Recognizing that, when I'm in that moment, that this is what it is.
It may feel real, I may have this real doubt,
recognize that it very well could be in your head,
it probably is in your head.
[music]
A lot of us entering the workforce
can sometimes feel a little overwhelmed maybe by the job description,
and just looking at that
and thinking maybe there's different areas that I'm not qualified in.
That can bring up different symptoms of imposter syndrome.
Was that something you experienced?
Yes, well, first of all, imposter syndrome is real.
It's a real issue, and I appreciate you raising it
because we often are in situations
where even if we're qualified, or even if we've had success in the past,
looking forward or even looking at a particular situation
you start to question your abilities.
You start to question your readiness,
or you see somebody else doing something,
and you're measuring yourself against them.
I certainly have been in that situation
in my role as Chief Diversity and Inclusion officer
at the NBA.
Again, I felt like going into this new space,
this new organization,
very, very prominent organization,
and I was going to have a lot to learn,
and I would just say,
for those that are facing a new challenge,
recognize they're going to be those moments
where you don't know or you haven't convinced yourself
that you're ready for it.
I would embrace those moments.
I think, to me, whenever I feel that way,
it makes me realize I'm taking it seriously.
We've acknowledged the elephant that's here in the room,
which is imposter syndrome.
It is real, a lot of people deal with it.
With that admission, what can people do?
We have that imposter syndrome, we feel kind of helpless.
What can we do about it? Are there ways to overcome this feeling?
There certainly are
and I would start, and I do start with one,
just checking myself, checking my emotions.
Recognizing when I'm in that moment, that this is what it is.
It may feel real, I may have this real doubt,
recognize that it very well could be in your head
it probably is in your head, so that's the start.
Number two,
I find it valuable to look back at why I'm in that situation,
reflect on prior experiences and prior successes.
The reason I'm in this situation that makes me feel challenged
is probably because, in recent history,
I've done some things that have gotten me to that position,
so reflect back.
Recognize that the reason you're here, the reason you may be feeling this way,
because you actually have had success,
so draw on that.
Then I'd also say,
make sure you've gotten go-to people in your universe
that can help calibrate you.
Help revalidate
that you do have the capacity and the capability,
the wherewithal, the stuff to rise to the occasion.
I think those are at least three things that I've done
-that helped me get through those moments. -Rise to the occasion.
I like that because some people go into job interviews,
and they think, "Maybe I'm underqualified."
They see that job description, and,
"Oh, I don't have
that five years of experience in that certain area."
Do you think that people should shy away from taking on challenges like that?
Well, I think it's always good
to make an honest assessment of your abilities
relative to a particular role that you're looking at.
I also think it's okay to stretch.
I also think it's okay to reach
because you may find out that you actually do have,
if not the exact experience, relevant experience.
You might find that, when you're assess for that role,
there's a lot of confidence
in your potential to grow into that role quickly.
I would encourage people to not take yourself out of the process
if there's a reasonable chance
that, whether you get the role or not,
just going through the process will help you grow,
help you prepare for that next opportunity.
First of all, I like to ask the interviewer,
what is it that they saw in me or my profile
that made them interested in talking to me?
If you ask that question, if that's your first question,
then they can help set the table for why they're interested in you.
A lot of times their response can help interrupt
any feelings you might have about whether you belong there.
That can help and that's in an interview.
If you're in a business situation, someone has invited you to a meeting,
you're wondering what are you doing there.
Just ask, "How would you like me to contribut
-e to these meetings?" -Absolutely.
It's a two-way street
and you want to succeed in your role
and they want you to succeed if not more than you do in your role
for the sake of the company.
With career comes growth.
As we're growing,
maybe new responsibilities get added onto your roles.
How do you eliminate
those nagging feelings of imposter syndrome?
Well, first, you got to recognize
that someone's asking you or coming to you and approaching you
about a new opportunity they've already brought in.
They've already recognized your potential to do that work.
Take that as a measure of success and take that as a vote of confidence.
That's where you start.
Beyond that,
I think
this is a place
where a little bit of that energy, that anxious energy,
can be a really positive thing.
It can help you get focused on what's new in this opportunity
that you might not have done before.
It can help you marshal the resources
to really prepare yourself for what's next.
That's great advice
about harnessing the energy to fuel you forward
because that was my next question for you here.
Was there ever a time where you came upon a failure?
Or you thought you failed yourself?
Did you happen to learn or overcome it in some way?
Do you have a specific instance?
I do, and I didn't think I failed.
-I had no idea. -[laughter]
It was a definite feeling.
I was on stage in front of a client,
early in my consulting career for diversity and inclusion.
I lost the words,
I knew the words and I had prepared.
In that moment, I lost.
Here I am in front of a large group paying for me to be there
and I had nothing.
I think because of that moment, I prepare a little bit differently.
I have a lot more confidence going into that situation now.
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You said success.
It's a close family member to failure.
They run close to each other.
Many people feel like they don't have the permission to fail.
If they do, they'll get fired, or something super drastic.
Do you think in your experience that failure is fatal?
Failure is on the journey to success
and no, failure doesn't have to shouldn't ever be fatal.
Failure should be one of those moments that gets you to the other side.
One of those moments that helps you realize,
what opportunity there
is to grow and to learn and to do something better
and do something different.
You should learn from it, accept it, process it,
and then move forward.
Oris, if we had a time machine, and we went back five years,
what would you say to your 25-year-old self?
[laughter]
Pieces of advice, like maybe, let's say three pieces of advice?
Well, first of all, I'd say,
think about yourself in the long term.
A moment of challenge,
a moment of failure, a moment of feeling like an imposter,
don't let it define you.
Recognize that it's part of a process and you're on a journey,
and you're on a path to success over the long haul.
I think that's number one.
Number two,
I would probably tell myself,
slow down and appreciate the moment.
Appreciate the opportunity for what it is.
Appreciate the learning that you can get from it
because that becomes fuel.
It becomes a resource that you can tap into going forward.
The third thing I just mentioned,
and it's something that I've come to deeply recognize and appreciate
is really the power of people, the power of having your people.
Your posse, so to speak, the folks that are--
-Your team. -Your team. Thank you.
The folks that are going to really help you work through any situation.
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Thanks for watching.
I want to hit our guest's face.
How about just throwing that?
-There you go. -That what I would just--
Pick it up.