Own Your Strengths

Own Your Strengths: Leaders, You’re More Skilled Than You Think!

I subscribe to Kris’ emails and I received this inspiring message from him and this one really resonated with me. I wanted to share it because I believe it’s crucial for managers and leaders to recognize their worth and feel confident in the valuable technical and interpersonal skills they bring to the table.

Impostor Syndrome is like that sneaky enemy who finds a way to make everyone feel out of place, no matter what. You didn’t go to college? Insecurity alert! Your friend did? Still insecure! It’s the ultimate mind game where everyone somehow feels they’re on the losing side.

The moral? Quit playing. Whether you’ve built empires or teams (or just a really nice collection of life lessons), focus on what you do have. Because that resume of experiences is more impressive than you think.

My take away: reminder to yourself – no degree needed to be brilliant!

Here is the email article from Kris:

My lack of a college degree used to be a serious source of insecurity for me. I hoped that no one around me would ever figure out that I haven’t taken a single college class.

But one day, I met someone who thought that his degree opened doors for him that he didn’t actually deserve. He said that his degree could land him a job, but he still had to figure out how to do the job well, just like anyone else, and he worried that he might not be up to the task.

That’s the sinister thing about Impostor Syndrome – it can always find an angle of attack.

The very thing that you lack – that you think holds you back – may be the thing that someone else sees as their crutch.

One person has built a great team, and secretly feels like they could never have made it on their own, while another person has built a business largely on their own, but feels inferior because they’ve never been able to build a great team around them.

It’s all a mind game.

Let’s quit the game.

Here’s your permission to quit focusing on what you don’t have, and focus instead on what you do have – your entire lifetime (up to this point) of learning and experiences to draw from. There’s a lot to value there, regardless of what you think is missing, or what someone else may have.

– Kris

Learn more about Kris: https://www.kriskelso.com/

Pick up his book: https://www.overcomingtheimpostor.com/

I Power Seeds

Here are our takeaways and thoughts - pause and reflect, then nourish and grow!

Remember, as leaders, the skills you possess—both technical and interpersonal—are incredibly valuable. Trust in your unique experiences, and let them fuel your confidence and impact. Keep shining!