I once heard that the best way to gain trust is to get it from someone who has it. I was also told that trust is a choice and you just have to choose it. Now, at 42, I believe both statements are equally true. When I entered college as a first-generation student, the confidence that I would succeed was not given to me, nor did I know how to choose it. The impostor syndrome, the idea that people will find out I shouldn’t be there, was strong, and it took years of experience to earn, or choose, the confidence I needed to succeed.
I finally got over it enough to be part of the Cal Poly Humboldt college community many years ago. Recently, I took on an interim leadership role. Although I’ve directed before, stepping into an official role meant that every once in a while the impostor syndrome resurfaces. With new leadership roles, challenges arise from day one, but the knowledge and experience you need to meet them must be acquired over time. The role I held, like many leadership roles, did not come with any special training or transmission. Like many readers, I quickly had to choose trust and hope that everything else would follow. I find myself turning to many of the places new leaders turn to: books on leadership; workshops wherever you can find them; leadership podcasts; mentors; lunch dates with other leaders; and trusted advisors.
All the things I would recommend, but I always wanted more, needed more. That’s why I jumped at the chance to be part of the first cohort of Leadership Redwood Coast (LRC), a new leadership academy hosted by the Arcata Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) and supported by a number of regional partners. The effort is led by Nancy Olson of the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, Allie Jones and Melissa Blanford of Illuminated Marketing and Susan Seaman of AEDC and is described as “a five-month regional leadership program focused on empowering diverse people across Humboldt, Del Norte and adjacent tribal lands with the tools, connections and knowledge they need to effect equitable and innovative change in their communities and across the region.
From the first session, I knew I had found what I needed. I spent a weekend sitting in a room with leaders from all stages of development from nonprofits, government, education, and private industry who, like me, hoped to acquire the skills, confidence and knowledge we need to become better leaders. Established leaders and members from all over our community have come to pass on exactly these things to us in hopes that their investments in us will eventually build our region.
For most of us, when we step into a leadership role, we have to dig deep within ourselves to find out if we have what it takes, and we often do this with few outside resources to help us. pass the test. I write this in the hope that if you are out there in a new company or a new role, you can know that you are not alone, and there are many leaders out there who want to support leaders new and emerging. The LRC is an amazing option, and maybe their next cohort might be what you’re looking for.
Loren Collins is a longtime local and the Director of Academic Counseling at Cal Poly Humboldt. He recently joined the first cohort of Leadership Redwood Coast, our region’s newest leadership academy.
