From the many leaders I have spoken to, what defines a great leader is not what they do in the good times but how they show up when pushed outside their comfort zone when things go wrong. It is when the voice of self-doubt starts to creep in, saying, “How do I handle all this responsibility? Should I even be in this role? Am I letting people down? Am I good enough?
This is often known as imposter syndrome, and almost every leader I have spoken to has had these feelings at some point. It shows up when confidence levels are low due to feeling outside your comfort zone. It can happen when formerly high-performing, confident people get promoted without the proper training, support, mentoring or coaching and find themselves in a place where they know they’re falling short and, even worse, don’t know how to fix things.
A leader who, with help, learns to embrace these feelings and see them as what they are—an opportunity to learn and grow and develop their leadership muscle.
From the conversations I have had, it is an essential mindset for any leader to have the ability to continue to learn and grow regardless of where they are on their leadership journey.