Retired USAF Colonel DeDe Halfhill was leading in Iraq when imposter syndrome hit her like a wall. This was not on her leadership development bingo card. She felt like she wasn't living up to who she wanted to be. The leadership failure she felt wasn't just disappointment. It was isolation. So she called a friend, crying, and what he said back changed everything.
"DeDe, we all feel like we're failing."
That moment of normalization...hearing that feeling like a failure is a universal part of leadership development...became the mission she's carried ever since. Not despite the rank. Because of it.
DeDe's insight reframes what most leadership struggles content gets wrong: the goal isn't to stop feeling like you're failing. It's to know you're not alone in it. That's the leadership skills conversation we're not having, and it's the one every people leader, coach, and OD practitioner needs to hear.
If you've ever felt like everyone else has it figured out and you're the only one barely holding it together, this clip is your permission slip.
▶️To watch the full conversation with DeDe Halfhill: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwQ5bjOR6Xw&list=PLbWfh34FP_dUcAaCrI31z00_fLdphi6b7&index=1&t=14s
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Resources mentioned in the episode:
➡️DeDe’s Website: https://dedehalfhill.com/
➡️DeDe’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dedehalfhill/
Music in this episode by Ian Kastner.
"What Do You Know To Be True?" is an invitation to be inspired to become more of your possible self by discovering your superpower, unlocking your potential, and creating your impact in the world.
This podcast is for leaders, coaches, org development practitioners, and anyone who works with people who want to be inspired to discover their superpower, unlock their possibilities, and make meaningful impact in the world.
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"What Do You Know To Be True?" is hosted by Roger Kastner, is a production of Three Blue Pens, and is recorded on the ancestral lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. To discover the ancestral lands of the indigenous people whose land you may be on, go to: https://native-land.ca/
Keywords
#impostersyndrome #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipstruggles #difficultconversations