Becoming aware of yourself allows you to build on your great strengths. And with an awareness of your weaknesses comes the ability to turn them around and use those weaknesses to your advantage.

Make this the year you stop running from you. Discover what you are about. Know what you stand for. Start today. Show the world how unique you are. Be who you really are. Care about something. Find what is important to you. Be the leader you were meant to be. Maximize your authentic voice. Lead.

According to Tara Talbot, former VP of Human Resources at Workopolis, “the reason that most people get hired is the same as the reason most people get fired.” And that reason is personality. I want to add to that and say the same reason most people choose to work for you is the same reason they leave you.

Within minutes of getting to the hospital, the nurses and the doctors could see I was in serious distress and they acted quickly. They tried talking to me, but I couldn’t speak clearly. My mouth was dry and my teeth were clenching so hard. Within seconds, I was lying on the hospital bed with all these scary and weird looking machines around me, veraciously staring at me as if they were saying goodbye.

In a ground-breaking research study conducted by John-Erik Mathisen and Jan Ketil Arnulf at BI Norwegian Business School, there are two mindsets that most aspiring entrepreneurs have, one of which is likely limiting your potential as a young entrepreneur.

Now, more than ever, your team is hungry. They are after something. They want your genuineness more than your skills, qualifications, product or service. They want an experience. They want an experience that is more authentic and real.

It starts with making a decision to do things differently. This is a decision to match your outer expressions with your inner experiences. Yes, you may get into trouble for doing this, but do it anyway. The things you say and the things you do need to match with the things you actually believe.

When I was a young professional a few years ago and struggling to get hired and achieve my career goals, I used to wonder why other young professionals in my industry seemed to have better control of their careers than I did.

I used to be a goal setting junkie for a very long, long time. I used to equate goal setting with success. Some would say I was addicted to setting goals. I lived under the impression that setting goals meant you have succeeded until I discovered this uncomfortable truth.

I believe when it comes to growing your career as a young leader you need to do it in a way that makes people feel safe and secure around you. This is about being an effective leader and exuding great energy and making others feel good around you.