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Anne Duvaux

A majority (71 percent) of CEOs face imposter syndrome during their leadership, according to Korn Ferry. While we might not all be CEOs, most of us experience imposter syndrome at some point. The Label and the Human ConditionIt’s perfectly natural to feel like a fraud—whether it’s when facing a new job, environment, or large challenge.But there’s an interesting thing about the human mind. If we label it, in this case, imposter syndrome, it often becomes that very label we want to avoid.Moreover, labels make it seem like we are the problem.It’s worth remembering where the term came from. Doctors Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes originally referred to the “Imposter Phenomenon” in their 1978 paper: “The Imposter Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention.”Interestingly, their paper was specifically about high-achieving women, and it never used the term “syndrome.” That was later added when psychologist Carol Tavris used both phenomenon and syndrome in her 1982 Vogue article, “Your Life, Your Health—Who’s in Control?”Why do all these details matter?In short, feeling like a fraud is a perfectly normal experience of the human condition. If we don’t doubt ourselves at times, we plow on making mistakes and missing details blinded by overconfidence.Instead, self-doubt allows us to reflect, check, and improve on ourselves.Of course, some cases can and do turn into a pathological syndrome, but it’s vital to understand and face the cause rather than jump onto symptoms.To manage imposter feelings, understand the root cause:How does your environment or work culture support or hinder your confidence? What is within your control to change? We can all do our part to nurture belonging as part of our work culture, including promoting book clubs, for example. Who or where are your allies such that you both support and promote each other? Feeling like you’re the only one in the trenches can turn into an imposter phenomenon.What biases or stereotypes operate around you? Sometimes we are hired into a leadership role because we are different, and this can quickly lead to feelings of not belonging and of being a fraud.Embrace the Whole of YouWhen facing imposter feelings, many try logic and reframing or mind over matter. “While these are valid techniques, the cognitive approach can only take you so far because imposter feelings are driven by emotions that want to be heard.”Instead, the art is to embrace all our emotions, an approach that can be built on the foundations of emotional intelligence at work. In the language of Internal Family Systems, we welcome all our internal parts.Essentially, we all have a family of inner parts, and it is within our power to embrace them. As such, we mediate harmony by leveraging our inner compassionate and confident core self.Everyone can connect to that inner core and become more grounded and at peace with their parts, including the imposter ones. The power of the approach is that it targets both our logical and emotional minds.Collaborate with your imposter part:Imagine your imposter part as a separate entity with shape and color, and try to get to know it. While this might sound strange, it naturally creates a space so that the emotions become less overwhelming.Practice self-compassion both toward yourself and your imposter part. It has been trying to protect you, even if over-enthusiastically. By highlighting self-doubt, it might be telling you to change your approach, for instance.Note when the imposter feelings come up and how they influence you. Sit with the emotions to deepen your understanding, and with time, they will gradually dissipate.Embrace Your Imposter Part for Future SuccessWorking with the mind means blending both logic and emotions. Most importantly, we need to deal with the root cause of imposter feelings. So, reflect on your inner imposter voice and collaborate with it. Furthermore, review how your environment and those around you perhaps feed the imposter part within you. As you connect with your imposter part and gradually shift what is within your control to change, you’ll find yourself feeling more grounded and self-assured. 

