The Imposter Syndrome

Many times you will hear people (especially women) talk about having the “Imposter Syndrome”. If you’ve never heard of it, imposter syndrome is the belief that people will find out that you really don’t know what you’re talking about. It’s terrifying and can stop you dead in your tracks because you start to believe it too. Later this month I’m going to start writing a book that has me screaming “IMPOSTER!” most of my waking hours and it started me wondering if seeing ourselves from others’ perspectives will lessen the anxiety we tend to experience.

Believe me, I get it. I struggle with this every time I sit down to write this blog, design a course or conduct a workshop.   I’ve had decades of managerial experience in various industries (retail, military, academics, and government).  I have a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and I teach leadership skills to my clients.  With all that, I am still convinced that everyone reading this is thinking,  “why am I wasting my time reading this, she doesn’t have a clue!”. The good news is – I don’t believe you so I keep on writing. I keep writing but it’s hard. Because for every ten times I don’t believe you, there are five other times that I do.

Self-Doubt and Perspective

So how can the imposter syndrome affect our work perspective? If it crops us every now and again, no problem.  We shake it off and go about our business. However, if we allow it to consume us, we lose confidence in our ability to lead and the whole team suffers.  Self-doubt creeps in and we put aside our creativity and it inhibits our ability to encourage a growth mindset for others (remember last month’s blog?). More importantly, we lose the capacity to see ourselves as others see us, which is crucial to breaking through self-doubt.

As managers, self-doubt bleeds over to the team.  If we don’t trust ourselves, how can we get them to trust us?  We can’t. Our teams not only look to us for direction, but they also need us to be their cheerleaders, their support systems, and their confidants.  We have an obligation to build their confidence so that they can be more competent. To do that, we must be more confident in ourselves. One way to do that is to see ourselves as our team sees us.

How to Do it:

Want to how others see you?  Ask them, you’d be surprised at their willingness to help.  Ask them what they like or don’t like about the way you manage.  Be specific.  Ask for input such as how you give feedback or show your support for their success.  The more specific the information, the more you’ll see you through their eyes. One way to get information is to invite them to create an anonymous list of the things they’d like you to keep, start, and stop doing. It’s a great exercise and gives you explicit ways you can improve your managerial skill set.

Asking for help from the same people you are supposed to be helping requires vulnerability.  Putting yourself out there requires trust between you and your team, so make sure that your workplace is one of respect and that you are fostering a culture of learning and acceptance. If you do, embrace that vulnerability and let your willingness to see yourself through the eyes of others. It might just be the biggest facet of your success.

Resources:

For more information on Imposter Syndrome

THE GROWTH MINDSET

Growth Mindset. We make it a part of core values and refer to it in performance reviews. We even talk about it in team meetings, but do we really know what it means? Many organizations think that if we simply commit to being open to continuous learning, we’ve achieved a growth mindset. That’s a great start but it’s more than a commitment. The work comes in practicing the self-awareness that promotes learning. Think of it this way. It is a building block that increases one’s self-awareness, and self-awareness is the cornerstone of great management.

Mindset Characteristics: Belief and Focus

Mindset is the result of our beliefs about how we acquire skills and how we focus on improvement. The belief that we are born with a finite set of skills makes us tend to focus on how we perform because good performance enhances and protects our image. On the other hand, if we believe we can improve those skills through knowledge, experience, etc., then we focus less on performance and more on the processes that lead to improvement.

The Spectrum: Fixed or Growth

Fixed: When we are in a fixed mindset, we believe that the skills and abilities we are born with are finite They can’t improve because they’re set in stone and no amount of effort will change them. We all have these thoughts about something in our lives but if it is the overarching belief, learning stagnates and stunts our growth. As a result, we don’t put in the effort to accept challenges as a part of learning. If that’s just the way we’re hardwired. So, if this is who we are, mistakes are not our fault, so we tend to discount suggestions for and instructions to improve. It’s not our fault.

Growth: Conversely, when we adopt a growth mindset, we think that change is possible and we become open to exploring different ways of looking at problems. We don’t worry as much about our self-image which allows us to fail forward. This is incredibly important because learning is impossible without failing.  It’s also important to note that our mindsets are fluid and depend upon the current situation and our levels of skill and confidence at the moment.

