I’m an Imperfect Boss & That’s Okay

I’m an Imperfect Boss and that’s okay. The important part is that I own my imperfections, my talents, and take longs strides with confidence. Nobody is perfect. I am not nobody. Therefore, I am imperfect. And I am absolutely okay with that!

The Imperfect Boss Campaign

Next week, my friend Ashley Beaudin is hosting her spring #theimperfectboss campaign, where hundreds of women will be posting all over social media with confessions of why they are awesome. So many women can so easily name all the ways they’re imperfect, yet struggle to say what they’re good at with confidence. Join us in an epic celebration of women next week as we see the good in us and the good in one another.
You are invited! Will you be joining us May 1st to 3rd 2017? 

Lady Boss, Stephanie

For those of you who don’t already know, this blog is actually one of THREE websites that I update daily. I run my newborn photography studio full-time where I help families create heirloom art, and I have a side-hustle as an SEO strategist where I help small business owners optimize their websites to be found online.


stephanie de montigny ottawa blogger ketoFinding the perfect ratio to split my time between them is a constant battle and ever-changing, so time-management is something that is very important to me. I never take on more than I know I can handle; they key is to actually work during work-time, in order of priority, and wait for personal time to do the rest.

The one thing that works for me is to write things down. If it is available to be crossed out, it gets done. Not always exactly when I intend to, but things get pushed around to accommodate. And while I would love for it to all be written in my customized business journal, it is often on post-its that get stuck to my computer, in my car, or the front door–but it works!

I’m An Imperfect Boss & That’s Okay

I am an imperfect boss, and that’s okay. The trick is to know your flaws, and work WITH them instead of against them. And don’t forget to acknowledge your skills, and use them!

⇒ As a perfectionist, I need to combat the need for everything to be perfect. My way to work with that trait is to constantly tell myself “done is better than incomplete”. For example, I try to always email someone back as soon as possible, even if the response isn’t worded just the right way, to make sure my clients get a timely response. I make it a customer-service goal rather than a ‘perfect email writing skills’ one.
⇒ As a person who suffers from ‘selective memory’ and is easily distracted, I need to make an extra effort to leave myself breadcrumbs for small tasks since my brain focuses on big things that are months away rather than remembering that I am almost out of printer ink. For example, I try to always write things down as they come up, whether it be on a post-it, a napkin, or email myself — then transfer them into my neatly-written to-do booklet. My favourite way to force myself to keep up on things is with a ‘Starbucks morning’. I drive away from the distractions of home, into an unknown yet familiar environment–I sip my keto-friendly Cafe Misto, and combine all of my task lists into my business planner, and figure out the best schedule for the week to get everything done. Being in a coffee shop also helps the extrovert in me feel connected to people, all while keeping to myself.
⇒ As a loyal skeptic (as per the Enneagram), my brain is wired to focus on thinking about worst-case scenarios and every possible thing that could go wrong, which often leads to a form of procrastination, so I need to make a very deliberate effort to think about what I could achieve. Again with the “done (properly) is better than perfect” self-mantra motivation, and encouragement from my ‘tribe’. This means I am never caught blind-sighted on a project, but that it often takes me longer than it should, so setting proper expectations is important.

Qualities of an Imperfect Boss

Stay tuned on my Instagram for the things that make me awesome, and learn how being an imperfect boss is not a bad thing for business if you embrace it.

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!

stephanie de montigny SdeM handrawn initials ottawa blogger

For more information on the Imperfect Boss Campaign, visit www.theimperfectboss.com

UPDATE! The campaign’s results:

As a person who suffers from ‘selective memory’ and is easily distracted, I need to make an extra effort to leave myself breadcrumbs for small tasks since my brain focuses on big things that are months away rather than remembering that I am almost out of printer ink until I go to print something. I am awesome because, I try to always write things down as they come up, whether it be on a post-it, a napkin, or email myself. If I still have a bunch of long-term tasks at the end of the week, I transfer them into my neatly-written to-do booklet with deadlines. Being able to cross things out does wonders! ⠀

📎🗓📓📌📝 ⠀ ⠀

My favourite way to force myself to keep up on things is with a ‘Starbucks morning’. I drive away from the distractions of home, into an unknown yet familiar environment–I sip my coffee, and combine all of my task lists into my business planner, and figure out the best schedule for the week to get everything done on time and efficiently and properly. Being in a coffee shop also helps the extrovert in me feel connected to people, all while keeping to myself.⠀