How to Embrace Imposter Syndrome for Better Results

Blended learning is proving to be an effective development strategy. According to ATD Research, 75 percent of organizations are expanding their use of blended learning, and 87 percent of employees value the flexibility it provides.This ATD Research whitepaper explains that implementing a successful blended learning program takes a variety of skills. Furthermore, both internal and external organizational resources need to be balanced.How to do that successfully depends on the organizational context as well as how to motivate your teams. Motivate Your AudienceWhat motivates adults to learn? Clearly, there are different learning theories out there. Everyone has a unique mix of intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. These factors range from perceived reward and social or contextual influences to the quality and flexibility of available training.The UK’s innovation agency for social good, Nesta, details how to design a program to meet your audience’s readiness levels. For example, if you have a group in the precontemplation stage with no interest in learning, you can promote a change in cultural norms.Blended learning can be particularly useful for this type of audience because you can emphasize the “fun” aspect. Gaming experiences or book clubs for greater team bonding are some examples. As mentioned in our blog about why companies are moving toward blended learning, another powerful motivator is to integrate learning into the flow of work. The more people see relevance and the less it disrupts their work, the more they’ll appreciate the learning.Other ideas to motivate your teams to engage with learning:Self-driven blended learning – With multiple learning approaches, it’s easier to let learners lead so they feel empowered. Only then does true curiosity and learning blossom.Digital and leadership champions – Not everyone will have the same digital literacy so it’s important to provide the right guidance. Moreover, make sure you get buy-in and advocacy from your leaders.Career guidance and coaching interventions – Learning needs to be as beneficial for the organization as it is for the individual. With coaches, individuals can better align their personal goals and needs to the overall organizational learning goals.How Does Context Play a Role?Implementing a successful learning program is both about the content and the organizational learning culture.Promoting a learning culture and implementing blended learning encourages flexibility and innovation because of exposure to various learning modalities. As such, people find themselves becoming more curious and they feel empowered as they choose what works for them. Not only do they bring this energy and mindset back to the workplace but they also bring new perspectives. As this article on blended learning and learning culture describes, blended learning offers varied viewpoints and different problem-solving approaches that also nurtures greater diversity.Book clubs are another transformational activity because they create a group setting that boosts collaboration and reflection as detailed in this whitepaper on what separates good teams from exceptional ones. How blended learning supports a learning culture and vice versa:Continuous improvement – With small continuous feedback loops and incremental steps, learners gradually shift their mindset to bring this approach to their everyday work.Knowledge sharing and collaboration – Through blended learning, various groups and forums are created, which naturally encourages cross-learning. As this behavior becomes instilled, conflict shifts into a natural sharing of ideas rather than a competition over who is right.Personalization alongside team focus – How to balance individual with team needs is a constant paradox. Blended learning provides another opportunity to explore this balance, which shifts mindsets back in the workplace.Maximize Your Blended Learning EffortsGone are the days of reading out slides to people in classrooms with the hope that they will improve their day-to-day work. With technology, we have an opportunity to make learning fun, personal, and relevant.Most importantly, blended learning creates a more memorable and meaningful learning experience. It also encourages collaboration and innovation because of the varied multimedia methodologies now available.Don’t forget to watch the ATD webinar recording with more tips for how to apply blended learning effectively. To learn is to evolve and embrace life, so let’s keep moving forward in how we learn.

How to Successfully Implement Blended Learning

What makes this world so complex? Is it globalization with all the information we are bombarded with daily? Or is it the sheer number of interconnected relationships across the world? In many ways, it’s both and so much more.Not only are leaders constantly pressured to make decisions with incomplete information, but they also have to face the flow of information from their teams to the global world. Nothing is secret anymore and customers and shareholders make judgements based on information, hearsay, and more.How can leaders navigate this minefield?The Both/And MindsetAs this newspaper article on how today’s complexity is different explains, we no longer have a focal point in today’s decisions. Moreover, no one can fully understand the multiple interrelations in our complex system. Naturally, this makes most leaders nervous, and a normal reaction is to try to hold onto the familiar. So, many try to break problems down into parts and solve them in isolation.In fact, as this HBR article on How Successful Leaders Think says, a wiser approach is to look at a problem holistically. That means getting as many of the parts together to see how they all fit.Wisdom then lies in the ability to step back and see connecting patterns that can drive innovative solutions.A useful way to think of this is by adopting a both/and mindset.A both/and mindset instead of an either/or approach allows for innovative solutions:Complex systems often hold conflicting demands. Linear thinking can push us to, for example, prioritize individuals over teams or cost over quality. Alternatively, analyze the bigger picture and reflect on all possible cause and effect loops.Let go of either/or thinking. Sometimes it’s tempting to choose cost over quality, but instead, shift your mindset to leverage the benefits of both sides.Practice observing multiple truths. As people, we are all different, but deep down, we are the same. So, practice finding the common ground in all viewpoints.Nurture Empathy As we explained in our blog on how to stop failing at leadership development, leadership isn’t about just building competencies in one person.Today’s leadership development needs to cover both relational and individual aspects. That means giving current and future leaders stretch experiences—new ways of making sense of them and strong diverse networks, as explained in this paper on vertical development.As leaders then mature and evolve away from black and white thinking, they understand themselves better, which leads to greater empathy. Gradually, they gain the ability to hold conflicting stakeholder views more easily.They therefore become more intuitive in leveraging the minds and abilities of those around them to transform conflict and uncertainty into beneficial solutions for all.Nurture empathy and deep understanding to create interdependent teams that drive decisions:Balance emotions and thoughts. As neuroscientist Antonio Damasio demonstrated, the best decisions come from combining both logic and emotions. Leaders need to connect and listen to both.Connect with diverse networks—the more backgrounds we interact with, the more our empathy grows as we gain a wider understanding of the human condition.Explore the ego’s impact. Book clubs, the new corporate classroom, are a powerful way to explore both the ego and decision making for the greater good. Read this paper on transforming organizations through books to learn more.Final Thoughts on Supporting Leaders in Decision MakingAs the world becomes more systemic, we too must operate more systemically. Wise leaders know they don’t know everything, so they tap into the collective wisdom to gather all the parts. From there, they look for the big picture and potential solutions.Together, we can all let go of either/or thinking and move into both/and thinking, where we explore the gray of the world.As such, we need to connect with diverse people whilst deeply exploring the ego’s needs and how it affects our decisions. Let’s also remember to tune into empathy and our sense of playfulness.Or as Carl Jung would say, “the creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity.” And after all, decisions create something new.