Redirect Rejection with Empowerment
What is confidence? How do you get it? What is scary about rejection? Why is it hard to accept a “No”?
Empowered Women in Tech is an event hosted by Boulder Bits that’s geared towards helping women advance themselves in their career and in life. At our most recent event, Laura Rich, CEO and Co-Founder of Street Fight, spoke on building and maintaining confidence.
Here are some of the recommendations that Laura gave to the team of women who attended our event:
1) Brag as a practice without tearing yourself down. Many times, we talk about something awesome that we did or that’s happened, then feel inclined to include “but” statements that discredit us.
2) Rejection = Opportunity. Prove that you are good enough. Nicole Danti stated, “One time I applied for a position and they told me I’m overqualified. I just thought, thank you for telling me I’m awesome!” We especially loved that mindset.
3) Persistence pays off in the end. Laura Barnes, Founder/CEO of Payfurther stated, “Once a guy really wanted to work for me and told me he would work for my competitor if I didn’t hire him. I said ‘okay’ and left it at that. Next thing I know, I have another email saying, ‘no, seriously, I really want to work for you.’ So, I hired him.”
During the event we shared advice and experiences on how we can redirect our perspective on rejection in the future. Strong individuals on the inside encouraged each other to bring that same strength to the outside.
This week’s “Empowered Women in Tech” included a trip to Pearl Street Mall to do a Rejection Therapy exercise. The ladies were given a list of scavenger hunt-like activities which helped them get points to determine a winner. The tasks ranged from easier ones, like petting a stranger’s dog, to more difficult ones, such as asking a local coffee shop for a free beverage. It was designed to move everyone out of their comfort zone and move past the fear of doing something unfamiliar. The exercise ended with the group belting out the National Anthem, followed by a round of applause from bemused mall-goers.
Post-exercise we shared our feelings about the experience, discussed what was easy and where fear was stirred up. Jennifer Winer stated, “The hardest part is getting started, but after you get over the hump it’s pretty easy.”
The session ended with Jesse, CEO of Boulder Bits, who welcomed questions and offered a safe place to ask questions on the male perspective. It was immensely helpful to openly ask questions from a pioneer for women’s rights.
Lastly, a BIG shout out to Laura Barnes, Founder/CEO of Payfurther, who was the winner of our Rejection Therapy exercise!
Fun Bits:
Recommendations from our event:
