Software Team Sociology: Pros and Cons of Imposter Syndrome (Part 2)

able of Contents

Reasons (part 1)
Pros and Cons (this part)

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

What is the best thing that can happen?
What is the worst thing that can happen?
What is the most likely thing that will happen?

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.