We all suffer from imposter syndrome from time to time, especially at work – “I can’t believe they gave me this job”, “Why am I in charge of these people who know more than I do?”, “I don’t deserve to be speaking at this conference”, “I shouldn’t be at this meeting”, “OMG I’ve got to meet with their Managing Director” and even “I have no idea why these friend keep inviting me to their parties, I’m so boring”
Does this matter?
Yes! It’ll make you unhappy, and make you perform worse in whatever situation you find yourself.
So here are some ideas which I hope will help. All you need son ONE that works for you!
- Look at everyone ELSE who is getting away with it. You’re as good as THEM!
- Nobody’s perfect, so it doesn’t matter if YOU aren’t.
- They gave you the job didn’t they? And THEY probably know what a good manager / speaker is. They know who they want at their meeting, they’re not fools, They obviously must HAVE a reason to invite you to their party, so that’s all you need to know
- Focus on the good things – e.g. you know what you’re talking about
- The Captain of the Ship – doesn’t do everything, doesn’t know how to do everything, or in some cases, ANYTHING – but can delegate all that, and it’s fine. Better, in fact.
- Ask for feedback subtly, to confirm that you are actually doing OK, maybe even WELL
- Self talk – deliberately say to yourself “I deserve this job”, “I’m doing just fine”
- Be conscious about who you compare yourself with – not with the one charismatic hero, or the supermodel.
- Judge yourself by the numbers, not by your opinion. Are sales good, is the feedback on your talk good? Well then.
- Listen to others and involve them and share your decisions – that’s much less risky, and better, than being the world expert and “telling” – so then it’s no so much about “are YOU good enough?” but about you being part of a team.
- It’s OK to admit you don’t know everything, or to ask for help.
- Develop a support network = other new managers, other speakers, other young people in the organisation. Meet up and compare notes.
- You can do it! And you’ll be FINE!
