Tag Self-Doubt

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome

Steve Keating Leave a comment

I will never forget my first promotion to a leadership position. I was a salesperson for a beverage company. I reported to a district manager who reported to a regional manager who reported to a general manager.

I was a very, very good salesperson. Still, I was very nervous when one Friday afternoon I was called into the President’s office for a “chat.” People at my level were not asked to chat with the President, so I assumed I wasn’t likely to enjoy the conversation.

I recently had a disagreement with my district manager over the placement of a display, and while I didn’t think it was a big deal, I figured that might be what the “chat” was about.

But almost as soon as I sat down, I realized the President had something completely different on his mind. He wanted to talk about a promotion for me. A big, big promotion. Not to a district manager spot, not even to a regional manager position. He was asking me to move directly into the general sales manager role.

To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement. I was totally shocked. I asked for the weekend to consider it, and he agreed. After considering the pluses and minuses, I decided I had to accept. So, on Monday morning, I was back in the President’s office accepting the job.

He was very happy with my decision and said he wanted to announce it to the company immediately. But first, he had to fire the current general manager.

When considering the pluses and minuses, it never for a moment dawned on me that there was already a general manager in place. That, as it turned out, was just one of the many things I hadn’t thought about.

I quickly realized that I had no idea what the hell I was doing. Like most newly minted managers with no formal leadership training, I stumbled and fumbled my way around the position. What I was feeling wasn’t called imposter syndrome at the time, but I absolutely felt like an imposter.

I eventually left that role and returned to sales at another company. I was back in my comfort zone. I was committed to seeking another leadership role, but only after I was truly prepared for it. There would be no more imposter syndrome for me.

Overcoming imposter syndrome as a leader requires a combination of self-awareness, mindset shifts, and practical strategies. I did it, and so can you. Here’s a guide to help.

Recognize the Feeling

Acknowledge the Syndrome: Understand that imposter syndrome is common among high achievers, especially leaders who are constantly pushing boundaries.

Realize You’re Not Alone: Many successful leaders, including CEOs and innovators, have felt the same way. Knowing this can ease self-doubt.

2. Challenge Negative Thoughts

Identify Self-Doubt: Write down the specific thoughts or beliefs that make you feel like an imposter.

Reframe Your Thinking: Replace negative thoughts with evidence-based affirmations. For example, instead of thinking, “I don’t deserve this role,” remind yourself of past achievements and qualifications.

3. Focus on Your Strengths

Recognize Your Unique Value: List your strengths, skills, and accomplishments. Reflect on how these contribute to your leadership role.

Leverage Feedback: Use positive feedback from peers and team members as validation of your competence.

4. Separate Feelings from Facts

Acknowledge Emotions: Feeling less than capable doesn’t mean you are. Remind yourself that emotions aren’t always aligned with reality.

Focus on Results: Concentrate on what you’ve achieved rather than how you feel about your performance.

5. Shift the Focus from Perfection to Growth

Embrace Imperfection: Understand that leadership doesn’t require perfection. Mistakes are a part of growth.

Celebrate Progress: Reflect on how far you’ve come and the impact you’ve made, no matter how small.

6. Develop a Growth Mindset

View Leadership as a Journey: Accept that you are continuously learning and evolving as a leader.

Seek Development Opportunities: Attend workshops, read leadership books, or find mentors to enhance your skills and confidence.

7. Build a Support System

Talk to Trusted Peers or Mentors: Share your feelings with someone who understands leadership challenges.

Engage in Networking: Surround yourself with supportive and inspiring individuals who can affirm your leadership abilities.

8. Focus on Impact Over Self

Concentrate on Helping Others: Shift your attention from “Am I good enough?” to “How can I best serve my team?”

Lead with Purpose: When your actions align with your values and goals, self-doubt diminishes.

One of the absolutely most important keys to success, in any endeavor, is to believe in yourself. Imposter syndrome blocks self-belief. The sooner you realize you “got this,” the sooner you’re likely to excel at whatever you’re doing.

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Eliminating Self-Doubt

Steve Keating Leave a comment

Lots of “self-help” types would tell you that when you believe in yourself, when you trust your ability, you are halfway to success already. When I say “lots” I mean a ton of them. It’s kind of amazing that so many of them think alike but what’s even more amazing it that every single one of them is 100% correct.

Believing in yourself is a true superpower. It strengthens every strength and weakens every weakness. It is a “self motivating” mindset. It is an encouraging attitude. It is like having a coach living inside your head.

Believing in yourself changes everything!

The first step to consistently believing in yourself and trusting yourself is to cleanse your mind of self-doubt. That’s often easier said than done but most everything worth doing is easier said than done. But getting that self-doubt out of your system is soooooo worth the effort.

Eliminating self-doubt is a process that involves understanding its roots and implementing strategies to overcome it. Here’s what that process looks like.

• Identify the Source. Self-doubt often stems from past experiences, negative feedback, or comparison with others. Reflect on what triggers your self-doubt and try to pinpoint its source.

• Challenge Negative Thoughts. When self-doubt arises, challenge the negative thoughts that accompany it. Ask yourself if there’s evidence to support these thoughts or if they are merely assumptions. Replace them with more positive and realistic affirmations.

• Set Realistic Goals. Break down your goals into smaller, achievable tasks. This helps build confidence as you make progress. Celebrate each accomplishment, no matter how small.

• Focus on Strengths. Acknowledge your strengths and past successes. Remind yourself of times when you overcame challenges or achieved something significant. Keep a journal of your achievements to refer to when self-doubt creeps in.

• Practice Self-Compassion. Treat yourself with kindness and understanding, especially when facing setbacks or failures. Instead of berating yourself, practice self-compassion by offering words of encouragement and forgiveness.

