Struggling with self doubt as an ECEC leader? You’re not alone 

Working with children in the context of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector is one of the most challenging, complex, rewarding and nuanced career paths an individual can take. 

Becoming a leader in this space brings with it its own complexities – working with a variety of skill levels, personality types, cultural backgrounds and families, all within their own unique communities – can leave early childhood education and care (ECEC) leaders experiencing self doubt, struggling with confidence, battling imposter syndrome, or feeling burnt out and unsure. 

With so much crucial brain development happening for children in their first five years of life, it is critical that educators, leaders and other ECEC professionals are able to bring their best selves – mentally, physically and emotionally – to work each day to nurture, guide and protect the children and educators in their care. 

Supporting leaders and educators to thrive in this space is at the core of my work as a brain friendly coach, where I use the i4 Neuroleader™ Model & Methodology to help individuals in leadership roles discover their strengths, blindspots, and areas for transformation.

Bespoke training, tailored for ECEC 

While the i4 Neuroleader™ Model and Methodology has been adopted globally across various sectors and industries to create more sustainable, conscious, healthier, happier and productive workplaces, we all know that ECEC is unlike any other workplace. 

As such, I’ve created a bespoke training program, Leading in Early Education and Care, taking the best elements of programs and insights from other sectors and ensuring they are nuanced and re-worked to suit the needs of ECEC. 

Recently 64 leaders – both emerging and established –  from across the ECEC sector took part in Leading in Early Education and Care, and I think you will be able to relate with many of the common themes which emerged through our time together. 

Do any of these statements, shared by the leaders when asked about their jobs, resonate with you? ; 

• I don’t communicate in a way that will influence others

• I don’t deserve to be where I am

• I’m not that capable, really

• I’ve always been a people pleaser. 

• I’ve always doubted myself.

• I’ve never been a confident person

• I hate conflict and avoid it

• I’m so tired

These were all statements shared by leaders in one on one ‘debrief’ conversations, and they capture the essence of what is happening for ECEC leaders all across the country: they are experiencing high levels of self doubt and imposter syndrome, they rate themselves lower than others rate them, they are struggling with self care, and they’ve experienced challenges when transitioning into a leadership role. 

These conversations played out in the data collected by About my Brain, which mapped the responses from this cohort against  global benchmarks for each of the 128 items within the four central pillars of Performance, Collaboration, Innovation and Agility, finding that ECEC leaders consistently ranked amongst the lowest for criteria like: 

• Expects to achieve 
• Is assured and certain 
• Influences others with my personal power
• Feels confident about myself and my abilities
• Listens to and can handle other people’s opinions when they differ from mine without feeling defensive
• Is more likely to tackle difficult issues and make the appropriate decisions rather than withdraw from them
• Is direct and honest when dissatisfied with a situation
• Can manage any feelings of anxiety, even when I do not feel supported in what I am doing

The urgent need to shift the dial

These findings are concerning for a number of reasons, perhaps the most pressing of which is that leaders who are feeling this way are not in the best position physically, mentally or emotionally to do the most important part of their job – supporting those who support children and families to thrive. 

The first five years are a vitally important time to set children up for a lifetime of success, with the way being paved with every conversation, interaction and learning experience. 

Thankfully, there is a way to step in, help leaders and educators to reflect on their brain-friendly practices and develop plans to ‘shift the dial’ and have more positive outcomes, using the i4 Neuroleader™ 360 degree assessment, which can help and guide leaders through reflection and insight. 

How to make environments psychologically safe

Just as children cannot learn, grow or thrive in an unsafe environment, neither can educators and leaders. Creating an environment which is psychologically safe will help educators  and leaders to build their confidence, minimise self doubt, be healthier and better able to cope with the complexity of life and work.

There are many  simple strategies to create a psychologically safe environment. Here are 10 top tips for leaders.

1. Admit your own mistakes openly – mess up, fess up and fix up!
2. Avoid dominating conversations and encourage everyone to contribute and participate, whatever their role
3. Take the time to provide feedback personally; show an interest in everyone equally 
4. Give opportunities to team members; let them know it’s a safe space to give it a go, and debrief afterwards. 
5. Develop  a culture of expected behaviours against the service’s values
6. Know that how you say something matters as much – maybe more – as what you say. This goes for written communication also. Think tone, body language, visual impact.
7. Help  team members to seek professional support if past trauma is impacting on their ability to develop confidence,  overcome self doubt and deal with difficult situations.
8. Let your team know that there is no room for negative talk about others.
9. Don’t play the blame game! Look for solutions instead.
10. Shut the laptop, put the phone on silent, lean in and listen.

Would like to hear more about how the i4 Neuroleader™ Model & Methodology can help you grow the leadership capability in your service or organisation? Contact me at [email protected]