SBM Mid-Career Leadership Institute: replacing "fake it till you make it" with authentic leadership

Increasingly the organizational environments in which we work can be characterized as Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA). Equipping leaders to thrive in VUCA environments requires more than merely imparting a list of competencies that can be observed, described, and measured. Indeed, competency-based leadership training runs the risk of being insufficient, incongruous, idealized, fragmented, and unconsciously coercive. Rather than helping leaders develop the more elusive and subtle leadership qualities and attributes necessary to thrive in VUCA environments, competency-based training can leave them feeling inadequate, as if they do not ever quite measure up, and can fuel "imposter syndrome". The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Mid-Career Leadership Institute provided training that was far more than competency based. It was broad enough to be relevant to fellows working in a variety of contexts and provided a framework directly applicable across settings. The training was multipronged and included: a 2 day in-person workshop designed to maximize active participation; intensive mentoring by both peers and senior members of SBM; three individual one-on-one executive coaching sessions with a professional career coach; and a leadership project in which we applied the knowledge gained during our training in our diverse organizational settings. The SBM Mid-Career Leadership Institute training increased my self-awareness about important leadership concepts, the executive coaching sessions helped me become more productive, and the relationships I built have helped me develop my professional network and deepen my connection with fellow scientists and practitioners. "Fake it till you make it" and feelings of insecurity and self-doubt have been replaced by authentic leadership.