Imposter Syndrome is ok na ka!

Hello everyone! I like an article I read over the weekend that I want to share ka. Basima A. Tewfik, an assistant professor at MIT Sloan, ran two field studies and two experiments and Eben Harrell wrote it in this article entitled, 'Impostor Syndrome Has Its Advantages', published in Harvard Business Review, May–June 2022. 

Imposter syndrome is what I've read and thought sometimes of my own self ka, feeling I too may have this syndrome na ka. The short description given reads as follows: 

"....commonly thought of as the feeling of being inadequate and a fraud despite a reputation for success at work."

The research offers the following worth sharing ka:

1.  Nearly 70% of people have had impostor thoughts at least at one point in their careers, especially when facing a new challenge from a new job or new tasks after promotion.

I think I can't agree more. I personally was really stressed when changing a job or given some new tasks.....it's about fear, face, and faith in myself lae ka. My own lessons have led me to think of giving myself more time to learn, seeking advice, and trying out. Then, wait and see the results ka! Once I try my best, my regrets are much less ka.

2. Impostor thoughts didn’t seem to hurt performance. If at times we have these thoughts, don't add on to our own stress since it isn't that bad to cause poorer performance.  

3. Those experiencing it could be '....  more adept at relationships, which is a key ingredient in career success.'  

From one of her studies on doctors in training, it showed that those who'.... had more frequent imposter thoughts were significantly better at handling sensitive interactions with patients, which led those patients to give them higher interpersonal-skill ratings. Another study was similar for this type of people to have better people skills.

If interested in reading it, go to this link na ka: 

https://hbr.org/2022/05/impostor-syndrome-has-its-advantages?utm_campaign=hbr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkedin

Enjoy Monday ka.

Lessons from closing an American college

 Good Monday to all...even my subject sounds a bit sad ka.

I asked my longtime friend, Dr. Kevin Quigley (the last President of Marlboro College, Vermont) to share his lessons on the closing of his college to two university councils the past week ka.

Sad with rich learning as follows:

1. Boards/University Councils must play a crucial role to 

- monitor the development of their respective institutions from academic to financial and community dimensions, to ensure that they sustain healthily.

One side advice: Heedful not only to what's reported and heard!

- care for people within the institutions....students, faculty, support staff, etc.

One Board called for an urgent meeting on Saturday to announce the closure of its institution on Monday......horrible actions without caring hearts at all ka.

- think of the unthinkable like the closure of the college as one of the options instead of being far too hopeful to try/drag on.

Marlboro took 4 years to close its door.

2. Trust is the most important when choosing a partner for M&A or collaboration.

- Even after extensive assessment processes, legal documents included, stop the partnership when trust continues to die down.

His experiences also teach me and in fact our universities how we must be super-selective to collaborate and partnership must be based on trust with a sound purpose of enhancing both sides' development ka.

3. Creating safe options for our people, especially our students, to leave the institutions with pride. 

Marlboro College merged with Emerson College by transferring their students and some faculty (offering a big retirement package to those who didn't function), establishing the Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson.

4. It was an exhausting and painful process administratively, physically, and emotionally for Kevin as he cared so much for his college students, faculty, and all in his community. Glad it was a success that had much fewer impacts to most.

I also think that people get scared to listen to the sharing about closing a college when we can draw many lessons to prepare even much better to survive and sustain ka.

Any comments mai ka?

Learn Plern Plern hits 100th with learning

Happy Monday ka. 

I'm pleased to inform you that the podcast Learn Plern Plern reached its 100th episode last Tuesday ka.

My questions before then were:

- Am I ready to stop or continue?

- If the latter, how to make it different from what I've been doing before? how to make it consume less energy and time? how to make it sanuk and stay very eager to look forward to every Tuesday?

My answers that set a different start on the 100th ep:

- We tried a new approach as I became an interviewee carried out by a very young Gen Y (Arm/Jettawat Prawat) who our little T-Pop team welcomed him to be our T-PopPlus ka. At the age of 24, Arm is amazingly skilled in moderating sessions and serving as an interviewer ka. I felt real sanuk talking with him and it was quite natural to chat from broad guided objectives and his follow-on questions.

- Listeners would know more about the start of Learn Plern Plern and my own thoughts and feelings about it when it reached the 100th ka.

- It was the last episode that I would prepare a full script (thanks to Arm's comments). 

