Unspoken truths: The Outsider's Journey in Leadership

Authored by Ghaleb El Masri - Managing Director, Partner, Toronto.

Being a leader is a multifaceted experience, often more complex than it appears, particularly for those who have recently transitioned into leadership roles. Whether assuming leadership in a new organization, a different country, or a novel context (such as leading individuals with more experience), the undertaking can be overwhelming due to high expectations and the pressure to perform. According to research published in the International Journal of Behavioral Science, approximately 70% of individuals will encounter the Imposter Phenomenon at least once. This phenomenon involves a sense of perceived inadequacy that undermines leaders' confidence, impeding their ability to make tough organizational decisions. Moreover, leaders confront the added stress of digital and consumer disruptions, necessitating rapid decision-making. Consequently, self-doubt intensifies, prompting leaders to work longer hours and push themselves harder, often resulting in burnout.?

To alleviate this doubt, leaders can unlock the solution with the assistance of their teams by shifting their mindset from traditional command and control to embracing increased delegation and organizational agility. By adopting three essential shifts, leaders can cultivate favorable outcomes over the long term. These shifts entail fostering a growth mindset, embracing vulnerability, and creating clear strategic alignment among their teams.?

1. Creating Clear Strategy and Alignment?

Leaders cannot possess all the answers, making it crucial to establish clear strategic alignment to communicate effectively with their teams. This practice fosters trust and ensures a collective focus on key objectives. When leadership and the team share alignment on strategy, delegation and autonomy empower the team to take ownership of their work while keeping the common goal in sight. Achieving this can be accomplished through:?

• Developing a shared vision by collaboratively establishing a North Star for the organization.?
• Setting clear objectives and monitoring progress using Value Driver Trees and OKRs.?
• Encouraging collaboration and rapid alignment through the implementation of cross-functional teams.?

Leaders can gauge their success in creating clear strategy and alignment by observing tangible outcomes and the impact of their efforts. Signs of success include teams consistently prioritizing outcomes over outputs. Regular check-ins, such as monthly progress meetings and surveys, provide opportunities for leaders to realign with their teams, assess progress, and understand how the new way of working benefits the team. These feedback mechanisms help leaders foster continuous improvement and reinforce strategic alignment. By leveraging their teams' collective wisdom, leaders can alleviate some of the burden of finding all the answers themselves.?

2. Embracing Vulnerability?

Embracing vulnerability can effectively combat the feelings of being an outsider. Such feelings often stem from the fear of being exposed as a fraud or failing to meet expectations, leading individuals to maintain a fa?ade of perfection and competence. However, acknowledging and accepting vulnerability can break this cycle, offering the following benefits:?

• Increasing engagement within teams by actively participating in discussions, demonstrating dedication to the collective effort, and fostering approachability as a leader.?
• Becoming an active and empathetic listener, displaying genuine curiosity to understand the perspectives of team members.?
• Sharing personal stories, which profoundly impact creating a psychologically safe space.?

Although embracing vulnerability requires courage, it is an essential step in personal and professional development. By fostering psychological safety through increased engagement, active listening, and personal storytelling, leaders can cultivate an environment that embraces vulnerability—an environment where taking risks, making mistakes, and learning from them are not only accepted but encouraged.?

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3. Cultivating a Growth Mindset?

Both individuals and organizations may succumb to a fear of failure, stifling innovation and growth. The trap of striving for correctness and perfection hinders the inclination to learn. To cultivate a growth mindset, leaders can encourage teams to adopt the following practices:?

• Orient teams around shorter delivery cycles to test and learn from products or services.?
• Celebrate wins, regardless of their magnitude, through product demos, team spotlights, and employee recognition.?
• Seek frequent feedback from team members and other leaders through retrospectives, employee satisfaction scores, and sustainability assessments.?

The success of products and services delivered often serves as a measure of a growth mindset, as they become more aligned with customers' needs when teams are given the freedom to innovate and experiment. Employee satisfaction scores also reflect how well leadership cultivates safe spaces for growth and learning through experimentation.?

In conclusion, the challenges faced by leaders, particularly those plagued by feelings of inadequacy or lack of confidence, can be formidable. However, by embracing these three critical shifts, leaders can overcome these obstacles and build the necessary confidence to make informed decisions and lead with conviction. This journey demands openness, courage, and a commitment to personal and professional growth. As leaders adopt these shifts, they create an environment that inspires their teams to excel and drives long-term organizational success.?