Have you ever been in a room where your ideas were met with silence, or your suggestions quickly brushed aside, only for someone else to say the same thing later and get all the applause? Maybe you have been labeled as “too much,” “too ambitious,” “too outspoken,” or even “too quiet” simply because you didn’t conform to the unspoken norms around you. If that is you, let me say this clearly: you are not the problem. In fact, you may just be the standard that others are watching, measuring against, or even trying to understand, and you don’t even realise it yet.
This was the essence of what I shared during our recent session in the Global Entrepreneurship Network Weekly Session. Many professionals, especially those who are high-performing, visionary, or creatively wired, often find themselves at odds with workplace culture. Take for example the mid-level manager who constantly comes up with solutions that challenge traditional ways of doing things, only to be told “this is how we’ve always done it,” or the young woman in tech who offers bold, innovative ideas but is told to “slow down” and “follow protocol.” These are not people who are wrong, they are often miles ahead.
It can feel isolating when your uniqueness isn’t understood or celebrated. That is why resilience becomes your superpower. The ability to keep showing up, keep delivering, and keep believing in your own value, even when the system doesn’t validate it yet, is what sets apart those who survive from those who thrive. Your difference, your intuition, your bold ideas, they are your genius and often, that genius is too advanced for the space you are currently in.
Let’s be real, systems are often designed for sameness. They reward conformity, praise predictability, and promote people who don’t rock the boat. But true leaders, game-changers, and entrepreneurs are built differently. They disrupt. They question. They lead, and yes, that comes with friction. But as I reminded everyone in the session, you are not here to be understood by everyone, you are here to shift the standard.
As you reflect on your own journey, ask yourself: Are you being overlooked because you lack value, or because you challenge the comfort of the status quo? Are you feeling like an outsider, or are you actually a pioneer who is just one brave decision away from building something that reflects your true potential? This is where stepping into entrepreneurship, or at least into a CEO mindset, can be life-changing. You start building a business or personal brand around your unique strengths, your pace, your vision and most importantly, you begin to write your own rules.
If this speaks to you, I’d love to invite you to join our Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN ) Community. It’s a curated community of bold thinkers and doers who are not waiting for permission to lead, build, and create. Through mentorship, accountability, and strategy, we help you transition from being an underestimated employee to becoming a respected, thriving business owner. Whether you are still in employment or just starting to plan your exit, you don’t have to walk the journey alone.
Get in touch at team@eglobalnetwork.org to learn how you can step into your next level.
Remember, you are not too much. You are just in the wrong room. It’s time to build your own.