• Surround Yourself with Supportive People. Spend time with people who uplift and encourage you. Seek feedback and support from friends, family, or mentors who believe in your abilities and can offer constructive criticism.

• Focus on Personal Growth. Shift your focus from comparing yourself to others to improving yourself. Concentrate on continuous learning and growth rather than seeking external validation.

• Visualize Success. Use visualization techniques to imagine yourself succeeding in your goals. Visualizing positive outcomes can help boost confidence and reduce self-doubt.

• Ask for Help if Necessary. If self-doubt significantly impacts your daily life or mental well-being, consider seeking help from a mentor, close friend or maybe even a counselor. They can provide personalized strategies and support to overcome self-doubt.

Remember that eliminating self-doubt is a gradual process. It requires patience and perseverance. Don’t be too hard on yourself when the inevitable doubt tries to creep back in. Just redouble your efforts and don’t forget to celebrate your progress along the way.

YOU GOT THIS!

Want more LeadToday? Many of you know I’m very active on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. I post a lot of free content there but I also post 6-10 minute videos two or three times a week. These videos are focused on principles of leadership and life. They are “uncommon” common sense topics designed to help people push themselves to their full potential. Every video is available to subscribers who invest $4.99 a month for their future success. If you’re willing to push yourself towards the life you want and deserve my videos may just be the extra nudge you need to get there. Find your way over to X and follow me there. Once you’ve followed me you can subscribe on a month by month basis just by clicking the subscribe button. Remember, an investment in yourself ALWAYS pays dividends! You’ll find my timeline here: twitter.com/leadtoday

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Being the Best Isn’t Good Enough

Steve Keating 3 Comments

If you’re not getting better you’re getting worse! Even if you’re already the best improvement is still a possibility, not just a possibility but a requirement.

Tony Gwynn, the Hall of Fame baseball player said….”The minute you’re satisfied with where you are you’re not there anymore.”

As soon as you stop trying to improve the inevitable slide towards mediocrity begins. No matter how good you are at something the moment you lose the drive to improve is the moment you’re no longer the best.

Some people will say they are “satisfied with where they are at and have no need to be the best. They are good at what they do and “good” is good enough. What they don’t realize is that when they don’t try to improve they also begin the backwards slide to being less than good.

The most successful people never stop trying to be better. They never stop trying to learn more. They never stop looking for a better way. They have no idea what their potential is because they are always working to accomplish more. They know that where they are today is only a starting point.

Where you are tomorrow matters far more than where you were yesterday.

If you’re not doing something, learning something, or making something that will help you be better tomorrow than you are today then you’re short-changing yourself. You very well may be costing yourself the future that you deserve.

Stop making excuses about why you can’t______________, (the blank is for you to fill in) and just start doing it. Stop settling for less than you deserve and push yourself to earn what you want.

You’re not too old to learn and you’re not too young to accomplish great things. In almost any realistic goal you can think of accomplishing the greatest obstacle you face is your own self-doubt.

So the heck with the doubts, to heck with the people who have told you that you can’t. You absolutely can be better tomorrow than you are today. You absolutely can know more tomorrow than you know today. You totally can do more tomorrow than you did today. You only have to make the decision that you will.

Never settle for being the best, you can be much better than that!

The Tyranny of Self-Doubt

Steve Keating 11 Comments

When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.” ~Honore de Balzac

There are not many obstacles bigger and more challenging for people on the road to success than the tyranny of self-doubt. It’s robs people of their ability to think clearly. It cheats them of their creativity and can paralyze them straight into the failure that they so greatly fear. 

Yes fear!

Fear is a tremendous source of self-doubt and it is a key part of a vicious cycle. More fear cause more self-doubt and more self-doubt causes more fear. Let’s look at some ideas to help eliminate both for our lives. 

First set goals and have a plan to achieve them. Knowing what needs to be done and how you intend to accomplish it goes a long way towards eliminating self-doubt. The more specific your plan the less “scary” it is so be specific. List start and end dates for each action required in your plan. Be realistic, do not set goals that cannot be achieved and know your sources of support. Things will not go exactly according to plan so build in alternatives for each step of your plan. 

Remember past successes, even small ones. One of the best predictors of what you’ll accomplish in the future in what you’ve accomplished in the past. Even people on something of a “failure streak” have successes in their past. That’s where your focus should be; on your successes. Learn from your failures, store that knowledge for later use but forget the failure. 

Get rid of the “victim” mentality. There is just no nice way to say this… most people full of self-doubt see themselves as victims. Victims of circumstance, of other people, of the economy, and sadly, sometimes even victims of themselves. The most successful people know this fact: Circumstances, people, and other “stuff” can make you a victim for a time but only you can make yourself a victim for a lifetime. When you accept full responsibility for your success, regardless of anything or anyone else, your odds of success go way, way up. 

Eliminate toxic people from your life. Toxic people poison your mind. They convince you that their failures are yours. They tell you, often repeatedly, that you “can’t,” can’t do it, can’t learn it, can’t think it, you just can’t. Their negative attitude is terribly contagious so stay the heck away from them. Instead find successful, positive people to associate with They will push you and inspire you. There’s no nice way to say this either but here’s a fact: your friends might be the nicest people in the world but if they have never experienced sustained success in their life it’s unlikely you will either. 

Do something. Doing almost anything is better than doing nothing. The longer you sit idle the more time you give self-doubt and fear to grow inside of you. Even if you attempt something and fail you’re still closer to your next success than if you had done nothing. Get going, move, mingle, network, TRY! 

The elimination of self-doubt comes from effort so make the effort and make yourself a success.