Month 3 as a Founder: How I Cracked Imposter Syndrome and Became An Athlete Again

August 30, 2022

Everyone has the potential to be an athlete 🥇

By Danielle Blizzard

Hello everyone 👋🏻


So we’ve hit the 3 month milestone and I’m loving doing these monthly retrospectives, not only because I get to reflect on the journey of talentX but also because each month has also been a journey of self-development and growth for me.


This month has been poignant for me because I feel like I cracked the imposter syndrome phenomenon and clearly defined my vision for talentX. It’s a process, but I’m really excited about how it’s all coming together 💃


When I started talentX, I was excited. I had a vision of what I wanted it to be, and I knew what the business would do for people. But it still felt like something was missing.


I've always been an extremely self-critical person. I would often berate myself for not being good enough, or not doing enough. It's a trait that has served me well in many ways (it's what helped me become the entrepreneur and leader that I am today!) but it also had its drawbacks—the most common of which was feeling like an imposter. That feeling of unease when you just don't feel like you belong where you are, even if everyone around you says otherwise and believes in your ability to deliver results.


But then something happened (well a few things):


1.I read an inspirational book called High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best by Jake Humphrey and Prof Damian Hughes 📚


It was an incredible read about how some of our greatest athletes train for their sport—and how we can apply those principles to our own lives in order to reach our highest potential as individuals. That book led me back down the path of believing in myself and my ability to make this happen! It was like a light had turned on in my head and I suddenly realised that talentX exists because of me and my vision for it. It has everything to do with my passion and purpose. At its core, talentX is about helping people reach their highest potential; so it made sense for me to return to who I am at my core!


2. I re-focused and went back to the core of who I am - a sportsperson, an athlete. I realised that my passion or time dedicated to sport had been lost over time, and it was time to get back to what I love ❤️


3. I asked the ‘5 WHYS’ of why talentX exists, because when you know why you’re doing something, beyond mere personal gain, you perform at a higher level 🚀


4. Lastly, but most importantly, I started building up the talentX community of elite people & talent experts - ones who share the same vision as me, who are excited about what we can achieve together and who will help me get there. This has been so important to me and I can’t wait to start introducing them to everyone! 👯‍♂️


The Real Secret To High Performance Results


I've always believed that businesses can learn a lot from sports performance and as a coach and advisor I love to introduce sports performance concepts to the business world!


Sports performance is all about getting the most out of your athletes and teams. It's about having a clear vision for what you want to achieve, building a team that can help you achieve it, and then making sure everyone knows their role. This makes it easy for everyone involved in the team to understand how they fit into the whole picture.


It's not just about having great players though - it's also about keeping them motivated, focused and committed to getting better week after week. In my experience in sport, this means providing them with clear goals and coaching them through any challenges or setbacks along the way. It also means being honest about your own progress so that you can all be on track together towards achieving those goals.


Businesses are no different! They need great employees who are motivated by clearly defined goals that they share with their manager or owner. They need clear communication between management and staff so that everyone knows exactly where they stand at any given time. 


The next time you're feeling overwhelmed or stressed, try this: imagine yourself as an athlete 🌟🥇💪🏻


Think about how you would approach your work if it were a game or a competition. How would you be ready for anything? How would you prepare? What would your strategies be? How would you see every situation as an opportunity to learn and improve?


You may have heard the phrase: "the best athletes make their own luck," which means that they are prepared for anything that comes their way and can turn any situation into an opportunity for success. That's exactly what leaders do too—they make their own luck through preparation and smart decision-making.


It’s like Michael Jordan once said: “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships”.


talentX has been built on the philosophy of sports performance 🥇


We know what it takes to be a winner, we know how to get out of our comfort zone and push ourselves to new limits. It is this philosophy that will always run through talentX; we are the elite athletes of the talent and people world. We are here to help you build better companies and to help individuals achieve things that they never thought possible. 


We believe in high performance, and we think that every person has the potential to be an elite athlete.


