Andrew Colvin on the Reality of Imposter Syndrome – and Why It’s Not All Bad
Andrew Colvin, the new boss of Australian Red Cross says imposter syndrome is very real... and not necessarily a bad thing.
Current role: CEO, Australian Red Cross
Tenure: Five months
Previous roles: Partner, Deloitte Australia; national coordinator, National Bushfire Recovery Agency; commissioner, Australian Federal Police
How do you define great leadership?
I know what I don’t believe. It’s not about just getting people to do things for you. Sometimes we define leadership too narrowly. Leadership has a moral and ethical value attached to it. And it’s about bringing people on a journey to do good things together.
Where did your desire to serve come from?
I have this deep, insatiable almost-desire to make sure I’m always doing something that’s productive and good for the community. I was brought up in a very loving, caring, stable household; I grew up seeing my dad work hard in government and my mum work hard as a volunteer. I didn’t think of it as volunteering then; I just saw her always off doing stuff. That instilled in me this strong service ethos – and it stuck.
You joined Red Cross in July. What’s been the biggest surprise in the role so far?
There are amazing people all across the organisation doing great work and delivering amazing programs. But they’re so passionate and focused on it that perhaps they’re not seeing everything else that Red Cross does. So that surprised me. We’re quite focused on the programs we deliver, not the impact and the effect we deliver.
Well, presumably that provides an opportunity for you…
That’s exactly the opportunity and a big part of why I’m here. What I hope I bring to organisations is an enterprise-wide view of how we should strategically position ourselves. Red Cross is not just universally recognised; it’s trusted. That’s an enormous opportunity that we have to leverage. The first thing I got to do when I joined was help us celebrate 110 years across the country. But what got us to 110 years is not what’s going to get us into the future. How do we continue to evolve? How do we continue to provide the core, critical humanitarian services that are needed in the future, just like we did in the past? If you don’t evolve, you’re standing still and the world is going past you.
There are so many charities out there fighting for donations and volunteers. How does Red Cross cut through? It’s an incredible brand but that’s not enough now, is it?
No, it’s not. It’s absolutely cluttered. There are more agencies involved in delivering humanitarian services, which is fantastic, but we’re all competing for fewer resources and asking for the same things from the community in terms of support. Australians are inherently very generous and driven by the desire to help others. But expectations are changing. People are not just aware of what’s going on, they want to be seen to be constructively doing something positive about it and they want to be change agents in the world. They also want a bit of control and a lot more clarity as to where their money or support is going. We need to be sure that we’re keeping up with those expectations. What is it that differentiates Australian Red Cross? I want people to think of trust, support, help and I also want them to think of disaster. I want them to know that Red Cross will be there when they’re having the worst day of their life, when they’ve just lost their house to a fire or their backyard to a flood. Or, heaven forbid, when they’ve just lost a family member or someone important to them.
You obviously thrive on change. What’s your strategy for embedding change in an organisation?
I don’t thrive on change but I’m not afraid of change. The challenge for change is the word itself. We think of change and immediately go into our shell. We have to make change a part of BAU but don’t call it change – it’s just business improvement. We’re constantly learning, improving, adapting, getting smarter. What’s going to be better, what’s going to be different, what’s the impact of where we’re going to be as opposed to where we are now? Don’t focus on what you’re changing – focus on what it is you’re trying to do.
You headed up the Australian Federal Police for five years. How did you deal with your own stress during that period?
Probably not well, if I’m honest. An external observer probably felt that I was dealing with it well. Most people see me as a calm, measured, confident, in control person. And that’s part of my style – to try and give calmness and clarity. But on the inside – and I think it’s probably the same for a lot of executives – it’s constant. The stress builds up over time and you think you’re dealing with it when you’re probably not. So what have I learnt about that? For me, I know I need time to process. I’m a logical thinker: I need to put a box around something and go, “Okay, that’s where that sits.” And my brain never stops. I think of it like one of those Rolodexes that we used to have – it’s constantly spinning, right? I had to find a way to stop the spinning and for me, it’s mountain biking. I’m not a mountain biker per se – because that would overstate my skill significantly – but I just go out with friends and I find it’s the only time when I’m not thinking about work because I’m petrified of falling off.
You’ve worked on some incredibly challenging things, from the Bali bombings to heading up the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. What have you learnt about yourself?
