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Impostor syndrome and strategic thinking



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Impostor syndrome. How common is it?! I see it in coaching. All. The. Time. At all levels. I'm sure other coaches will attest to this too.

 

It's just one of our many human quirks - our clever but lazy brain keeping us safe by being vigilant about avoiding failure.

 

I have a theory about it - for many people, the term 'strategic thinking' is a trigger (just one of many) for impostor syndrome.

 

Strategic thinking is one of those skills that is almost revered at senior management levels, yet so poorly defined with any consistency that no one is really sure what they are expected to do, and whether they are 'doing it right', or at all.

 

Enter thoughts of inadequacy, AND fear of asking for help or clarification.

 

I've worked with people who have repeatedly been told they didn't get the job because they are not enough of a strategic thinker, yet have NO CLUE what they are supposed to be doing to demonstrate it or improve. Not one of the people giving them that feedback were able to give any specific guidance!

 

I've worked with people who have the word 'Strategic' in their job title but can't explain what it means and feel like someone is going to find them out one day.

 

And I routinely work with people who have written strategies and work with strategy as part of their role, but still have this little voice telling them they don't REALLY know what they are doing.

 

The biggest problem is, these impostor thoughts are taking place both amongst those who are new to the skill and openly want to learn, and those who are 'supposed to know'. By that I mean senior leaders who work with strategy as a major part of their role. Even many of those who are confident with the skill, still have this niggling feeling that they might not be getting it right, or that if they tried to explain what they do or teach someone else, they might not be able to.

 

This keeps everyone in the dark. Up-and-coming leaders have no one to learn from. Senior leaders miss opportunities to consolidate their skills by teaching others. Peers miss out on the ability to challenge each others' thinking.

 

What is missing is a language. A common one. A framework to structure and 'tame' (as much as is possible) what is a fluid, abstract, but still knowable concept.

 

Lucky I have one 😅 Check out my programmes if you want to learn it and get confident in this space.



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