Are you still trying to earn your seat at the executive leadership table by knowing everything? only to feel like you're left out of these critical executive conversations?
Welcome back to Speak Up, the podcast for high performing introverts, including you social introverts. where we reveal the charisma and communication secrets of A-listers so that you get the recognition and the opportunities you have earned.
I am your host, Laura Camacho, your Magical Communication and Executive Presence Coach, Godmother and Strategist.
And by the end of today's episode, you will know why clinging to your identity as the expert can be sabotaging your executive leadership potential and your executive presence actually.
A simple mindset shift that allows you to speak with authority even when you don't have all the answers. and how top performers transform their careers by shifting from the people who hold all the knowledge To strategic influencers.
That's where you want to go. That's what you want to be.
So let's. Think about this picture. You've built your great career on being the go-to person as a highly conscientious high performer.
You know your domain inside and out, every detail, every nuance.
You were the expert. That's your source of confidence.
I've seen it over and over with high performers in engineering, product, finance, accounting, process improvement, compensation, farming, IT. and more.
But now you're either in a senior leadership role or you're ready for one. and you're sitting in meetings about topics that are outside your expertise, and suddenly you're feeling like a fraud.
And the temptation is to go back into what's comfortable, diving into the technical details, because that's your safe zone is where you feel warm and fresh. fuzzy and then someone asks you a question and you don't have the perfect answer for it and so you you know, go into brain freeze and your heart starts pounding and then you're panicking.
And maybe you say, this is very common. Oh, i'm not really sure i'll get back to you which is you know it's not terrible it's fine but it's a missed opportunity And it would be better to give a partial answer that is directionally accurate. and come out sounding like an executive so this is what It looks like when your technical or whatever expertise you have is holding you back from senior leadership of a company or organization.
So if you're giving a 20-minute technical deep dive, when the people listening just want the two-minute insight.
Your expertise is boxing you into roles where you can know everything because that's where you feel comfortable.
But the number of those roles is limited and they're definitely not at the top.
Then you might see younger team members with less experience but more confidence stepping into the spotlight, leapfrogging you.
You might see that happening with a peer and you're exhausting yourself trying to become the expert in every area that your team touches.
And I'm sure you're struggling with that terrible thing called imposter syndrome. just because you're not the alpha and omega expert in an area and there's no need for that that's just silly the deeper truth is that your greatest strength your technical brilliance, it can become like a cage.
It can be holding you back from senior leadership roles that you're capable of and That's terrible.
At the heart of it, I think the limiting belief is that I can only lead effectively in areas where I have deep technical knowledge or expertise.
Like I can only be an effective leader when I know all the answers.
Because that's probably how you got to where you are.
But let me tell you, it's not going to move you forward.
It makes sense why you would think that though, because it's been a successful formula for you.
You've spent years building your expertise.
It served you well. But here's a reality check.
Senior leaders are not paid to know everything.
They're paid to make smart decisions with incomplete information.
They are always making key mission critical decisions for the whole company. with incomplete information.
That is the reality. Your value at the next level up is not about having all the technical answers, it's about your judgment, which can be the product of that technical knowledge. that because you have that, then you have judgment, you see patterns, you're able to synthesize information.
You can bring clarity to complexity. That is your real superpower.
And you know what? The reality is also that executives above you probably could not do your job if they tried.
And I know that's true for most of the people that I talk to.
So the breakthrough moment is going to come when you realize and you accept That leadership is not having all the answers is about asking the right questions and knowing what is the company trying to achieve in the first place.
And you want to be guiding your team to find the solutions, not being the problem solver.
That's the workhorse. I mean, solving problems. is important, but even more impactful is leading people to solve problems.
I have seen highly technical engineers, finance wizards, and other experts. transform before my very eyes because they start seeing their expertise as a tool and not their complete identity.
That might be the mindset shift you need to make. that your expertise is a tool, but it's not everything that you have to offer.
So stop trying to be the expert in every single room and be the leader who brings out the best in every expert.
Imagine like you walk into a meeting, you don't have the pressure to know every single detail, but instead you're asking sharp, insightful questions based on your expertise and your experience that spark collaboration. that move the agenda forward.
Maybe you can synthesize the conversation into a clear and concise strategy that impresses the senior leadership.
That's the kind of leader you were meant to be.
The one who leverages expertise not the one who is limited by it.
So a great exercise for you if this is resonating, if you identify with this trap or this conundrum, imagine that you're forced to change industries.
Let's say you are into cybersecurity or device security at a tech company.
For some reason, you have to go to another industry.
And you can think about, well, what industry would be... welcoming my flavor of expertise?
Where can I add value? Where can I really help and have a strategic impact, what comes to mind for me for this particular expertise would be finance, banking.
And then think about how if you were to take that expertise to the bank's IT department, you would be solving a whole different set of problems, but you're not a banking expert, right?
You're a security expert. And so you're bringing that expertise and applying it to develop strategies for a financial institution.
That's just one example. But like I took my experience as a college professor and applied it to coaching and teaching. corporate environments and of course that's not a huge stretch but it is definitely a stretch so think about to get out of your box I think imagining yourself in a different industry and thinking about what industry would from your expertise.
I'm not saying you have to change industries.
I'm saying it's a useful exercise. So if you're struggling with this transformation from technical expert to strategic leader, if you're feeling like You're losing the very thing that made you successful.
But what you really want is to lead with confidence. even when you're not the most brilliant person in the room, and I know that's hardly ever, But that is why I created the Executive Presence Mastery System to help you make the leap into strategic leadership.
I can show you how to leverage this expertise without letting it hold you back.
If you want more in the show notes, there is a link or you can visit my website at www.speakupwithlaura.com.
Just book a call. We can talk about it to see if that would be good to help you step into your full leadership potential.
Have a fantastic day and I will catch you on the next episode.