Understanding the Components 

Trevor Ragan, founder of Learner Lab breaks down the Key Ingredients to Growth in his YouTube Video Growth Mindset Introduction: What it is, How it Works, and Why it Matters. The ingredients (definitions are mine):

• Effort – Doing more to get better
• Challenges – using difficult situations/circumstances as a catalyst for growth
• Mistakes – Accepting miscues as part of the learning process
• Feedback – Accepting information and instruction to improve

Here’s my simplified version of Ragan’s ingredients how they impact the ability to learn

Click here to watch the video

The Bottom Line

Developing a growth mindset starts with belief. Your job, as a manager and a leader, is to encourage those around you to reach beyond where they started and embrace where they want to finish. Your team’s potential for success is only limited by your belief in their growth.

 Resources:

https://www.opencolleges.edu.au/informed/features/develop-a-growth-mindset/

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201904/15-ways-build-growth-mindset

Managerial Courage

Managerial courage is crucial to a leader’s success.  One definition of courage is “the ability to do something that you know is difficult or dangerous” If that’s true then we can assume that it can be acquired through recognition, application, and practice. Face it. Managing people isn’t easy. The promotion often leaves the new managers to learn the job on their own. Organizations hold orientations and workshops that center around missions and policies but rarely address skill-based competencies  

Recognizing The Signs: Avoiding Situations

When the boss won’t tackle difficult or dangerous situations it’s a sign that something’s wrong. things begin to fall apart.  Productivity drops, relationships degrade the workplace devolves into a hot mess and people start to leave the organization. Failure to recognize what’s happening is a recipe for disaster. Here are some indications that a manager may not be as courageous as they think they are. They:

• Won’t take a firm stance:
• Won’t face or even acknowledge that problems exist
• Avoid work-centered conflict
• Hesitate settling personal conflicts
• Find it difficult to announce hard decisions
• Won’t address things that are not going well

All of these characteristics have a common theme: Avoidance. In short, the manager either can not or will not address issues head-on. Whether it’s the fact that Jeff and Jim can’t get along or the employees are asking about layoff rumors, it is their responsibility to get control of the situation.  

 The Consequences: Why Courage Matters

If you’ve ever worked for a feckless boss, you know firsthand the trouble it brings. It may begin with the boss blowing off a complaint (i.e., “they didn’t mean it, you’re too sensitive”.  It may be they don’t have the skills or knowledge to address the situation (i.e., “I didn’t know how to bring it up”). Often, they may not realize that they have the authority and/or responsibility to take charge of the situation (i.e., I didn’t know it was my job). Regardless of the reason(s), things aren’t addressed, managers must develop the ability to step up and take ownership of their teams and workplace situations. If they don’t (or can’t), they are destined to fail. Once one employee loses faith in leadership, it can spread like wildfire until it affects the entire organization.  

The Solution: Gaining Courage

So, what do you do about it? The first step is recognition.  If you find it difficult to step up, it’s time to take stock.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• Why did I accept the job? If it was because of the money and title, (there’s nothing wrong with that). Be honest, are you earning your paycheck? Your job is to take care of the organization by taking care of your team.  If you’re avoiding your responsibilities, you’re not earning your pay.
• What are your core values? If you tell people you’re all about honesty and integrity, your work performance needs to reflect that.  The late Maya Angelou is often quoted “When people show you who they are, believe them”. How do you show up in your organization?
• Do you have the skills? None of us are born with the ability to organize, direct, coach, and mentor others, but we learn them as we grow. Some of the skills that can help us become more courageous are:
  • Public speaking
  • Critical thinking
  • Coaching, Mentoring, or Facilitation

Take a hard look at your current skill set and plan to improve them. Improving your skills will improve your value to your team and to the organization.  

Resources:

Dulude, C. (2015, June 16). 6 Signs a Manager Lacks Managerial Courage! 

“Dictionary by Merriam-Webster: America’s Most-Trusted Online Dictionary.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/.