Let me allow you into a little secret. Many years ago, I had been a swim official for only about a year or two. One day I was in Jamaica with the Cayman Islands team and volunteering as an official. The organisers then asked me if I would step in and Referee as one of their referees was unable to be there.
The thing was, I wasn’t qualified as a referee yet at that point, but they must have a) observed my competence in my role on deck in prior sessions, and b) assumed I was a Referee. The entrepreneur in me takes opportunities, so I said “sure”.
That evening I stepped up on deck, excited about the opportunity but also nervous. “What if I fail? They will see that I am an imposter, that I don’t know what I am doing!”
As it turned out, the reverse was the case, I feel I was born for the role, and it came so naturally, I figured it out as I went.
I then went back to Cayman and reported back and was quickly appointed as a Referee. Many years later I have been a Referee at a high level now for over a decade.
Why do I tell this story? Simple. We all have doubts about our knowledge and ability. It is often called “Imposter Syndrome”, the (often irrational!) fear that we will be “found out”, that we aren’t competent at what we are doing.
This thought from Professor Adam Grant reframes this beautifully. Oh, and for more on Growth Mindset see this earlier post.
Choose “I’ll figure it out”over “I’ll get found out”. Believe in your ability to learn.
#MakingPotentialPossible