Owning Your Wins: Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
“If you feel like an imposter that just means you’re trying something new” - Mel Robbins, New York Times best-selling author, The Mel Robbins Podcast
Imposter Syndrome is a funny concept, we feel like imposters on the inside, but the reality is, we’re all imposters. Nobody truly has the answer to everything and that’s okay! My name is Lupe Perez, Business Operations Associate at Esri, and in this blog post I will talk about Imposter Syndrome and how you can overcome this obstacle to thrive in your career path.
What is Imposter Syndrome? Imposter Syndrome is an internal experience defined by beliefs and thoughts that prevent individuals from fully embracing their achievements, praise, and success, even when there is clear evidence to support them. People with Imposter Syndrome tend to and often downplay and diminish their own accomplishments.
What are indicators of Imposter Syndrome? Some of these beliefs and feelings are good indications that you are dealing with Imposter Syndrome:
- Feelings of anxiety related to success while attributing success to luck
- Fear that others may find out you’re not capable
- Patterns of thinking that consequences to your mistakes are very high (i.e., being fired from a job by making a minor mistake)
- People perceive your abilities and potential as greater than they actually are
- Feeling that you will ultimately let everyone down
My Own Experience
When I started my job at Esri, I struggled a great deal with Imposter Syndrome. To me, it felt like everyone around me knew the answers to everything. I felt I wasn’t learning fast enough or that I was not going to do as well as the person previously in my position. However, as time passed, I realized that wasn’t the case and it was my own thoughts that were making me feel like an imposter.
The thoughts of “they are going to know I don’t know what I’m doing,” or “how do I not know this,” can be so paralyzing. Whether it’s your first job or you’re pivoting in your career just remember, everyone has been new to their job, at some point in time.
The Power of Time. What helped me get over my own Imposter Syndrome was time and experience. The more time I had in my role, the more situations I experienced which helped to build my skills and confidence. Situations began repeating where I was able to recognize patterns and be proactive. Before I knew it, I came across a situation and knew exactly what needed to be done! That comes with time and experience.
Define Your Own Success. Mary Daphne, an executive communication coach and podcast host , emphasizes the importance of redefining what success is to you, as a key step in career growth. That resonated with me because when I was experiencing Imposter Syndrome, I would measure how well I was doing based on how often I had to reference my notes. As time passed, I noticed that I was needing my notes less and less. I felt like the training wheels came off when I did not need to look back at notes at all. That is what success was to me. So, define your own success and see how good it feels to accomplish that!
Look to Community. Another helpful thing is community. Simply saying “Hey, I don’t know what this is can you show me what you do?” will take you a long way.
Luckily in my workplace I found people that were helpful and willing to share their struggles as well. Once I started sharing my uncertainties, I became relatable, and my colleagues also shared their own stories about feeling unsure or confused at times. I learned that people love talking about their passions and what they do. Showing interest in your coworkers and asking questions can help build connections and create a supportive bond, especially when navigating the shared experience of being new. Relatability makes trying something new more bearable making the process of learning on the job more enjoyable!
If you’re not able to connect with colleagues to ask questions about your role, look to the community. Esri Community is a great space to ask technical questions related to GIS and read blog posts of the latest trends in GIS. Join a network like Esri Young Professionals Network (YPN) to attend events, network with others, and get advice and resources on growing your career. Get connected with a mentor through the URISA Mentor Network.
Advice on Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
Here are some high-level tips on getting through your Imposter Syndrome season:
- Recognize that being new to a job role is normal Give yourself grace and self-compassion. Be kind to yourself as this is the key to removing feelings of fear and self-doubt.
- See your mistakes as learning opportunities. Your mistakes are not as catastrophic as you think.
- Ask questions to your colleagues and be up front about not knowing how to do something
- Join a network or community like Esri YPN or the Geospatial Professional Network to ask questions, seek advice, or connect with a mentor
- Consider project management tools like Trello, Air table, Notion or Microsoft Planner to cut tasks up so they don’t feel so high stakes
- Recognizing when you do something right. Write them down at the end of the week. If someone praises you, acknowledge it by saying ‘thank you’ with a smile.
- Define what your own success looks like and what makes you feel accomplished
- Imposter Syndrome is a mindset. Reframe your thoughts and ask yourself:
- Is what I am thinking really true?
- Does this frame of thinking hinder me?
- Why am I feeling this way and is it because of a situation that occurred in the past?
Doing these things can help reprogram your negative thought process and be transformative.
Watch this TED Talk Thinking Your Way Out of Imposter Syndrome by Dr. Valerie Young as a resource as I have found it useful myself.
Comment below on your own experiences with imposter syndrome and how you overcame those challenges, and the major lessons learned.
References: Imposter Syndrome: Why does it happen & what to do about it? https://management30.com/blog/imposter-syndrome/
