

{"id":40989,"date":"2025-08-27T19:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T19:13:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/?post_type=thought-leadership&#038;p=40989"},"modified":"2025-09-08T16:48:52","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T16:48:52","slug":"aligning-your-values-and-skills-with-your-gifts-and-talents","status":"publish","type":"thought-leadership","link":"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/thought-leadership\/aligning-your-values-and-skills-with-your-gifts-and-talents\/","title":{"rendered":"Aligning your Values and Skills with Your Gifts and Talents"},"content":{"rendered":"<style> .banner:before {\r\n        background: linear-gradient(0deg,rgba(0,0,0,.5),rgba(0,0,0,.5)) !important;\r\n    }<\/style><div id=\"ra_id_1678124236\" class=\"banner dark-hero-theme standard\" style=\"background-image: url()\">\r\n        <div class=\"container  banner-container text-Center\">\r\n            <div class=\"row center-items\">\r\n                                \r\n                <div class=\"col-lg-10 \"  >\r\n                                            <!-- <p class=\"label special-label\" tabindex=\"0\"><\/p> -->\r\n                    \r\n                    <h1 class=\"underline-text white  required\" tabindex=\"0\">\r\n                        Aligning Your <u>Values and Skills<\/u><br> With Your <u>Gifts and Talents<\/u>                    <\/h1>\r\n                                            <div class=\"xyz\" tabindex=\"0\"><p><\/p><\/div>\r\n                        <div class=\"banner_event\">\r\n                            <span tabindex=\"0\">August 27, 2025<\/span>                                        <span  class=\"author-text\" tabindex=\"0\">Rachel Spekman, Career Strategist, Made for More Coach<\/span>\r\n                                                            <\/div>\r\n                    <div class=\"banner-btn-wrapper\">\r\n                                                                                <\/div>\r\n                        <!-- <a href=\"#\">Link<\/a>\r\n                        <a class=\"arrow-link\" href=\"#\">Link<\/a>\r\n                        <a class=\"external-link\" href=\"#\">External Link<\/a>\r\n                        <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"#\">More<\/a> -->\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<script type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\njQuery(document).ready(function($){\r\n    setTimeout(function () {\r\n        console.log('here');\r\n\t\t$('#_youtube-iframe-wrapper').show();\r\n\t}, 2000);\r\n});\r\n<\/script>\n\n<style>\r\n    .cta-btn-wrapper{margin-bottom:2rem;margin-top:-10px;}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<section class=\"wysiwyg_block\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"row\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-8\">\r\n            \r\n            <div role=\"presentation\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Recently, on the way to my office in Back Bay, I passed\u00a0a\u00a0billboard\u00a0of Misty Copeland. If you\u2019ve been on 93 in a traffic jam in the last two days (and who hasn\u2019t, with over 80,000 people passing each day?), chances are you\u2019ve seen this sign too.<\/div>\n<p>Misty Copeland is the first African-American female principal dancer in the American Ballet Theater&#8217;s 75-year history. Her beautiful pose\u2014her body wide open and elegantly swooping through the air\u2014is impressive. But what most resonates with me is the message: Picture yourself winning.<\/p>\n<p>A psychotherapist by training (which was a career plot twist for me\u2014see below), I am curious about how each person experiences the billboard. What does it mean to win\u2014either personally or as a society?<\/p>\n<p>What does it mean to picture yourself winning? I see people struggle\u2014often profoundly\u2014because they look like they are winning. They look like they have it all figured out. Inside, however, they may be living a very different reality\u2014one in which their gifts and talents have been out of alignment. They are often using skills and values that they have outgrown, but are stuck about what to do about this. I recognize this because I\u2019ve lived through it.<\/p>\n  \r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"560\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40991 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 860px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 860\/560;width:708px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog.jpg 860w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-150x98.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-768x500.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<style>\r\n    .cta-btn-wrapper{margin-bottom:2rem;margin-top:-10px;}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<section class=\"wysiwyg_block\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"row\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-8\">\r\n            \r\n            <h4><strong>Misalignment of skills and values in a professional capacity might look something like this:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>You are uninspired by the mission, vision, and values of the firm, role, and team in which you are working.<\/li>\n<li>You have plateaued in your skill development and don\u2019t know what to do next to sharpen them.<\/li>\n<li>Your asymmetrical presentation between looking like you are winning and feeling miserable has started to catch up with you\u2014either with your mental health, your relationships with your children or your spouse, or your physical health has taken a major hit: weight gain, heart issues, anxiety, panic, etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>According to Merriam-Webster, winning is defined as: \u201cgaining, resulting in, or relating to victory in a contest or competition.