For many people, the term “ imposter syndrome” has such a negative connotation. But if we just learn to approach it in a different way, we will begin to see how it becomes such a positive experience and journey that we need to put ourselves on. Today, Shirley Richter Hughes talks about overcoming imposter syndrome, the glue that has kept their company culture together through the past challenging year, and how to set yourself up for the next phase of your life as you’re trying to reinvent yourself!

Shirley serves as the President of the Brand Marketing Division of Rogers & Cowan PMK, one of the largest and most influential marketing and communication firms in the world specializing in entertainment and culture. She's an inspiring leader with a proven track record of stewarding creative and innovative partnership models. Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:

Episode Highlights:

Dealing with Imposter Syndrome

There are days when even after all those years of doing it, you feel like you're still not done. You still want to do more and bigger. But you can gain more confidence and understand who you are by working harder on areas you're not good at or areas you feel the most compromised.

Imposter syndrome is such a negative term for such a positive experience and journey that we need to put ourselves on. It's important to feel entitled to have what you want to achieve, to create those lofty goals, and to envision yourself in that space so you can manifest it.

But so many people feel like they are suffering from it, and it can be holding them back due to fear of failure – but failure is not a bad thing. It's a stepping stone to figuring out what's going to get you what you want. There is no such thing as perfect, but it's about what you want, and how you create it. Be comfortable with making a change. It's okay to take a chance. Challenge and push yourself to make decisions – even your everyday decisions.

Working With Creativity and Innovation Through Trying Times

It’s an amazing quality for a leader to be able to listen and be in tune with their people. There's a long road ahead of us and it's going to get harder before it gets easier. In our businesses, we're getting to see so much creativity and innovation, advancement in technology, and digital practices, and experiential things.  So it’s a fun time in a weird and wonderful way. And when we can look at it that way and find the great part of what we get to do and how we can be creative whether it's for ourselves or in our businesses, through the mess comes the masterpiece.

Reinvention Tips: How to Set Yourself Up For the Next

Take courage and think about things differently. Everything's being reinvented right now. Just be open. Be true to yourself and be authentic. Authenticity to who we are is so important because that's where you'll find it. And don’t be afraid to ask for help because people love to be there for you. It makes them feel important. Make an effort to connect with people. Finally, look outside the normal boundaries – whether from a location or a company perspective – because the world has changed and there may be places where restrictions aren't there anymore.

Resources Mentioned:

Rogers & Cowan PMK