I got a new leadership position: now what?
Every leadership position is a new adventure – especially if that role involves managing others. Whether this is your first leadership position or your fifth, it will likely require some flexibility and adaptation on your part. You were selected from a field of candidates because the company believes you to be uniquely situated to this role and this team.
So everything should be smooth, confident sailing – right? Wrong. Impostor syndrome shows up when we move up the ladder and starts to convince us that our success is a fluke. We start to question and wonder exactly how we made it through the selection process when other individuals were obviously so much more talented or worthy of the role than we are. Instead of accepting the recognition and embracing this opportunity, we start to build an outlandish narrative in our mind that we’re masters of deception that snuck our way into the corner office. 😂
The #1 mistake new leaders make
But I don’t want you to make the #1 mistake I see new or experienced leaders make: devaluing their experience and expertise under the guise of humility.
Humility is a wonderful trait! But when humility shows up in excess, it’s easy for it to waterfall into self doubt – believing that your insight and your experience aren’t as objectively valuable as the insight and experience of everyone else at the table. Women leaders may be especially prone to excess humility because women are often encouraged to be humble and gracious. You’ll know you’re headed over this waterfall when you start to tell yourself:
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“I need to get my MBA.”
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“I should stay up late reviewing those reports so I don’t look foolish and uninformed.”
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“Let me re-read this email for the fifth time to make sure I didn’t say anything stupid.”
How and why to address self-doubt head on
If this is you, you’ve managed to turn an opportunity into a liability. Instead, choose to see that the backpack full of knowledge and skills you bring to this role is the exact one that is needed.
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List out the ways that you are uniquely situated to rock this position.
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Accept that you’re not going to be the top performer in every single area, and in fact that it’s not your job to be the top performer.
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Work with a leadership coach to develop true, lasting confidence and energetic hygiene techniques that will allow you to be more in control of your mind.
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Practice confident communication skills and delivery
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Make aligned decisions and stick to habits that support your overall vision
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Identify your gifts and actively shift as many activities as possible to be done through the lens of your strengths.
What does a women’s leadership coach do for me?
Your job as a leader is to listen, ask questions, steer confidently, and develop others. You cannot do these things effectively if you’re spending your days worrying about being ‘found out’ as a fraud. If you’ll let me – I can help. I used to be in the same place!
In fact, I once had a supervisor write in my annual review that “Laura’s leadership ability is limited only by her willingness to put herself out there.” I had to do the hard work to learn all of these skills and confidence myself – so I know they work – and I want to save you some of the time and heartache with a shortcut directly to the results.