I’ve always been fascinated by the power of self-belief as a tool of personal progress.
Henry Ford’s famous quote “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you‘re right.” Has always struck a chord with me, but the think you can’t bit can become a more complicated issue than the need for a swift confidence boost. Especially, when you’re within a competitive creative business entrusted to conceive or develop ideas.
My webinar below, deep dives into addressing personal Imposter syndrome through building a creative culture that can permanently keep it at bay. Here’s a few tips any of us can implement in how we work today:
1. Creativity Is A Team Sport.
In my experience, creative businesses get their best results when people are working together from a great playbook and everyone is confident in the role they are playing in contributing to conceiving ideas and bringing them to life. But, sadly in many businesses there is little to no emphasis on building this type of team culture that nurtures and builds creative confidence. If there are no defined roles and everyone is always trying to score, you may have found the problem. We wouldn’t have won the 1966 World Cup without Gordon Banks in goal.
2. Build It. Don’t Break It.
Great creative thinking has to start from a shiny nugget of a new idea.
And if that nugget of an insight or concept is fresh and original, by it’s very nature it is vulnerable. Vulnerable, because it’s hasn’t been done before thus making it hard to describe. The best creatives know how to contribute to making these rare ideas grow. If you are constantly playing devil’s advocate, then there is a good chance you are also doing his work by sending ideas to hell before they have had the chance to sprout wings.
3. Remember, we’re all Impostors
You’re not imagining that you’re an impostor, it’s likely that you are one. Everyone who is doing important work is working on something that might not work. And it’s extremely likely that they’re also not the very best qualified person on the planet to be doing that work. Keep going… It doesn’t and shouldn’t go away as it can be the driver. It can push you try harder (abridged quote from Seth Godin).
It’s natural to be self-critical in an industry where the greatest hits surround us every day. But we often forget, that creativity isn’t something we are, it’s something we do.
If we’ve had success previously, we should feel that there is more opportunity for more success. So, who you are may not be the issue. It may be down to where you are. Sometimes, we need to look around before we look within.
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