PERFECTION IS FUTILE
Don’t expect perfection! No one is able to do everything. It’s just outright exhausting. Furthermore, it’s a waste of perfectly good productivity as you spend hours striving to be perfect rather than trying to do and be the very best you can each day.
Every successful leader knows that it’s essential to reflect on mistakes and shortcomings in order to improve effectiveness and enhance leadership skills. If we all know this information, why are we often so critical of our downfalls and short-steps? More importantly, we need to evolve in terms of our thinking if we want to have longevity as a leader. The more we doubt ourselves, the more others will doubt us.
WHAT BRINGS ABOUT THIS SELF DOUBT?
We often think that somehow we don’t deserve the success we have. We feel that there are others more intelligent, capable, determined than us so why were we even chosen? We acknowledge that we don’t know it all and feel a cognitive dissonance about it. How can we know that we have more to learn and still be expected to lead and serve others?
“The pessimist complains about the wind. The optimist expects it to change. The leader adjusts the sails.”
-John Maxwell
HOW CAN WE OVERCOME THIS FALLACY?
It starts with a keen understanding of exactly what this thing that we do to ourselves actually is. It’s called Imposter Syndrome or Fraud Syndrome. We unconsciously sabotage ourselves as we allow negative thoughts to take the front seat in our minds, negating our innate leadership capabilities and capacities that we know we possess. We allow the opinions of others to downgrade what we inherently know to be true about ourselves.
It is in these times that we must stop and reflect on our uniqueness, our indisputable leadership characteristics that have elevated us to this present state of serving and leading others. When we remember that we are in our current positionS to serve and be vessels of hope and courage, we are able to adjust our sails, forge ahead, and guide our teams to successful outcomes. You are not a fraud; you are growing and learning alongside those you’ve been called to lead.
Be strong and courageous and forge ahead.