\u201d In a city as educated, competitive, and rigorous as Boston, winning is something I think we often strive for\u2014and struggle with, and it is expected. At what cost?<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, I was definitely a professional that was \u201cwinning.\u201d I was nominated for the Chamber\u2019s Boston Future Leaders Program, flying all over the country speaking to founders and creating international programming. I was asked to be the speaker immediately before Mayor Walsh and Governor Baker (and about 6 feet shorter than both) at the largest startup conference with two thousand people in the audience at the Boston Convention Center. What a win for me and my professional ambitions!<\/p>\n  \r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"560\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40992 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 860px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 860\/560;width:708px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-1.jpg 860w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-1-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-1-150x98.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-1-768x500.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<style>\r\n    .cta-btn-wrapper{margin-bottom:2rem;margin-top:-10px;}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<section class=\"wysiwyg_block\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"row\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-8\">\r\n            \r\n            <p>To the outside eye\u2014and by my own definition\u2014I was winning by all measures that I had set up for myself in terms of professionalism, and these wins were HUGE for me\u2026<\/p>\n<p>But then something unexpected started transforming in my private life: a challenging, frustrating, and painstaking journey to become a parent. Sadly, it took me many years to \u201cwin\u201d at this. While I was publicly winning on stage, privately\u2014I was experiencing something else entirely.<\/p>\n<p>Three years after beginning my journey to have a child, I finally became a mother in 2018. It was hard-won and profoundly shook my own definition of winning. By then, I had moved on to join another team helping startups win.<\/p>\n<p>But something had shifted: The internal desire of becoming a parent had been realized, but what I had defined as the contest or competition in which I was winning had changed dramatically for me.<\/p>\n<p>As outlined by Tamara Myles and Wes Adams in their powerful book, <em>Meaningful Work<\/em>, I focused on three key areas to redefine what meaning\u2014and winning\u2014meant for me.<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, I focused on:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Curiosity: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">While I enjoyed the business challenges I was solving, I became curious about how to effectively support and empower others, especially those who were moving through real pain, to make meaning of their experiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Community: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I have been blessed to work with smart, dynamic teams and wanted to continue to grow this network, albeit with a team focused on internal growth and change.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Challenge: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I became aware of what kinds of challenges I most enjoy solving; the puzzles in the business world are still something I enjoy, but I became more intrigued by the challenge of supporting the individual to thrive.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n  \r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"860\" height=\"560\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40993 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 860px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 860\/560;width:708px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-2.jpg 860w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-2-300x195.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-2-150x98.jpg 150w, https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alignment-blog-2-768x500.jpg 768w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 860px) 100vw, 860px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n<style>\r\n    .cta-btn-wrapper{margin-bottom:2rem;margin-top:-10px;}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<section class=\"wysiwyg_block\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"row\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-8\">\r\n            \r\n            <h4><strong>If you feel misaligned, miserable, or unhealthy at work, I invite you to engage in the 5 critical steps below to begin to shift- to <i>align your gifts and talents with your values and skills:<\/i><\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Pay attention:<\/strong> What meetings, people, tasks, and projects make you feel lit up and excited? What percent of your time are you spending on these versus the draining and sluggish parts of the day?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Get aligned:<\/strong> Now that you\u2019ve started to attune to the messages your body and brain are telling you, decide if you need to make a small, medium, or large change.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Find your tribe: <\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Find people at work, in your community, in your volunteer organizations that inspire you and pay attention to what they say yes &#8211; and no- to.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Be consistent:<\/strong> change is hard! Misty Copeland did not look as flawless in this billboard as she did the first 9,999 times she practiced this pose. But I\u2019m assuming that she kept trying and found people to support and encourage her.