It's not unusual for highly-talented people to feel their success is a sham, and leaders are no exception. In fact, our recent leadership survey* revealed that almost a third of respondents secretly feel like a fraud. When made aware that many successful people share this issue, some stick with it, imagining it helps drive their ability to achieve. I suggest to clients that success is driven by competence, training, listening / learning, and experience, despite (and not due to) any self-doubt. Once you recognize that you may be operating with self-doubt, or an all-out sense of being an imposter, it’s important to let it go, which will help your leadership prosper.
Self-coaching Questions:
- What level of self-doubt do I carry day in and day out?
- What situations or people trigger my self-doubt?
- Understanding that feelings of fraud are prevalent among successful people, what steps can I take to be more appreciative and accepting of myself as I am?
David Peck
Executive Coach and President
Leadership Unleashed
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Note: Over 100 of these tips appear in my book: Beyond Effective: Practices in Self-aware Leadership. Click on the image of the book for more information.
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* THANK YOU to the many managers and leaders who completed the "Manager or Leader?" quiz. I'll be covering additional findings in the months ahead. Meanwhile, if you haven't taken it, you are welcome to do so by visiting http://tinyurl.com/m2cljg (if the link to the quiz doesn't work for you, please go to leadershipunleashed.com, click the link to "I am an executive / leader," then click "leadership quiz" on the left hand navigation.) Also, your feedback, questions, suggestions are welcome.
