich and delight, you must guide people’s perception of you. People’s perception of you is their perception of you, and shifting that perception takes time and effort. Own your narrative. • Effort – Realizing that effort and hard work alone does not equal success. Many of us have been taught that hard work equates to success, but we often get signals, obstacles, stereotypes, and perceptions that impact our success. Success involves self-awareness. It is about knowing who you are and using that knowledge and intention to shape your perceptions. Questions to ask yourself – How do you define success? What is your biggest barrier to success? What can you do to build advantages against biases people might have toward you?