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Trust yourself:<\/strong> When you are out of alignment- whether it\u2019s by a little or a lot- you know it. Your body knows it. The opposite is true as well. Trust that you are the only person who can individualize what winning means to you.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">After wrestling with myself for months, I got honest with myself (having a lock-down during the Pandemic with all of that time to think actually helped with this) and made the largest adult calculated risk of my life: I left my senior director title to become an intern in social work school. It was the boldest and best decision I ever made.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><strong>If you are out of alignment, you get to decide what kind of shift will support you and your lifestyle:<\/strong><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A small change might look like: <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Repositioning your current role and pitching it to your boss\/team<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A medium change might look like: Updating your outward facing materials (resume, LinkedIn, etc.) to repurpose skills within your Industry<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">A large change might look like: Getting creative with your finances and lifestyle to pivot to an entirely new field or industry<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div role=\"presentation\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">As a new member of the Chamber, nearly ten years later in my career, now as a therapist in private practice and as the founder of my own coaching firm, I still cannot do the Misty Copeland pose in that photo\u2014but I can say that I feel that my skills and values are in more alignment than they\u2019ve ever been before\u2014and that, by my own definition, I continue to evolve my own visualization of winning.<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n  \r\n            <\/div>\r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/section>\n\n<style>\r\n    .btn:hover:after {\r\n        transform: scaleX(1.05);\r\n    }\r\n<\/style>\r\n<div class=\"people-spotlight text-person color_theme\" id=\"ra_id_1753819207\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"row\">           \r\n            \t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col-lg-9\">\r\n                <div class=\"\">\r\n                                            <h3 tabindex=\"0\">Meet the Author<\/h3>\r\n                                            <div tabindex=\"0\" class = \"text_description\">After spending years searching for a great career, I finally found it\u2026  It took me three different transitions, multiple toxic environments, and taking an honest look at myself and where I \u201clight up\u201d at work. When I finally stepped into my new field using the skills I love doing to the fullest and became a therapist, I quickly realized just how many women are MISERABLE at work. \r\n<br><br>\r\nThey are doing work that is:\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Not aligned to their skills or values\r\n<li>Leaves them feeling drained and burnt out (and that\u2019s before they get home to often take care of their children)\r\n<li>Makes them feel stuck in a box where they can\u2019t grow or evolve\r\n<li>Are experiencing mental and physical symptoms from this career-life mismatch\r\n<\/ul>\r\nAnd then I realized that there is a MAJOR GAP in who is helping these women: \r\nTherapists, who are often wonderful people, but don\u2019t always fully understand the demands of corporate work culture, Career Coaches and Recruiters, who can be very helpful, but don\u2019t take the time to understand the emotional stakes that many women experience when shifting careers. I decided that there must be another way to help women navigate getting support for their careers. Some people call me a \u201ccareer therapist\u201d or \u201ccareer coach\u201d or \u201ccareer strategist&#8221;. \r\n<br><br>\r\nNo matter what I am called, I will tell you this: I am a cheerleader for all people, and especially women, doing what they LOVE to do AND getting PAID great money to do it. There are many reasons we sell our souls for work, but your career dreams can still be realized. So I&#8217;m on a mission to help high-performing women trade high-paid, soul sucking careers for soul-aligned work that still makes them top 1% money.\r\n<br> <br>\r\nMY EXPERTISE: Helping high-performing women trade high-paid, soul sucking careers for soul-aligned work that still makes them top 1% money.\r\n<\/div>\r\n                        \r\n                                        <div class=\"btn-wrapper\">\r\n                                        <\/div>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-3\">\r\n                <div class=\"\">\r\n                                        <h4 tabindex=\"0\">Connect with Rachel <\/h4>\r\n                                        <div class=\" ratio ratio-4x3 avtar-wraper\"><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"avtar lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1753976427230.jpg\" alt=\"Made For More Coach \" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 800px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 800\/800;\"><\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t                    <h5 tabindex=\"0\" class = \"first_last\">Rachel  Spekman<\/h5>\r\n                    <p tabindex=\"0\" class=\"special-label position mb-0\">Career Strategist, <\/p>\r\n                    <p tabindex=\"0\" class=\"special-label company\">Made for More Coach<\/p>                   <div class=\"btn-wrapper\">\r\n                        <a class=\"btn secondary-cta btn-arrow\" href=\"mailto:rachel@rachelspekman.com\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span>Email Rachel <\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"arrow-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rachelspekman\/\" tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span>LinkedIn<\/a>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t                    <\/div>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n                                         \r\n        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\n\n\n\r\n<div class=\"people-spotlight three-up\" id=\"ra_id_1678135702\">\r\n    <div class=\"container\">\r\n        <div class=\"three-up-heading-wrap\">\r\n        <h4 tabindex=\"0\">You May Also Be Interested In       \r\n        <\/h4> \r\n                <\/div>\r\n        <div class=\"row three-up-slider\">\r\n            <div class=\"col-lg-4 item\"><div class=\"content-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/news-insights\/?