To trust my instincts. Bali was probably one of the first times I was thrown in the deep end of a crisis situation, where I was in a senior position but really did not know what I was doing. I had a very good friend working with me who said, “Nobody knows what they’re doing. We’re having to work this out as we go. So just trust your judgement, trust your instinct, tell us what you want us to do and if it’s not right, we’ll adjust it.” So that’s what I’ve learnt. Trust your judgement and trust your instinct but be prepared to change course. Test and retest and reset, if necessary.
What’s best practice when it comes to working in crisis?
Why are we at our best in a crisis? It’s simple. We’re united in what we’re trying to do, we put aside any personal rivalries or inter-organisational bickering and just focus on what needs to be done. So there’s a clarity of purpose, an absolute unity of intent. You can’t sustain that forever but the challenge for senior folk is how do we take those magical ingredients from a crisis and make them BAU so that when you’re not in crisis, you’re still performing to the same level?
Is there a common mistake organisations make in crisis?
Too many chiefs. An authoritarian command and control model has application in probably five per cent or less of what we do but in that five per cent, it’s critically important. At the time of crisis, you need clarity. People need to know what their role is and then be empowered to get on and do their job. What I often see is people don’t have that clarity or even if they do have it, they don’t have the trust. You have to delegate authority and trust people to do their jobs.
Has there ever been a time in your career when you’ve been scared and thought, “I can’t do this.”?
All the time. Imposter syndrome is very real. It’s a healthy thing in some ways, as long as it doesn’t become debilitating. Reflection and a bit of self doubt can keep you sharp and focused. I never step into an arena where I have to do public speaking where I’m not nervous and not a little bit concerned about getting it wrong. Your heart rate goes up, your stomach twists. Maybe some people find it really easy but I don’t. I’m probably more introverted than people would imagine. So there’s a lot that goes on in my head and in my stomach before most things I do. I might be going to do a presentation somewhere, to speak at a forum or try to convince cabinet to spend some money. Something that’s not going to be fun. I’ll be comfortable with the subject matter but I’ll need to understand what the room is going to look like, where am I actually going to be standing or where am I going to be sitting? Will I be at a podium? Will I be sitting on a chair? What is the room going to be like? Once I have a picture in my mind, it makes me so much calmer.
I love that you’re talking about this because so many leaders don’t like sharing their doubts. Has being an introverted leader been a hindrance or a help in your career?
I’m not sure that it’s been either – I’ve just learnt what mechanisms I need to help me with it. And the reason I talk about it is because I think there’s a lot of us out there. I’d like to think that people see me as personable and easy to engage with but that’s a hard-practice effort from me. I want to be that person but I have to work at it because I would love nothing more than to not go to a cocktail function or not enter a room full of people that I don’t know. Every senior person knows themselves and knows their own tricks and tools to help them deal with whatever their particular personality might be.
It’s also good role modelling because we need to see different types of leaders.
I think people misunderstand introverts. I know I did. I used to think introverts were people who were shy and in the corner and didn’t want to engage. That’s probably right but you can be an introvert and be engaging – it just takes energy. If I’m at a function where there are lots of people, I need to go and find five minutes every now and then. I might just duck around the corner or excuse myself from a conversation for a moment, take a deep breath, clear my mind and go back in. I just need to fill the tank back up.
Do you ever get emotional at work?
Yeah, I do. People have seen me and what chokes me up. I don’t have a problem with that. I’ve never felt it was a weakness to show emotion or to show that you care. In modern leadership, being vulnerable is okay.
What advice you would give a brand-new CEO?
Don’t pretend to be something you’re not because you’ll get called out very quickly. You got there for a reason. Don’t change. Don’t think that because you’re now the CEO, you have to be something different to what you were when you weren’t the CEO. If you aren’t being honest, if you aren’t being authentic 24 hours of the day, 365 days of the year, then you’re missing an opportunity to shape your organisation.
On the fly
Personal motto
Take others on the journey with you.
Email approach
Get good help. I’ve been in situations where my email and diary have been out of control. That creates a lot of stress for me. When I have a good EA, it takes that pressure off me and makes life so much easier.
Productivity hack
It’s not family-friendly but I have to spend time on a Sunday to get the week ahead straight in my mind. If I don’t do that, it spirals for me and creates more stress.
Motivation tactic
Make work fun. You spend a lot of your life at work. So let’s find a way to have a laugh.
Business book
In Retrospect by Robert McNamara, who was the former defence secretary of the United States and much maligned in history. He wrote this book in his older years, when he went back and examined all the things he got wrong. If he could do it again, how would he do it differently? I respect that.
Favourite piece of advice
Leave when people want you to stay.
