'The Unnerving Bubble'

For a long time, I thought there are thoughts and feelings around being a professional that had to be pushed to the side to be competitive, maintain a senior level in an organization or have a chance for advancement.

After hearing an interview with a high-level ultimate fighter coach/analyst (Chael Sonnen), I decided I may be very wrong.

It will differ from person to person, but in my experience, The Bubble consists of impostor syndrome, fear of not doing well enough, not getting the approval I felt I needed, fear of failing, confidence in my own skills, asking the wrong questions or making the wrong decisions, concerns around your teams and confidence in your leadership. 

In the interview, Chael admitted a loss in his career and recalls it as a defining moment. His performance was not the worst, his strike rates and takedowns were just as high as normal. The session went to a decision and the sportsman lost on the night.

He simply did not put in the extra effort to finish his opponent. He was in himself a barrier to accessing/capitalising on his own abilities. He could have won the bout, but the bubble stopped him from kicking it up a gear, so to speak. 

He reported when mentoring a younger fighter, that this side of you, this 'unknown' part of you, which can affect your performance doesn't actually go away; it cannot always be quantified or fully understood.

Even as you move up in your skill levels and professional 'ranking' and make it to the top of your game, to some degree, it is still there.

In my roles, I have felt strong, confident, and supported by the teams and supervisors I have been lucky enough to work with. When I look to the next step or next challenge I set, I am always reminded of 'The Bubble'. The strain to keep it at bay is most likely harder than a quick check-in with me. What part of the bubble relates, acknowledge it, address if possible and move on.

The thought of taking your whole self through your career stages really syncs in with the concept of the infinite mindset (Simon Senik). Remove the idea of winning and losing, failing, and immediate success to learning and progress with no defined end. The bubble will have less impact on a new leader by adopting this mentality. The emotional strain of risk-taking and making mistakes is eased by knowing you will learn and progress yourself and your team if something does in fact, go wrong. If nothing goes wrong, it is simply solid progress.

For anyone stepping into leadership or your next big role, do yourself favour and teach yourself to be comfortable with your own bubble or unknown part of you. It will make you a leader who is more resilient, relatable, and dynamic. It is even more important than ever to understand yourself, with the constant state of change COVID-19 has produced.

I have to encourage established leaders to share with the new leaders that they also have vulnerabilities and how they manage them. Not a simple 'I am human too' but a call to learn how to move beyond your own obstacles and toward ongoing success and long-lasting careers in the face of 'The Bubble'

From Joel, and my bubble that hopes I don't publish this!