Friday, May 5, 2017

Fake It Til You Make It

This week’s article summary from the Harvard Business Review is How to Fake It If You're Not Feeling Confident.

If you’re like most other people in their professional career, you have periodic feelings of self-doubt.

This especially true when you get a promotion either in a new place or in the same company/school.

For me a huge jump in job responsibilities was the transition from classroom teacher to division director.

I got to my new school in early July when only a few administrators and no teachers were around. The only guidance I received was from the unfriendly Business Manager whose only comment to me was that the summer work day ended at 4:00 and that I shouldn’t try sneak out early because she was watching—quite a welcome to my new school!

I sat at my new desk in the middle school wing far away from the few staff members working in July and asked myself: “OK, I got this job but what do I do now?  Am I even up to the task of doing this job?” 

When we all begin new jobs with different responsibilities, we inevitably question our ability to be successful. Most of us, however, through hard work, reflection, and experience (which includes making mistakes and errors) gain confidence and competence.

While the term fake it til you make it refers more to how you present yourself to others, the article below focuses on how to maintain personal self-confidence as you learn and adjust to your new job and new responsibilities—in essence, embracing a growth mindset a la Carol Dweck.

There are connections for our students here too.

Joe
---

Sometimes you feel like you’re in over your head. Perhaps you got a big promotion or are leading a new, high-profile initiative but you worry that you don’t have the right skills or experience to succeed.

How do you “fake it ‘til you make it”? And are there risks to that approach? 

Feeling anxious about a new professional challenge is natural. In fact, imposter syndrome — the creeping fear that others will discover you aren’t as smart, capable, or creative as they think you are — is a lot more common than you might guess. Most people feel like a fraud from time to time.

The key is to trick yourself out of the state of self-doubt. Faking it ‘til you make it is not about pretending to have skills you don’t; it’s about pretending to yourself that you’re confident so you can work hard and get the job done.

Here are some ways to go about it.

Frame it as an opportunity: The more you focus on what’s scary about the new team you’re leading or the project you’re steering, the more intimidated you’ll feel. Instead, frame the challenge not as a threat but as an opportunity to do something new and different.

Think incrementally: If you approach a new position or responsibility with the goal of killing it right off the bat, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Rather than setting a grandiose objective, make small, incremental improvements in your performance. Think of these steps as the opposite of a New Year’s resolution. For instance, you might say to yourself, “In today’s meeting, I’m going to make sure everyone on the team feels heard.”

Watch and learn: When you’re developing your personal management style, you should observe how others lead. One role model will not suffice. It’s helpful to be exposed to many different styles. Watch how these people influence others, use humor, and come across as charismatic and self-assured. Also take note of their verbal tactics — when they use silence, how they pose questions, and how they intervene.

Be bold in your body language: One surefire way to come across as self-confident when you’re feeling insecure is to use body language that makes you feel bold and victorious. Your aim is to make yourself feel more powerful psychologically. Take long strides. Sit up straight. Walk with your chest held high. And don’t slouch. When you “carry yourself in a way that conveys power, poise, and healthy pride, you feel more self-assured and others perceive you that way. You feel less guarded, more optimistic, more focused on goals, and more likely to take a stand.

Heed red flags: If you’re so overwhelmed that every day nearly brings on a panic attack, faking it may be inadvisable. The goal is to step outside of your comfort zone, not to set yourself up for failure or a breakdown. When you are in serious fight-or-flight mode, it’s very hard to get yourself out of it. So if you have deep-seated concerns that the challenge you’re being presented with is too much too soon, or is unrealistic given the time frame and resources at your disposal, it’s important to speak up.

No comments:

Post a Comment