From “First and Only” to First-Class Leader: Turning Your Unique Position Into Your Greatest Advantage
From "First and Only" to First-Class Leader: Turning Your Unique Position Into Your Greatest Advantage
We recently joined the Industry Thought Leadership event at Kepler U, to address an audience of 50 emerging marketing professionals. In a fireside chat format, the session was facilitated by Justin Roberts, AVP of Culture and Inclusion at Kepler Group. What was unique about the audience was that many share a common experience. They are the first in their families to enter corporate environments or the only person from their background on their teams. While their experience in digital marketing is new, their work experience was not.
Farnia Fresnel, President of The Lenserf Group, was featured at the event and shared several words from lived and learned experiences, ” As someone who coaches pioneering leaders across the span of their careers, I know how strong the headwinds are.”
Your Difference Is Your Advantage
Participants were challenged to reframe being “first” or “only” from the limitations of a liability into a strategic asset. In one reflection they heard a story of how being left-handed, once experienced as a disadvantage, became a memorable connection point with a client, ultimately leading to new business opportunities.
Participants were curious about how to leverage their unique attributes. They were encouraged and heard “someone needs exactly what you are. In marketing and creative fields, diverse perspectives eliminate blind spots. Your unique viewpoint is what helps products actually land with their audiences.”
Ironically enough, the skills that first gens master (grit, adaptive learning, empathy, drive, humility, ambiguity tolerance and more) early in life and career are exactly the skills required to thrive as executives. Recent Boston Consulting Group research on First Gen professionals says how employers can harness this expertise.
Silencing Imposter Syndrome
On combating imposter syndrome, participants were offered a powerful reframe: “Believing, achieving, and expectation starts with you. It starts in your head.”
This question, raised by a Kepler U professional, opened the conversation to worthiness. When you genuinely believe you’re worthy and act as if you’re ready, everything changes: how you communicate, how you carry yourself. This becomes especially critical as you advance, since external validation becomes scarcer at higher organizational levels.
“Consider this: you’ve arrived already. What you are is what you need to lead.”
Building Your Personal Board of Directors
At one point, Justin highlighted the importance of the first 90 days of employment. To this, they learned of two career-limiting mistakes new hires commonly make:
- Keeping your head down: Don’t just focus on assigned tasks. Your work connects to others, so forge those relationships. Let your first impression be intentional, not accidental.
- Mishandling mistakes: Everyone makes mistakes when learning a new environment. What really matters is what happens next. Acknowledge, learn, and demonstrate growth rather than covering up or blaming others.
Quick Resilience for High Pressure Moments
For professionals juggling multiple high-stakes responsibilities, time is rarely available in excess. With a surprisingly simple tool, a 10-20 second breathing practice, participants learned how to bring themselves back from stressful moments.
Participants were led through the exercise in real-time, demonstrating how quickly you can shift from stress response to creative problem-solving. When stress activates your reptilian brain, you lose access to innovation, which is exactly what you need to support you through that stress.
Key Insights from the Thought Leader Panel
If you are reading this now, you likely were not in the virtual room. Consider the following and see what may most resonate with you.
- “Perfectionism is the enemy of practice. Practice is what gives you confidence.” Without doing the reps, you can’t develop real skills. You build confidence by seeing your own capability develop through repeated action.
- On rejection: Every “no” is an opportunity to grow. Ask what didn’t work and what you can learn. This message resonated deeply as their work is in marketing, where nearly everything requires tweaking and rejection based on feedback.
- On burnout: Ground yourself in your vision, not just where you’re going professionally, but who you want to be as a person. This serves as your GPS for career decisions and life.
- On making yourself promotable: Share your expertise and mentor others. Organizations can’t afford to promote you if you’re the only person who knows how to do something critical.
Five Takeaways for Pioneering Leaders
- Your difference is your advantage. What makes you unique eliminates organizational blind spots
- Self-validation comes first. Show up as if you’ve already succeeded
- Build strategic relationships early. Create your personal board of directors
- Master the first 90 days. Balance tasks with relationship-building
- Practice micro-resilience. Even 10-20 seconds of breathing shifts you from stress to creativity
Through innovative virtual programs like EYP Academy and the live, bi-monthly Leadership COGS micro-learning series, The Lenserf Group develops the mental fitness, emotional intelligence, and strategic thinking that drives sustainable success.
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Learn more about Kepler U or hire their trained talent here: https://keplerutraining.com/
If your team is challenged with change or elements of identity, reach out: https://www.calendly.com/lenserfgroup