Impostor Syndrome Strikes Again!

Photo by Sander van der Wel

The last two months have been an amazing whirlwind of conferences for me, and during that time, I’ve faced and moved beyond impostor syndrome. It’s easy to think that being accepted to speak at a conference means that you’ve made it, that you’ve proven yourself as an expert, or that you’re a valued community leader. And it’s precisely when you’re going out on a limb, crossing an edge, and trying something new that your inner critic gets louder.

My schedule included co-facilitating a large open space event, presenting new workshops at three conferences, and co-leading with a new conference speaker. I’ve been talking about coaching skills that are challenging and trying to make them easy. My inner critic got downright obnoxious and made me doubt that I could do it all. I’ve gone from feeling like an invisible girl to rather famous in a short period of time, and I’m still adjusting to the highs and lows I’ve felt.

And thankfully in the midst of all of this, I found myself belonging to a very special tribe: a group of us who were traveling to conferences week after week and sharing our wisdom because we felt compelled to do so. Our paths crossed in multiple cities, and there was comfort in recognizing that we were not alone. Our busy schedules kept us away from home, and we had familiar faces along the way to keep things light.

In fact, after an incredible group discussion on impostor syndrome during Agile Coach Camp in New York, a few of us revisited the topic during Agile & Beyond for a recording of the Agile Uprising podcast. Listen to Chris Murman, Billie Schuttpelz, Pradeepa Narayanaswamy and me talk about impostor syndrome.

Allison Pollard

Allison Pollard is a coach, consultant, and trainer who brings the power of relationship systems intelligence to go beyond tasks, roles, and frameworks to create energy for change. She engages with people and teams in a down-to-earth way to build trust and listen for signals to help them learn more and improve. Allison focuses on creating alignment and connection for people to solve business problems together. Her experience includes working with teams and leaders in energy, retail, financial, real estate, and transportation industries to help improve their project/product delivery and culture. Allison currently volunteers as program director for Women in Agile’s mentorship program. Her agile community focus is championing new voices and amplifying women as mentors and sponsors for the next generation of leaders. Allison earned her bachelor’s degrees in computer science, mathematics, and English from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. She is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC), a foodie, and proud glasses wearer. Allison is a prolific speaker at professional groups and international conferences, including Scrum Gatherings and the Agile Alliance Agile20xx conferences. Allison is co-owner of Helping Improve LLC.

http://www.allisonpollard.com
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Roundtable Roulette - A Podcast Experiment