By Ashley Oates
Calling all student members and early careerists—this article is for you. Think of it as your Dear Abby for questions you might have asked a mentor or a peer, now shared to everyone with practical advice.
This past year as a part of the Higher Education Network (HEN) committee of CAHL— a team that provides guidance and support to our student members—I’ve been keeping an open ear to inquiries that have come up from a variety of students and early careerists about their career journey, both formally and parenthetically. As someone who is both a mentor and mentee, I share these responses to remind ourselves we can learn from each other by asking more questions, continuously reflecting on where we can improve.
Below is a selection of Frequently Asked Question topics from early careerists—other leaders, please feel free to share your answers or experience.
Leading team members who have more professional experience than you do
- As you start your people leadership career, this skill will likely immediately reveal itself as a gap in your abilities. You’re leading a meeting to address an urgent issue, but don’t know where to begin in resolving it. Everyone is looking at you as the leader. Good to Great author Jim Collins suggests leading with questions. This can be as simple as acknowledging their experience and their ‘been there done that’ history. Collins writes, “Leading from good to great does not mean coming up with the answers and then motivating everyone to follow your messianic vision. It means having the humility to grasp the fact that you do not yet understand enough to have the answers and then to ask the questions that will lead to the best possible insights (Collins, 2001, pp. 74-75).” When faced with urgency or during a regular 1:1 meeting, lean into humility and ask about their first-hand experience.
Leading team members who may have been your “peer”
- If you’re promoted internally or find yourself leading peers, this can be tricky. You’re now tasked with motivating the team to meet success or a business goal. Don’t panic—you already have some advantages—start with your inside knowledge of daily challenges. Since you’ve been in their role before, you should recognize pain points and bottlenecks that can now be tackled by a leader who has experienced the friction—you! Share these insights with your team and take a moment to confirm that these issues are still current before launching your ‘fix it’ campaign.
Shifting your mindset from someone who “does the work” to someone who “leads the work”
- Start with visualizing ‘the how’. How do you imagine the team working together to reach the finish line – with integrity, clarity, and sustainability? This is focused on creating an accountable culture within your team that integrates operating within a values-driven framework. What does this look like? It involves setting priorities as a team, defining appropriate KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and establishing tracking and monitoring processes to follow up on assignments. Your team will share their successes and obstacles, giving you the chance to celebrate wins or help solve problems. Success means building trust with your team, being a fair leader, and fostering a learning-focused environment. While you may not be doing the work directly on the front lines, you are working alongside your team to build accountability, clarity, and a foundation of psychological safety.
Managing Imposter Syndrome
- It’s common for early careerists to feel like they’re “faking it” or don’t truly belong, especially when stepping into leadership roles, or being promoted to just outside of their comfort zone. This feeling, known as imposter syndrome, can quietly undermine confidence and performance if left unchecked. It often appears when you’re growing, stretching, and learning—exactly where you should be. Try keeping a desk journal or dedicating 30 minutes on Friday mornings to reflect on your wins, accomplishments, and positive feedback you’ve received. This will help you better recognize your contributions and growth, and also start building your performance review bullet points! Remember, confidence is built through actions. Every time you show up, ask a question, lead a meeting, or make a decision, you reinforce your capability, both to yourself and to others.
Prioritizing self-care
- In her eponymous book, Angela Duckworth states “Grit is about holding the same top-level goal for a very long time, (Duckworth, 2016, pp. 64, 280–281)” and admits there is an opportunity cost to being gritty. We know that having grit helps us to enhance performance through experience and repetition, ultimately achieving difficult but worthwhile goals. However, we also need to incorporate moments of rest, disconnecting from devices, and practice quiet reflection or meditation to stay resilient in all settings. When combining these approaches, I agree with Duckworth that, “you’ll have a clearer sense of who you are, what you care about, and how to align your effort with your identity.” This will look different for each person and is worth exploring through small experiments—try one this weekend.
Submit more curiosities and questions by contacting Ashley Oates at Ashley.Oates@sutterhealth.org.
References:
- Collins, Jim. Good to Great (Harper Business: 2001), pages 74-75.
- Duckworth, Angela. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Scribner: 2016), pages 64, 280-281.
