advice - Nicole Monturo | Coaching & Development

Disbelief is our natural response to most situations. From “Should I get a pet?” to “Can I run this business?”, doubts come in every form and are probably more diverse than the entire insect species. In fact, we have also learned to give a person the benefit of the doubt that we’re having!

Doubt Isn’t Out – How It Affect Entrepreneurs

Naturally enough, as leaders are only humans, they can get as doubtful as anyone. So much so that they become uncertain of the success they have achieved. Entrepreneurs have been known to suffer from conditions such as “imposter syndrome”, in which they believe to have conned people into thinking that they’re deserving of the accomplishment of their businesses.

As the imposter syndrome isn’t restricted to the sharks of the business world, it can also affect you. Want to learn how to build the confidence that’s infectious? Read on.

Stay Away From The Imposter Syndrome

Here are a few points to keep in mind if you know that you suffer from the imposter syndrome, for a while:

Acceptance: You just found out that you’re suffering from imposter syndrome. Fine — own it. Now that you know having negative thoughts is only a symptom of your condition, you should be prepared to fight against them. Let the feeling of inadequacy become an inspiration for you to work harder and achieve more.

Introspection: It’s the success that’s making you doubt your position, isn’t it? So, take some time to retrace your path to becoming a sensation from your start as a garage business. When you remember all the struggles and the way you navigated your business through the tough times, you’d be a lot easier on yourself.

Keep updating your CV: Making a list is always helpful. When you’ve written down all your accomplishments, it’s becomes more believable. Update your resume whenever possible to keep a tab of how you led your startup to stardom.

Let go: Competitiveness is desirable but not a necessity. Stop trying to fit into other entrepreneurs’ shoes. It’s not healthy to keep a track of what every other business is doing. Also, try not to beat yourself down for a few mistakes. You can’t always win, relentlessly!

Don’t try to time-travel: Don’t keep looking back over your shoulder; it’s going to affect your leadership qualities. Missed opportunities won’t return; maybe it’s good to learn from your mistakes by analyzing past situations in a new light, but don’t obsess about your shortcomings.

Doubt is only a feeling; it isn’t reality or a hallucination. It’s like an omen; since we’ve progressed from believing in superstitions, let’s get over doubt (and subsequently the imposter syndrome) in the same way.

It’s great to be chosen as leader. There’s probably nothing more exciting than guiding your team through the thick and thins of a task. But as a cliché as it may sound, we know that power is always accompanied by responsibilities galore.

So, let’s find out what makes a great leader.

What Should You Be Worried About

Generally, when you work in a business, it’s idealistic to think that everyone will get along. So, you might face a little friction initially after getting chosen as the leader.

Moreover, as the chores pile up, the group members get more tense. This is the time when you need to take charge. Other than motivating your group members, you have to also divide tasks shrewdly.

Authenticity is key. Disrespecting other people shouldn’t be your intention, but you need to show that you are endowed with leadership qualities, and people need to abide by the rules you set forth.

Mistakes Made By Most Aspiring Leaders

It’s a well-known fact that history is one of the best teachers. So, learn from the failures of your predecessors. Here are some of the common blunders made by people trying to succeed in the lead role:

Change is constant, so accept it: Sometimes they may be in conflict with your long term goals, but changes are inevitable. You need to go with the flow and not stick firmly to your initial target because the situation isn’t the same anymore. But, you may argue that in some cases, stubborn leaders have come out as winners since they did not conform to suit the circumstances. To judge which of the aforementioned choices would be apt for your team, you must have a group of trusted and experienced people. You can consult other executives and administrators at the business for some sage advice.

Take charge and take the blame: When you don’t meet deadlines, and your objective seems far away, it’s mostly because you get busy with your daily tasks as an entrepreneur. A way to avoid such a situation is by setting a schedule on your calendar that you follow diligently. Another is by using features such as snooze on Gmail that’ll allow you to set up emails that will be delivered at a scheduled time. You should also be willing and ready to accept blame when plans you make or ideas you have don’t pan out the way you’d hoped. Like I said, authenticity is key, so taking charge and owning up to any mistakes — whether they’re yours or your team’s — is an important part of being a leader.

Be curious about your mistakes: Ask yourself why you failed. If you don’t identify where you went wrong, you won’t be able to rectify it. Troubleshooting helps; it’s not always requisite of you to change the entire business model after one setback. The only real mistakes in life are the ones you don’t learn from.

Don’t be too quick: Try to slow down your pace. It’s true that businesses need to be run quickly and time crunches aren’t a new issue plaguing startups, but you need to allot some time to look back on your decisions and analyze your future moves. Take the time necessary for self-reflection and be honest with your assessment of yourself and your performance.

Performance over achievement: Don’t gloat about how much you’ve succeeded but rather think about your business’ performance. When achievements take the toll on you, shortcuts seem tempting that may clash with your long term goals.

So, there you go. Avoid these common erroneous methods, and you will come out the better in every sticky situation you may face as an entrepreneur. But, do you know what’s best? Trust in yourself, because no one knows your business better than you.

Nicole Monturo is an accomplished executive and leadership expert.

Tag: advice

Imposter Syndrome

To Achieve Success: Avoid These Common Mistakes