From 101st-104th, they'll be under the series of '100th episode celebration' so listeners will know more about me and our little podcast team on the topics of, 'Fierce, Fear, Fast' ka.....thanks to Director Oy/Lakhana Dockiao from MHESI for her ideas and these chats will culminate in the final one in May with Arm and Mo/Romyen Kosaikanont to help me think of how to proceed into the third year ka.

I kind of know what could come next ka:

- Basically, it'll be 'sabai sabai chat' with guests on different topics to make it a real Plern Plern one.

- Poon/Chotima Chaitiamwong was saying that I could pick some future skills for the conversation with guests, whcih is a great idea ka.

- I should try to have some sort of surveys to know my audience a bit better and what they love to learn while promoting the podcast on Facebook in Thai too...used to be in English only when the programs are in Thai (am I crazy or not chai mai ka?)

- There's no fixed formula for me to be the only one to ask questions. From when I talked with Noi/Warunee Kaewbunruang, my honorary technician, life could be at its best when both are flexible to change the roles between interviewer and interviewee ka. 

My learning about myself and team from the series of interviews:

- Getting started is hard but continuing to do it is definitely harder.

- Expecting less is a blessing so we don't simply focus on numbers of 'likes' and listeners.

- Creativity is limitless. Be open to new/different ideas and try.

- Teamwork is the best way to move forward with confidence.

- Learning and leading something new and trendy is challengingly fun!

- Standing for the right thing and voicing out nurtures our dignity.

- Relationships can be built and sustained from sharing on the podcast with lots of sharing to the wider circle.

- 'Hearts of team and guests' brings a beautiful success and meaningful lives together.

I feel more sanuk and sabai laew and again feel even more grateful to all in my little team....couldn't have come to this point without them ka.

Any advice for us to continue this podcast mai ka?

Can follow the 100th episode from this link as wished na ka:

//Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/p-kanjananiyot

//Spotify: https://spoti.fi/39ZltTT

//Apple Podcast: https://cutt.ly/ij1bqut

//Google Podcast: https://cutt.ly/mj1bU99

Human nature and change

 Happy Labor Day ka.

Many organizations are striving to go through major changes, fast or slowly. I went through a summary of 'The Human Element'  by Loran Nordgren & David Schonthal from Summary.com, April 2022 and liked it with some points  to share.

It's applicable to think of them when making change happen ka. I quoted quite a bit straight from the summary and put them under quotation marks na ka. Here you go:

1. It's better for us to consider some human factors that could potentially stop our 'momentum into effective catalysts for change'.

2. 'The human mind is hardwired to favor the familiar. Yet new ideas ask people to embrace the unknown.'

3. Ask 3 questions to see how innovation/change could get stuck and go into 'inertia:

3.1 'Does the innovation represent a major break from the status quo or is it a slight tweak on what has been done before?'... radical ideas could turn people away out of their distrust and unfamiliarity. 

3.2 'Have people had time to acclimate to the idea?' We could see resistance if not enough time is given for them to adjust to the new ways of thinking....and I quietly think of how long is needed too na ka.

3.3 Does the proposed change happen gradually or in one big step? Don't change far too fast and create steps for people to tune into it ka.

4. I also like this set of 'Yes Questions' that could be some cautions for us not to be hit hard by resistance:

4.1. 'Are you asking or telling?'  making it more pleasant to win their willingness by asking them ka.....ours tend to be 'telling' till the teams get used to be told, not to think on their own ka.

4.2 'Are you asking a yes question? New innovations and ideas will be more easily accepted if we begin with questions that reveal acceptance and common ground.'

4.3 'Can you create public commitments? Self-persuasion becomes more powerful when the commitment is made publicly.'

Love the term...Self-persuasion... as it shows a personal commitment by his/her own choice to jump in and act collectively.

5. Change works when people can 'Co-Design' and this can be some guided questions ka:

5.1 'Can your audience participate in designing the idea?' similar to creating a sense of ownership with inclusion.

5.2 'Is participation meaningful? Self-persuasion doesn’t lend itself to short cuts or empty gestures. Co-design is most powerful when participation is meaningful and exceeds people’s expectations.'

My keywords from this summary are 'Self-persuasion, Trust, Familiarity, Ownership, Co-design' ka.

Anything you find most interesting to you mai ka?