riggers
- Being outside your comfort zone or trying something new
- Lacking psychological safety and feeling unable to show vulnerability
- Being haunted by past trauma and having learned the wrong lessons from previous experiences
New Role
If you’re nervous about diving into something new check out my onboardee’s checklist.
Constant Change
One of the challenges of working in the software industry is the need for constant learning. There are always new languages, new platforms, new frameworks and new subject matter domains with new jargon. Even if you stick with the same technologies and the same industry, the technologies release new versions and the industry evolves as the environment changes. You are always doing things you have never done before. You are continually pushed outside of your comfort zone.
Fake It Till You Make It
We are told it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. This is baked straight into our school system. If we struggle then we are supposed to just work harder and bulldoze our way through.
However keeping quiet, means that you do not ask for help that you need or warn of problems that you notice. You may be setting yourself up for failure as underlying issues are not addressed and therefore worsen over time, leading to an eventual reckoning.
Sometimes You Aren't Safe
Unfortunately sometimes you are not imagining it. You feel unsafe because your work environment is in fact not safe.
In which case you need to change your workplace or change your workplace. Don’t let it slide, your workplace culture is unlikely to improve by itself. A bad culture is stressful and counterproductive. Your team, your project and the company itself is more likely to fail, as problems do not get addressed, as it is unsafe to admit that they even exist.
Some people have the unfortunate habit that of asking questions where they make it clear that there is only one acceptable answer, or showing no curiosity in a different viewpoint. This kills honest communication.
Past Trauma
I once mentored a colleague on how to present technical changes in terms of business value. They were hesitant to bring up certain points because of harsh feedback they'd received in the past.
I pointed out that, that was a different company, and a different workplace culture, different manager and they had not used a strategy of emphasising business benefits.
Sometimes we overgeneralise feedback and the wrong lessons are learned. A cat that has been burnt will not sit on a hot stove again, but neither will they sit on a cold one.
The Effects of Impostor Syndrome
This is increased stress and erosion of confidence.
Stress affects productivity and learning in a U-shaped pattern:
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Too little stress leads to complacency.
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Too much stress causes panic, paralysis, and unproductive behavior.
Some people see impostor syndrome as helpful when it pushes them out of complacency and into a state of motivating eustress. Stepping outside your comfort zone can be an opportunity for growth.
Others highlight its harmful effects when it moves beyond motivating eustress into debilitating distress.
Conclusion
When lack of confidence is warranted it can lead to avoidance of risky or dangerous behaviour. And can motivate people to ask for help.
When lack of confidence is not warranted it can lead to avoidance of opportunities and the very experiences and practices that can improve those abilities. It can motivate people to hide the fact that they need help.
Resources
Videos
- It's Not You, It's What Happened to You
- How To Overcome Impostor Syndrome
- Learned Helplessness
- Ban average
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