Turning imposter syndrome into a positive
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How often do you experience imposter syndrome?
Over the past fifteen months, I've purposefully forced myself out of my comfort zone, repeatedly attempting new challenges in which I have no background and, arguably, no qualifications. Or at least, that is what I convince myself. That seed of doubt which lingers inside us can potentially be crippling and prevent us from progressing in our career and making positive decisions about work and life.
However, the reality is that most of us suffer from something similar, in particular when we're trying something new or attempting something unproven. So, first things first, it's worth taking a step back and putting these thoughts into perspective because you're not alone.
[withakwriting.com]
I'm fortunate enough to meet some incredibly bright and successful people, both as part of my' day job' and through my podcast. What's reassuring is the honesty with which many of these folks approach subjects like imposter syndrome. Not with a sense of denial but rather a realistic perspective that breeds humility and an appreciation of how others can support our ambitions.
Take Glenn Elliot, my podcast guest this week, for example. You might think that selling your business multiple times for a combined value of over half a billion pounds would be enough to reassure you of your capabilities and standing in the world of business. Yet, Glenn Elliott told me that he experiences imposter syndrome every day. No more so than when he was asked recently to mentor a team of young executives at the private equity firm for which he's now Entrepreneur-in-Residence. He spent the next week googling 'tips for mentors'.
However, he also explained that imposter syndrome isn't incompatible with the vision and drive required by successful entrepreneurs. It wasn't that he ever doubted that the market needed a new solution, nor that his business, Reward Gateway, provided it. He was just (arguably too) aware of his limitations, which tempered any overconfidence.
In Alive At Work, Dan Cable discussed the concept of 'humble leadership', which works by recognising that no one's perfect and that the only path to success is through experimentation, learning, failing and improving.
Cable writes about a study conducted by David Hekman at the University of Colorado in which following in-depth interviews with leaders from a wide variety of contexts:
"They found that when leaders express feelings of uncertainty and humility and share their own developmental journeys, they end up encouraging a learning mindset in others."
Why is learning so important in this case? Well, if you accept that you’re always learning, it makes the failing not just acceptable but necessary.
The idea of 'failing fast' has become a bit of a cliché, particularly in software development, but the reality is that most companies have a fear of failure. Given how quickly the world of work changes, this is both unrealistic and unsustainable.
When I suggested to Glenn that he must have developed a trusted environment and close-knit team to be able to occasionally fail and accept that it's not always possible to get it right first time, he went further:
"It's not even failing occasionally; it's failing regularly. If you're only failing occasionally, you're not being that innovative. Innovation, by definition, has to have a significant chance of failure. Otherwise, it's just something that someone else has done – it's not innovative.
And it's not just about product; it's about sales. The truth is no one knows perfectly how to do B2B sales. Everyone's got to find out the right way to sell in the market in their context at this moment, this year. That is a process of constant iteration and trying things out.
When I look at successful sales teams, they haven't got some absolute genius, some sales mastermind at the top of them. They've actually, normally got a really great, open leader who encourages loads of experimentation and who supports people. And they've got really great, open communication and a very low ego – that's what make them great."
During periods of uncertainty and rapid change, these behaviours encourage both leaders and followers to be more receptive to new ideas and adaptable to external factors. All of which contributes towards a creative culture that engenders psychological safety and innovation.
So, next time you experience imposter syndrome, consider flipping that feeling around because it's possible it can act as a positive catalyst, providing an incentive to learn quickly and some additional motivation to succeed.
The idea of the 'permanent, loyal employee'
I was interested in getting Glenn's take on something that I've written and talked about a lot over the past year – the idea of decentralised work. The thesis, in short, is that a combination of a more distributed, global workforce and a requirement for greater specialism within many roles will see a decoupling of work from employment. You can read more about this in FWL18 and FWL21.
Picking me up on my idea that companies of the future would increasingly look to create a "core team of permanent employees supported by a team of specialists, Glenn explained that the idea of a 'permanent employee' is in itself a misnomer.
"I think everything you've just said, unfortunately, reinforces that all of our language is wrong. Your 'core team of permanent employees and then contractors'; but the core team are not permanent - they're not going to be there forever. They're not permanent.
So the problem at the moment is we think of contractors as flaky people who are only half committed, who get paid a fortune, and then they'd come in and they vanish and leave the project half done. That's one option. And the other option is people that are here for life, unless we sack them or unless they leave, in which case they're disloyal.
The truth is both of them are wrong. We need to have people on open-ended contracts. I don't know when this is going to end, but I know it will end. It has to end - unless one of us dies and I hope that doesn't happen! It's going to end, so let's have an open-ended relationship with fair terms for both parties. So that if we think it's time to end, you're not dumped and can't pay your mortgage. There have to be fair terms around it, and we keep having an ongoing, honest discussion about are you doing a job that you love and are you adding great value to the organisation?"
Over the next decade, the nature of employment will continue to evolve, giving individuals the opportunity to reimagine how, when, and where they work. In turn, businesses need to acknowledge that ideas like 'permanent' and 'loyalty' are not helpful now and certainly won't be relevant in the future. So, updating the language we use is the first step, but the more significant point is to focus on the value people bring to work, irrespective of their employment status.
Have a good week.
Ollie
Any Other Business:
Podcast of the week has to be the brilliant conversation between upcoming Take My Advice (I’m Not Using It) guest, Azeem Azhar, and the authors of new books, Framers, Kenneth Cukier and Viktor Mayer-Schoenberger, on Exponential View. The book examines how mental models enable us to see patterns, predict how things will unfold, and make sense of new situations, helping us make better decisions. I’m already a hundred pages in, and it’s well worth a read.
What is the future of commuting to work? You can find out in this excellent, data-filled article in Economics Observatory. Here are some standout charts.
In 2022, how often would you like to have paid workdays at home?
After COVID, how would you feel about WFH two or three days a week?
How often would you like to commute to work after Covid-19?
Here are 3 Science-Backed Strategies That Can Help You Achieve Your Post-Pandemic Goals from Wharton Business School Professor Katy Milkman.
If you’re thinking about demanding proof of immunity among your staff, be careful, warn experts in this People Management article.
And finally, Dror Poleg is always worth listening to on a range of subjects and in this article, he looks at the ‘back-to-the-office’ debate through a different lens - Raiders of the lost Bank: Want to know the future of work? Don't ask a Wall Street CEO. Ask a protocol.