INSIGHTS (on leadership/self-leadership)
I interviewed Hollywood producer Mark Teitelbaum, who had the privilege of working with comedy legend Robin Williams shortly before his tragic death. Teitelbaum was working with Williams on The Crazy Ones, a CBS half-hour comedy and one of Williams’s last projects. The producer learned about unleashing creativity by watching Williams perform in the show’s pilot episode. As Teitelbaum tells it:
“We were working a key scene in the episode, where Robin was sharing a tender moment with his daughter (played by Sarah Michelle Geller). We did four takes and were about to move on. Suddenly, Robin said, ‘Wait, can we do this just one more time?’ We obliged, of course, this is Robin Williams we’re talking about. Robin proceeded to go off script, improvising delivery of a heartfelt story in the voice of an Asian Indian gentleman. The performance was unbelievably layered, textured, and nuanced. All we could do was sit in stunned admiration. Robin’s improv became the best part of a pilot that was the best pilot I’d ever seen. I learned in that moment the power of going off-script, giving it that fifth take, and giving creative people runway to be creative.”
So, you too can spark creativity simply by giving creative people on your team “runway to be creative.
IMPERFECTIONS (a mistake many make)
In my new book, The Mentally Strong Leader, I discuss building up your confidence “mental muscle” by overcoming imposter syndrome, something all too many of us have faced. Imposter Syndrome is when you downplay your accomplishments and worth, doubt your intellect and skills, and discount your expertise and experience. Here are three of the steps I outline to overcome it.
1. Own your accomplishments.
Ask yourself, “Where am I underestimating and underappreciating myself? What should I give myself more credit for? Where am I assigning too much credit to luck, or other external factors? What simply would not have happened, were it not for me?” For some, focusing on your accomplishments will still produce a “Yeah but…” reaction. You might still focus on all the ways you’re inadequate. Enter the next step.
2. Be open to imposter discomfort, closed to imposter thoughts.
It’s known as “acceptance” in psychology circles.Yes, you might have doubts about whether or not you can really lead the team in your new role, for example. But learning to be okay with it, to let that sit in the background, allows you to focus on deciding how to do it best, not if you can do it. In other words, it helps you focus on living up to it versus whether or not you deserve it. At the same time, detach from imposter thoughts. Imagine they came from someone else, an unfair critic. You know these thoughts aren’t trying to help you move toward the life you want to live, so why listen?
3. Think of your value(s)rather than your valuation.
First, focus on the unique value you bring to the table, not your “valuation,” what others might think you do, or don’t, deserve. What skills/strengths/perspective do you undeniably offer?
And, think of your values, too. When imposter feelings are booing you from the cheap seats, your values are cheering you on from the front row, reminding you that you’re staying true to who you are and that what you’re doing matters, no matter what anyone thinks.
IMPLEMENTATION (one research-backed strategy, tip, or tool)
Remember that as a leader, you “bring the weather.” You influence the culture, the mood, the “smell of the place,” every single day. That’s a lot of pressure to put on you, but recent INSEAD research will help. To create an active, actionable culture, the most important thing you can do is to build your culture based on the values you’ll adhere to in the face of expected problems. That is, as opposed to just listing absolute, generic values like integrity, trust, kindness, etc. You want your values to aid decision making, which you do by “acid-testing” them when facing a dilemma.
For example, say you know a big change is coming for your organization, which represents a dilemma – should you share this information and protect the organization from going sideways, or express your stated value of using transparency to create a feeling of togetherness? You say in this instance, “In this company, when we have the opportunity to put in the effort to share information, we do it.” Thus, you have a concrete value that turns guesses into good decisions. A living, breathing, actionable culture surfaces.
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