“Our history is on a seemingly inexorable trend toward higher levels of complexity, specialization, and sociopolitical control.”
I was reminded of Joseph Tainter’s quote whilst coaching an extraordinary leader this week. She has a PhD from an Ivy League school and 15 years work experience leading high-profile teams for a leading technology company.
She is a wife, mother, and a published author. Recently promoted, she was asked to join an executive think tank that explores the future of technology.
Among this group of executives, my client feels like an imposter caught up in this trend toward higher levels of complexity and specialization.
- How should she communicate with senior leaders to earn their trust?
- Are the skills that got her to the executive table enough anymore?
- How will she learn how decisions are made or be included in the decision-making process?
When stepping into an unfamiliar high-stakes business environment like my client, you don’t know what success feels like yet. And since you haven’t yet achieved success, you feel the need to prove yourself. Under this kind of stress it’s easy to feel like an imposter and think you are a fraud.
To prevent this, Valerie Young, in her TED talk Thinking Your Way Out of Imposter Syndrome, recommends reframing the negative conversations going on in our head by replacing unhelpful thoughts with more positive or adaptive ones.
- Instead of thinking “This is too hard” try thinking “This may take some time and effort.”
- Instead of thinking “I’m not good at this” try thinking “What am I missing?”
- Instead of thinking “I made a mistake” try thinking “Mistakes help me learn.”
The good news is that you don’t need to feel confident to act confident; the body doesn’t know the difference between fear and excitement. So one thing you can do is reframe your thinking.
What’s on the other side of getting your professional happiness back?
- Getting your confidence back and feeling great about yourself again
- Feeling connected to the people around you and yourself
- Having the confidence to speak up and know your voice will be heard
Extraordinary leaders, like you, who shatter glass ceilings, don’t allow themselves to remain hostage to imposter syndrome for very long.
Are you interested in shedding your limiting beliefs as you step into your next level of leadership? Please book a free a free coaching call below and learn if coaching is a fit for you.
