5 lessons from a young leader. A reflection on self-confidence and…
By: Tina Hsu
Tags: Leadership, Design, Learning, UX, Imposter Syndrome

5 lessons from a young leader

A reflection on self-confidence and overcoming Imposter Syndrome

Photo by David Marcu on Unsplash

At 23, I became the manager of my company’s User Experience team.

A few years prior, I had started in design as a one-person show. We were a small company, with around 30 employees worldwide. Back then, UX was a young, unexplored discipline for us.

Like any start-up, relentless efficiency was our mantra. I loved every second of the hustle. Still, I was usually bent over my desk, churning out designs for 4–5 projects at once, too busy to slow down and look at the bigger picture of why I was there.

Being the only UX designer in a brilliant and fast growing company also meant I lived with constant paranoia. Imposter syndrome felt like an overwhelming beast.

I was certain it was only a matter of time before others realised I was a fraud basked in colours. I’d dismiss any positive feedback thinking my colleagues didn’t know better. Everything I did was new to the organisation, so at the end of the day, my work was the standard. If I happened to set the bar low, it was still as high as they’d ever known.

I became even more out of my depth, paralysed with fear, when it was time to expand the team. I was about to become a manager. I had the confidence of my company to guide the team, but I felt 10 centimeters tall.

Do I have what it takes to lead a team? I don’t know what I’m doing! What if I don’t have the answers to the difficult questions my team members have? They’ll see right through me!

I spent months trying to find my feet. I have since then come to accept there is not always a clear path to good leadership. That said, the following five lessons have helped me make sense of the journey ahead as a young leader.

1. Don’t think too hard. Make a start.

You are where you are because you’ve earned your spot there. Learn to trust and back yourself.

When a new and complex task arrives, it will feel like everyone is looking to you for direction. Don’t freak out. Slow down instead. Start from what you know. You’ll understand the problem better if you help the team start small.

Great work requires more than great individuals, it requires a team. As a team, you’ll be able to leverage each other’s knowledge and skills to achieve a common goal. So don’t fret. Make a start.

You don’t need to know what it takes to do the job. Once you’ve done the job, you’ll know what it takes.

2. Base your decision on what’s best for the company

Teamwork is the perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.

As a team leader, you’re responsible for the performance of your team. If your insecurities and ego are clouding any judgment, take a step back and focus on what is best for the company.

Ask yourself who would be most suitable for the job to achieve the highest quality outcome. This will help you and your team stay focussed on the tasks at hand.

When your team members share a new idea or come up with an intelligent solution to a tricky problem, embrace it. It doesn’t matter who comes up with a solution first. What counts is the new perspective the team now has to inform the next challenge you face together.

3. Provide opportunities you wish you had

Being in a small team or the only member of a team means it’s very easy to hoard the opportunities. It takes a special kind of courage to let someone else in on the fun.

Good employees crave trust and are unafraid to work for it. Create room for your team members to add value. The most meaningful way to do this is by delegating responsibilities you would’ve wanted.

When your team rises to the occasion, acknowledge it. This will encourage them to help set the bar higher for the rest of the company.

4. Look back on the stepping stones you’ve placed

Take time to recognise the contribution you’ve made to support your team on their own journeys.

Your team members have voiced differing opinions? Great, you’ve created an environment where they feel comfortable doing so.

Your team members have improved systems you’ve set in place? Fantastic, you’ve set up structures that were easy to follow.

Your team members have refined existing processes? Excellent, you’ve built a solid foundation on which others can form better ideas.

People we admire most also had others before them showing the way. It is a humbling experience knowing you’re paying it forward.

5. Be kind and forgiving towards yourself

Don’t be quick to criticise and undersell your abilities.

None of the leaders I know feel ready all the time. The vulnerability and humility that arise from this is a beautiful thing. Accepting you still have a lot to learn is a great exercise in self-awareness. It means you are recognising there are opportunities to improve.

I have gone from being too afraid to reveal I don’t know something to saying, “I can’t answer that.”

Later, I found myself comfortable adding, “I can’t answer that, but I can point you to the person who can.”

Nowadays, I am able to admit, “I am not sure”, but then ask, “What do you think?”

In time, you will mature as a leader by taking responsibility for the outcome of the team. So be kind to yourself when things go sideways.

It may not always feel like you’re moving forward. It’s important yet to realise even a lateral step can open up new paths for those behind and beside you.