Lisa Orbé-Austin - Your Unstoppable Greatness: Break Free From Imposter Syndrome, Cultivate Your Agency, and Achieve Your Ultimate Career Goals

Your Unstoppable Greatness

Break Free From Imposter Syndrome, Cultivate Your Agency, and Achieve Your Ultimate Career Goals

Lisa Orb-Austin, PhD and Richard Orb-Austin, PhD

Authors of Own Your Greatness

In the time since we released our first book, Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life, we have gotten to witness up close so many people transforming from the paralysis of the impostor cycle to the freedom of embracing their competencies, skills, abilities, experiences, and, most importantly, their dreams. Weve seen the people who worked through the book do remarkable things: double their salaries; advocate for and receive the promotion theyd been waiting for; courageously change careers and start businesses; give TEDx talks; cut their work hours and spend more valuable time on their own and with their loved ones; obtain their dream jobs at their dream companies; get their first C-suite roles; andoveralljust blossom, grow, expand, and live in their greatness. Learning about these successes has been the most beautiful and special giftespecially since much of it occurred during the grim time of the COVID-19 pandemic. This experience teaching people how to use the skills, tools, and concepts of the 3Cs (Clarify, Choose, and Create) Strategy to break their impostor syndrome has been for us a brilliant light in the darkness. We look forward to seeing and hearing about more transformations as people continue to find and use Own Your Greatness to finally face the impostor syndrome beast.

As weve helped people transform in our master class; in trainings at their companies, associations, and universities; and through our individual coaching work, weve experienced firsthand that its possible for people to learn these skills in a short period of time. We also saw something very interesting that led us to writing this book.

We saw amazing professionalswho had done the hard work of addressing their underlying issues and building tools using the model of the first bookfinally believe in themselves in completely new and powerful ways. Nevertheless, we also saw them sometimes being dragged backkicking and screamingto places of insecurity and overwork by work cultures that were unrelentingly intent on getting the result they wanted from their employees. Witnessing these struggles fortified our passion for addressing and tackling the societal and work culture issues that reinforce both impostor syndrome and the mechanisms and types of leadership models that sustain it within these organizations. We want to make the invisible forcefield of toxicity transparent so that you can, first, identify it and then either address it or make other choices about whether you will invest your skills and talents in it.

In this book, we want to discuss the agency you feel you have (or dont have) within an organization/systemand what you can do to make sure youre empowered, even in very difficult situations. One difficulty many experience derives from how, when we think about systemic issues, we often have trouble identifying who is at the center and whom we can hold accountable. That scenario is what can be referred to as trying to kiss the systemwhich of course is impossible. We want to help you embrace the understanding that its individuals who make up the systems and create the policies, procedures, and cultures that are toxic. We want to help you examine the ways toxic systems may be pulling on you to revert to the old habits of impostor syndrome. Through your experience with this book, we want you to reexamine your relationship with work, with your workplace, and with its leadership. We want you to make conscious choices about who you are in these circumstances, how you relate to others, and how to deal with difficult situations. We often say that we dont want you to play checkers when everyone else is playing chess. We want to teach you how to be a chess master by being intentional about your moves, by understanding the players and what your ultimate goal is, and by having a plan about how youre going to achieve that goaleven in the most difficult of situations.

In Part OneChapters 1 through 3, well look at the agency youve developed thus far (perhaps from working on your impostor syndrome in Own Your Greatness), and well help you to use it to strategically reimagine your dreams for your futureor, perhaps, to dream them for the first time. Well also challenge you to consider ways you can protect your dreams until you can make them happen.

Part TwoChapters 4 through 7is about assessment. Well help you think about how you relate to systems and organizationsand how you can redefine that relationship as you move away from relying on systems for validation of your competency, skills, and experience. We want you to instead consider how to interact with these systems in a way thats beneficial and healthy for you. A significant part of this process is learning to identify and evaluate toxic systems, leaders, and work culturesand then to assess how to engage those systems while also protecting yourself. Well also discuss how systems of oppression benefit and reinforce impostor syndrome. Then well explore how you can empower and believe in yourself even from within oppressive systemsall while working to eradicate them.

In Part ThreeChapters 8 through 10well discuss how to be an agent of change using the competencies essential to developing cultures that dont reinforce impostor syndrome. Even if you are not yet a formal leader, its important to consider your influence and the ways you can support environments that will be healthier for yourself and others. It is essential to understand that leadershipand the way you interact with, develop, support, and model for your teamis meaningful, especially in how that leadership creates ripple effects in the system. Just one person can disrupt a system if that person builds a community to help create an alternative culture, one meant to nurture and value the most important asset to any organizationits people!

Throughout the book, hypothetical case studies are provided for illustrative purposes only and do not represent an actual client or an actual clients experience, but rather are meant to provide an example of the process and methodology of the book. An individuals experience may vary based on their individual circumstances. There can be no assurance that everyone will be able to achieve similar results in comparable situations. No portion of this book is to be interpreted as testimonial or endorsement of our services.

If you read and completed Own Your Greatness, youll know that book is a primer for developing the skills called for in this book. We want to help you develop skills and tools to exercise your agency and continue to challenge impostor syndrome, even in complex situations and cultures. We want you to engage with this book. Complete the exercises, take time to reflect. THIS IS WORK, and IT WORKS! And that work is worth it. You wont regret the time you spend on it.

Welcome to this journey! Were happy to be here with you.

In 2020 we gave a TEDx talk called The Impostor Syndrome Paradox: Unleashing the Power of You. In it, Lisa shared how shed had a toxic job that inflamed and reinforced her impostor syndromeand so she resigned.