Leadership: self-doubt and success

I have been a CEO, a senior ministerial adviser and a First Assistant Secretary in the Federal Government. I have also run my own successful consultancy business. And I have always had self-doubt.

In my coaching business, I find the conversation sometimes turns to talking about how to be a leader with confidence ‘faking it till you make it’, speaking up and speaking out and how to rid yourself of self-doubt and fear.

My message is you don’t have to get rid of it, just accept and manage it for success. If we explore where our self-doubt comes from, how it impacts on our work and limits our aspirations, then we can learn to manage it and succeed at the same time.

I speak from experience. I never ever imagined myself taking on the roles I did: as a leader in the public service, someone a Treasurer would rely on for advice as his senior adviser on Budget matters, or as a CEO of a highly influential non-government organization – Reconciliation Australia.

My career path was marked by accidents and opportunities. I was often in the right place at the right time. And I learnt to put myself in uncomfortable situations and ‘have a go’.

At the same time, experience has taught me that asking questions is not a sign of weakness but of strength, and sometimes you'll be surprised by how many people in the room don't know the answer!

I'm interested in current thinking on different styles of leadership. Moving on from the ‘great man’ theory, we now value leaders who listen and who have ‘soft’ skills – which could also be called ‘hard skills’ because they are not without challenges! Some of these skills include self-awareness, knowing our strengths and areas for development, understanding and listening to others, and coaching your team to succeed.

With the benefit of hindsight, I have learnt that we don't need to be striving for perfection 24/7. It's ok to be vulnerable. It's ok to drop one of the many balls we juggle as parents, partners, family members, community members and colleagues. That's called being human. When you are in touch with your humanity, you can be a great leader.