No one has any idea, but it is time for me to own up to the truth. I can’t go on any longer blasting songs from my car or humming lyrics you vaguely recognize. You might be deeply nervous to hear my news. Ready? Be prepared.
Daveed Diggs. He’s my mentor. You know who I am talking about. He played Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the original ensemble of Hamilton, which is by far the most genius musical of all time. Besides being incredibly talented (according to screenrant.com, he raps 6.3 words per second as Lafayette), he can teach us a great big thing about leadership. Are you ready to hear about this? Let’s go…
Still, he is unsure of himself. That’s right: even Daveed Diggs occasionally suffers from a case of the “what ifs.” In fact, he sometimes wonders if other people would be better suited for his roles. While preparing to voice the beloved crab Sebastian in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid, he admitted in an interview with screenrant.com that he wasn’t sure if he was the best choice for the iconic role. In response to this feeling, he prepared harder for this role than for any other in his career because he wanted to be the best Sebastian the crab possible.
As leaders, we might not rap like Daveed Diggs, but we can relate to his self-doubt. Like him, we question if we can live up to the demands of leading a new project or giving critical feedback to a colleague who is struggling. We wonder if we are worthy, which is especially prevalent after the pandemic-filled school year we’ve just experienced. Let’s face it: It shook us to our core and made us question if we were any good at our careers. Doubting your ability and believing you are a fraud is often called imposture syndrome and we all suffer from it occasionally.
In my career, I’ve learned to recognize when this icky feeling is about to rear its ugly head and take precautionary steps to overcome it—and you can too! Consider these steps whenever a bad case of the “what ifs” are about the sneak up on you:
1. Stop it. That’s right–pause. Take a deep breath. Stand up and move. By putting your body into motion not only will you ease physical tension, you will ultimately ease stress and other tension, too.
2. Look at yourself in the mirror. Make it a giant one. Smile and deliver an affirmation starting with: “I will do…” Keep repeating it. Heck, keep saying it louder and louder until YOU believe it!
3. Start by starting. If you’re like my former running buddy and colleague, Renee Houser, then “Start by starting,” is a mantra that you already live by. But if you’re like me, this approach doesn’t come quite as easily. I repeat these words, “Start by starting,” whenever a new project is feeling too enormous. Remembering that the big work is the work of getting started, I am able to avoid the procrastination and frustration that I’ve often experienced before. Regardless of who you relate to more, this little ditty, “Start by starting, will help you to chip away at tasks that may at first feel daunting until you feel successful and productive.
Next time you are not feeling confident as a leader, what will you choose to do?
I am the instructional coach for my building. I am heading out later today to meet with a group of teachers who volunteered to regularly get together over the summer to tackle a complex shift at our middle school – standards-based grading. There are a ton of obstacles. There is not one right way. Each discipline has its own unique issues. But guess what, they are doing it! “Start by starting.”
I love this Tracy! I’ve got these words “start by starting” on a sticky note near my desk and on my clipboard I carry everywhere with me! Even a small step forward is a step. I believe in you!
Start by starting is all you, Renee!
Thanks for this one Brooke! Self doubt happens to everyone, I guess. I once heard Barbara Streisand suffers from terrible stage fright…. So I feel in good company!