~ read more about my story: goo.gl/4koZCs ~⠀ ⠀

Over the next 3 days, together with @imperfectbosses and thousands of women across the globe, we will be telling the world about how we are awesome. YOU ARE INVITED to join the movement and share how YOU are an imperfect boss.⠀

#theimperfectboss #communityovercompetition #arisingtideliftsallboats #iamanimperfectbossandthatsokay #womenruntheworld #iamawesome #beyourownboss #beyourself ⠀

For more info on the campaign: www.bit.ly/imperfectboss

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Admitting our faults is hard, but boasting our skills seems to be even harder. Probably because we get accused of bragging–and apparently bragging is bad? Today we change that. Let’s CELEBRATE what makes us awesome, and celebrate those around us too! Nobody’s success is responsible for another’s demise.⠀ ⠀

MY NAME IS STEPHANIE, AND I AM AWESOME. 🙋🏼 ⠀

I am a rare breed of human, that has a very creative side, and a very mathematical and logical side. I was always told that I was ‘different’ and it never sounded very complimentary, but rather like an insult. Today, I choose to interpret it the other way around: I truly AM different! ⠀

➡️ I have the power of using my logic to evaluate various situations, and determining the correct actions for the desired outcomes.⠀

➡️ I have the luxury of my mathematical skills to create complex budgets, do my own bookkeeping, pile up my savings, and file my own taxes.⠀

➡️ I have the creativity to be able to come up with amazing metaphors in order to explain a slew of different things to many different types of learners.⠀

➡️ I have the opportunity to use my personal flair and artistic eye to create beautiful art for my clients, and enjoy personal creative projects for myself.⠀ ⠀

↪️I may not be good at everything, but I know what I am proficient at and I do it well. I know what I want, and I am not afraid to go out and make it happen. I am very proud that I am able to use my two big & opposing strengths to create a life for myself, create a career to support my family, and that I love doing it. I am slowly but surely creating an empire for myself, and so should you, in your own way!⠀

~ read more about my story: goo.gl/4koZCs ~ ⠀ ⠀

May 1st through 3rd, together with @imperfectbosses and thousands of women across the globe, we will be telling the world about how we are awesome. YOU ARE INVITED to join the movement and share how YOU are an imperfect boss.

#theimperfectboss #communityovereverything ercompetition #arisingtideliftsallboats #iamanimperfectbossandthatsokay #womenruntheworld #iamawesome #beyourownboss #beyourself #motivationalquotes #tootyourhorntuesday ⠀

For more info on the campaign: www.bit.ly/imperfectboss

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Today is the third and final day of the campaign that was designed for women to feel empowered to show off their skills, encourage others to do so as well, and to keep going long after the campaign has come to and end.⠀ ⠀

I am a serial procrastinator, so I know that I need to make extra effort to set hard deadlines in order to have time to review my work, and I need to utilize all of the willpower I’ve got stockpiled to convince myself “done is better than perfect”. That is not to say I don’t put in effort and complete half-assed jobs–HELL NO! I still have standards, and a reputation to uphold! BUT getting a newsletter published with the correct content is far better than holding onto a ‘near perfect’ one and never reaching my clients…⠀ ⠀

My superpower is being able to use the resources around me to make the most of the situation. It stems from my days as a boy-scout (yep, one of the only women in my troop!) having powered through that glass ceiling, and the literal survival mode when portaging through national parks with nothing but my pack and canoe on my back. I am a proud owner of a Chief Scout Award, an internationally recognized achievement, and it is a badge of honour I hold dear to my heart. Since then, my superpower of survival skills has been refined, and fully transferable to my everyday life. I have learnt to stick up for myself and my business, I don’t succumb to bullying, I am a stellar negotiator, I create great presentations with very little, and I can make a killer dish with odds and ends of the kitchen. It has also been applied to my photography, in that I can get creative with what I’ve got, make-shift equipment, and get an amazing shot in the most uninteresting of locations. The passion I have for my career helps ;)⠀

~ read more about my story: goo.gl/4koZCs ~ ⠀ ⠀

May 1st through 3rd, together with @imperfectbosses and thousands of women across the globe, we will be telling the world about how we are awesome. YOU ARE INVITED to join the movement and share how YOU are an imperfect boss & what makes you awesome. ⠀

#theimperfectboss #communityovercompetition #arisingtideliftsallboats⠀

For more info on the campaign: www.bit.ly/imperfectboss

A post shared by Pure Natural Newborn [Photog] (@purenaturalnewborn) on