Monday, May 13

Pros and Cons of Imposter Syndrome (Part 2)

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Pros

You are constantly striving for self improvement
You are motivated to overcome or mitigate your weaknesses

Cons

Internal Focus  - Its not always about you

You should start with yourself and the actions you have available. However that is not where you should end.

After you have watched, listened and adapted by adopting short term work arounds, you should seek more long term solutions (which usually involve changing the environment)

Seeking External Solutions and Validation - Other people don’t always have the answers

You should always ask for help. However you should also always evaluate the help and suggestions you receive using an evidence-based approach.

There is a lot of bad advice out there - Is it working for them? and will it work for you? ( people have different strengths and weaknesses YMMV)

Sometimes watching what people are actually doing can be more informative than listening to their explanations. You should do both.

You know your problems best; you are usually the best person to come up with a solution. That does not mean you need to do everything yourself. However taking some ownership of the process, is the best way of increasing the chances that the final solution will work for you and take account of your needs.

Over complicating things - There is no secret sauce

There are tricks of the trade, but they are not secret. Watch, listen, put in the work and be patient and you will learn them.

Sometime the skills you need are  ones you already know e.g. ones learned in kindergarten. Sometimes simple solutions work, after all the classics are classics for a reason.

For example it turned out that the best way to improve my social skills was doing activities I enjoyed with people I liked (Who knew? My mother that’s who.,)

Impatience - Fools rush in

Everything doesn’t have to be fixed right this minute. As long as you are improving, and as long as you have a plan or a strategy for moving forward, that is enough.

Focusing on one area of improvement at a time is usually best.

Watch, listen, plan, then leap.

Boom and Bust - Slow and steady wins the race

Using a tight deadline to motivate yourself to complete a task that you lack confidence in, (or your instincts are warning you against) can sometimes help. However it can also lead to

  • Increased risk of failure,
  • More errors, 
  • Burnout, 
  • Lost opportunities.

Just powering through is not always the answer. If there is something blocking or interfering with your success, you should do something about it.

If your instincts are warning you against doing something, listen to your instincts. What your being asked to do may be 

  • Counter productive
  • Could be achieved in a simpler way           
  • Could be achieved in a way that is a more natural fit to your talents.

Working longer hours in order to offset some perceived disadvantage can lead to burnout, and is not addressing the underlying problem. Remember productivity is increased by achieving more in the same amount of time. Achieving the same amount by working longer is a decease in productivity.

Monitor and manage your stress levels and your general health.

Undermining your long term ability to complete tasks in order to achieve short term goals is not usually a winning strategy.

Analysis Paralysis 

Perfect is the enemy of the good. Even if you come up with the wrong answer it gives you a starting point to find the right answer.

Learn to recognise when you are spinning your wheels and ask for help.

Not Speaking up

If problems are not discussed, they are unlikely to be resolved.

Avoiding Challenging Situations

You may avoid tasks where you might shine due to lack of confidence. This can be damaging to both you, and your team as your potential contribution is lost.

Catastrophising - the sky is falling

DON’T PANIC 

Take a deep breath

Talk to your co-workers about your concerns. Ask for help.

Mitigate risks where the benefits out weigh the costs. 

Are their opportunities that go with the threats?

Focusing on shoring up Weaknesses instead of playing to strengths

People work in teams for a reason. In effective teams, team members will cover for each other’s weaknesses and utilise each others strengths.

Therefore you can afford to delegate some tasks to others who have a comparative advantage for that task and focus on tasks where you have an advantage.


Conclusion

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Reasons for imposter Syndrome (Part 1)

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Triggers

  • Outside their comfort zone; trying something new.
  • Not psychologically safe and are reluctant to expose vulnerability.
  • Plagued by trauma and have learned the wrong lessons from the past.

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 is 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 Til 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 suppose to just work harder and bulldoze are way through.

However keeping quiet, means the you do not ask for help that you need or warn of problems that you see. You may be setting yourself up for failure as the underlying issue is not identified and fixed, therefore it is likely to worsen, 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.

The unfortunate habit that some people have of asking questions that they make clear only have one acceptable answer or showing no curiosity in the answer, can lead to the death of honest communication and the fostering of an unsafe environment.


Past Trauma

I was mentoring a co-worker on how to present technical changes in terms of business value. I ran into the problem that they were reluctant to raise certain matters. They had received very negative feedback on the topic in the past. I pointed out that that was a different company, 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 Imposter Syndrome

This is increased stress and erosion of confidence.

Productivity and learning are effected by stress in a U shaped pattern. Too little stress leads to complacency and too much leads to panic, paralysis and counterproductive behaviour.

The people who see a silver lining or benefits to impostor syndrome are talking about moving from complacency to motivating eustress. Stepping out of your comfort zone is an opportunity for growth, and can motivate change. Those who see the harmful effects of impostor syndrome are talking about moving from motivating eustress to 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

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