Meet Jamelle Sanders

 

We recently connected with Jamelle Sanders and have shared our conversation below.

Jamelle , so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

When it comes to answering the question of imposter syndrome, I strongly believe that imposter syndrome is strongly rooted in an identity crisis. Personally, any time I have had to take on a new challenge or I am about to go to the next level in my life, I have always felt this sense of fear, trepidation, and anxiety. While uncertainty is part of change, I discovered that it was much deeper than that. It was a deep feeling that I was fake, I did not know what I was doing and now everyone would know that I did not know what I was doing. Then I had an epiphany that changed the course of my life. One day I was getting ready to say no to a major opportunity. I was afraid and all the questions of not feeling prepared or qualified started resurfacing. Then I reached out to some trusted mentors and advisors in my life. They spoke with me about imposter syndrome but they also talked with me about the real battle: the battle of not feeling good enough for success. At that moment, I discovered that it was not that I was not prepared or qualified. I found that I was suffering from a major identity crisis. How did I discover this? When you do not know who you are, you will always look to other people and positions and titles that you hold to produce a certain sense of significance in your life. So I had to start doing some deep work. Furthermore, I had to do some deep inner work. I had to figure out who I was, what I really wanted and settle it once and for all that I was worthy of living the life of my dreams. This boosted my self confidence and took my life to the next level.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I am an author, speaker, business consultant, entrepreneur, and highly respected thought leader. I have the privilege of consulting and advising leaders around the world and empowering them with the tools, strategies and insights and solutions that they need to lead in these uncertain times and to move the world forward. I love what I do because I have the opportunity to mold and shape world-changers and history-makers. As I have the privilege of consulting and advising very influential leaders in the world, I have the opportunity to help train, develop, equip, and deploy leaders who will give birth to realities that are waiting to be born to time. I believe with all my heart that we are facing one of the greatest leadership challenges of our generation. Leaders now more than ever need the courage, capacity, and competence to lead change in a new era. Through my books, keynotes, consulting and advisory services, and mentorship, I am helping to mold the minds and values of those who will lead change in the twenty-first century and beyond. When I started in business, I had no idea that the vision would become so massive and impact so many people around the world. My books, courses, training programs, and models are being used by leaders all over the globe. Many people doubted me in the early days and they laughed at me for thinking I could empower the world. With courage and conviction, I ignored the critics, honed my skills, refined my gifts, and doors of influence started to open to me all around the world. The same people who criticized and mocked me now seek me out for advice and mentorship. I’ve written twelve books and many of them are centered around leadership. In particular, Next: The Emergence of the History Shapers is a blueprint for leadership in the twenty-first century. I believe that we are moving into industry 5.0. Before the global pandemic, many models for leadership and business were constrained and antiquated. As the world has changed, we need new mindshare and new models for leading through crisis and engineering change. I wrote Next to give leaders the tools that they need to be on the cutting edge, to be disruptive, and to ultimately push the world forward. What the world needs now more than ever is visionary leaders who will engineer breakthroughs and introduce the possibilities of tomorrow.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

First of all, I would say that my commitment to personal growth and development has greatly impacted my journey. In an age where distractions abound, I think it is important to take time for personal growth and development daily. I read a lot, study in-depth, and research a wide range of topics to stay knowledgeable and to remain an authority in my field. So many people desire to get to the top. However, I believe that development is the greatest key to your advancement. Next, I would say that my critical thinking skills have shaped who I am today. I am known as a revolutionary thinker. My thoughts and ideas are respected by leaders all around the world. You do not just wake up one day and garner influence. From as early as I can remember, I have always been inquisitive and curious. I do not believe in a surface approach. Instead, I believe in excavating a subject and exhausting that subject to the best of my ability. Our educational system teaches us the basics of critical thinking. However, I do not feel that the modern educational system places a strong enough emphasis on critical thinking skills. I challenge you to spend time mastering how your mind organizes information, processes information, and summarizes information. If you can master how you think, then you can unleash the power of your mind and bring real solutions to global problems. Finally, I would say that my passion for business and entrepreneurship has served me well. I always knew that I wanted to create a business that would solve a problem and meet a need in society. Entrepreneurship is a powerful vehicle for change and I believe that more people are waking up to this. Entrepreneurship has given me a vehicle to transform thoughts and ideas into products and services that meet a need, solve a problem, and positively impact the world. There are many needs in the world. If every person created a passion project and we combined our collective intellectual and human capital I believe we could not only see the prosperity of nations but also the transformation of the world. Instead of trying to duplicate what everyone else is doing, I challenge you to find your difference and exploit it in the service of humanity.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?

The number one challenge I am facing at the moment is the challenge of clashing priorities. Once you start to experience some success, the challenge is that you start to be presented with a plethora of opportunities. As someone who has experienced a fair share of failure in business, it is easy to be tempted to say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. However, the challenge in saying yes to every opportunity is that you have to say no to your most important priorities. So I constantly find myself in a clash between passions and priorities. What we have to understand is that there is an opportunity cost attached to everything that we do. To say yes to one thing, you will inevitably have to say no to something else. So I am learning the power of saying no at this phase of my life. I’ve come to understand that you do not want every single opportunity that comes your way. You want to make sure that you are seizing the right opportunities. In order to seize the right opportunities, you must get clear about your priorities, you must be able to discern between distractions and opportunities, you must establish core values and principles, you must know your vision, and you must assess whether the opportunity aligns with your core values and principles. As you get clear about your priorities, you become much more intentional about the opportunities that you say yes to. Anything that conflicts with your vision and does not align with your priorities is not the right opportunity for you.

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Highlighter Series
What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?

We asked folks a question that led to many surprising answers – some sad, some

Highlighter Series
Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?

Culture, economic circumstances, family traditions, local customs and more can often influence us more than

Highlighter Series
What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?

We think this is an essential question because so often there is a disconnect between