_news_insight=thought-leadership\"><h5 tabindex=\"0\" class=\"cat\">Thought Leadership<\/h5><\/a><div tabindex=\"0\" class=\"people-img avtar ratio ratio-16x9\"><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"avtar lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/monomoy-health-blog.jpg\" alt=\"Monomoy Health | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 860px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 860\/560;\" \/><\/div><h3 tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"hightlight\">Healing Communities: Empowering Mental Health Support in Greater Boston<\/span><\/h3><p class=\"special-label\"><\/p><div class = \"desc\">This Mental Health Awareness month, we are proud to spotlight Monomoy Health, Women\u2019s Lunch Place, and Rosie&#8217;s Place and the work they do.<\/div><div class=\"link-wrapper\"><a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/thought-leadership\/healing-communities-empowering-mental-health-support-in-greater-boston\/\" class = \"stretched-link\">Read Now<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" alt=\"arrow-go\"\r\n                                data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/themes\/bostonchamber\/assets\/images\/linkedinarrow.svg\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"col-lg-4 item\"><div class=\"content-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/news-insights\/?_news_insight=thought-leadership\"><h5 tabindex=\"0\" class=\"cat\">Thought Leadership<\/h5><\/a><div tabindex=\"0\" class=\"people-img avtar ratio ratio-16x9\"><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"avtar lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/shop-small-saturday-feature-image.jpg\" alt=\"A Guide to Shop Small Saturday in Greater Boston\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 650px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 650\/400;\" \/><\/div><h3 tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"hightlight\">Celebrating Small Business Week: Honoring Greater Boston&#8217;s Finest\u00a0<\/span><\/h3><p class=\"special-label\"><\/p><div class = \"desc\">As we celebrate Small Business Week, it&#8217;s the perfect time to recognize the significant contributions of small businesses in our community. <\/div><div class=\"link-wrapper\"><a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/thought-leadership\/celebrating-small-business-week-honoring-greater-bostons-finest\/\" class = \"stretched-link\">Read Now<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" alt=\"arrow-go\"\r\n                                data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/themes\/bostonchamber\/assets\/images\/linkedinarrow.svg\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"col-lg-4 item\"><div class=\"content-wrapper\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/news-insights\/?_news_insight=thought-leadership\"><h5 tabindex=\"0\" class=\"cat\">Thought Leadership<\/h5><\/a><div tabindex=\"0\" class=\"people-img avtar ratio ratio-16x9\"><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" class=\"avtar lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/member-blog-photo-1.jpg\" alt=\"Small business owner working on ipad\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 860px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 860\/560;\" \/><\/div><h3 tabindex=\"0\"><span class=\"hightlight\">When to Hand Off Sales as a Small Business Owner<\/span><\/h3><p class=\"special-label\"><\/p><div class = \"desc\">Discover when and how small business owners should hire sales professionals to scale growth, ease workloads, and unlock new strategic potential.<\/div><div class=\"link-wrapper\"><a tabindex=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/thought-leadership\/when-to-hand-off-sales-as-a-small-business-owner\/\" class = \"stretched-link\">Read Now<\/a><img decoding=\"async\" tabindex=\"0\" alt=\"arrow-go\"\r\n                                data-src=\"https:\/\/bostonchamber.com\/wp-content\/themes\/bostonchamber\/assets\/images\/linkedinarrow.svg\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div>        <\/div>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to redefine success and realign your life through personal reflection, actionable steps, and the pursuit of meaningful work. Inspired by Misty Copeland\u2019s billboard, this story explores what it truly means to \u201cpicture yourself winning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40992,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"content-type":"","inline_featured_image":false},"tags":[100],"class_list":["post-40989","thought-leadership","type-thought-leadership","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-thought-leadership"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Aligning your Values and Skills with Your Gifts and Talents - Boston Chamber<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to redefine success and realign your life through personal reflection, actionable steps, and the pursuit of meaningful work. 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