I personally cannot wait to start introducing the latest members of the talentX community and to see how we can continue to support the scaling efforts of high-growth tech companies 🤗


If this post resonates with you and you’re an experienced people & talent expert, then I’d love to chat to you. I’m currently designing our game plan and need some extra players to help us win!  👋🏻


Fun Fact 🎉: As a child, I dreamed of being the first woman sports physio on the field for a premier league football match. (I’m pretty certain somebody had already taken that title but it was still a dream of mine) 💭👩🏼‍⚕️


In case you wondered, these are the ‘5 WHYS’ of talentX


Why talentX? To provide elite people and talent experts to high-growth companies 


Why? To help founders, CEOs and leaders build the best companies they possibly can


Why? To take away the pain of hiring, retaining, and developing talent


Why? To create work environments that inspire people to grow and develop and become the best versions of themselves


Why? To provide opportunities that allow people to thrive no matter what other struggles they are facing in life. Because we care ❤️


Other things that happened this month 🙃


My personal goals:


  1. 10 x netball matches 🏐 - 10 ✅
  2. Swim 1km in 24 minutes  🏊🏻‍♀️ 24mins ✅  (total 5km swam)
  3. Run a total of 30km 🏃🏼‍♀️ - zero
  4. 2 x 20km cycle rides 🚲 - zero
  5. 1 x open water swimming trip 🤿 - Dibba trip ✅ (also signed up for my Open PADI course)
  6. Make 1x batch of candles 🕯 - zero


My personal goals for next month:


I’m super excited for next month as I start training for the Dubai 7’s Netball tournament but I also need to put in some serious work for my super sprint triathlon in October! 🏐 🏊🏻‍♀️🚲🏃🏼‍♀️


  1. 10 x netball matches 🏐
  2. Swim a distance of 2km in one session 🏊🏻‍♀️
  3. Run a total of 30km 🏃🏼‍♀️
  4. 2 x 20km cycle rides 🚲
  5. Complete Open PADI theory exam 🤿🎓
  6. Make 1x batch of candles 🕯


Book of the Month 📚:


High Performance: Lessons from the Best on Becoming Your Best by Jake Humphrey & Prof Damian Hughes


Don’t forget! Hire. Inspire. Win 🥇


Love,

   Danielle x

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Improve the Quality of Your Hires with These Tips For any business, hiring new employees is one of the most important decisions you can make. It’s critical to bring on high-quality hires who will bring their skills and expertise to the team and help your business reach its goals. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to know how to hire the best people, especially in a competitive job market. Here are some tips to help improve the quality of your hires: Start with a Clear Job Description One of the first steps in improving the quality of your hires is making sure that you have an accurate and detailed job description. This should include information about salary, role expectations, company culture, and any other benefits or perks that come along with the position. A clear job description helps ensure that you attract applicants who are interested in the job for more than just the money; it also ensures that you get applicants who are better suited for what you’re looking for. Focus on Soft Skills When evaluating potential candidates for a position, it’s important to focus on both hard skills (such as technical knowledge) and soft skills (such as communication or problem solving). While hard skills may be necessary for certain jobs, soft skills often make all the difference when it comes to whether someone will fit into your team or not. When interviewing candidates, ask questions that allow you to assess their soft skills, such as “How do you handle conflicts?” or “What would your last boss say about your communication style?” Additionally, consider asking them questions related to past experiences so that you can get a better sense of how they might handle similar situations at your company. Give Candidates Tests Another way to gauge a candidate's ability is by giving them tests related to their potential job responsibilities. For example, if you're hiring a web developer, consider giving them an assessment test where they have to solve coding challenges within a specific time limit. Not only does this help assess their technical abilities but it also gives them an opportunity to showcase their problem-solving and analytical thinking skills as well. Additionally, these tests help weed out unqualified candidates early on in the process so that you don't waste time interviewing people who aren't qualified for the role or not interested in doing it properly. Improving the quality of hire doesn't have to be complicated; there are simple steps everyone can take towards achieving this goal and talentX is here to help. Start by creating an accurate job description and focusing on both hard and soft skills during interviews and assessments. Then give potential candidates tests related to their potential job responsibilities so that you can assess their abilities without wasting time interviewing unqualified candidates. By following these tips and working with talentX, businesses can ensure they hire high-quality employees who will contribute meaningfully towards achieving organizational goals!
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