Article by Kathryn and Sarah Phillips
Imposter syndrome, lack of confidence, self-doubt…whatever you call it, it’s something that plagues us all now and again.
In moderation it’s not a bad thing – it can motivate us to try harder and no-one likes a braggart, however if it’s something you experience a lot it can be quite damaging.
This is for a few reasons. Firstly, it can impact your ability to make decisions or even carry out work, as you don’t want to make a mistake. Secondly, it means that other people often miss out on your ideas, as you’re too nervous to share them. And thirdly, as it impacts women more than men (something known as the confidence gap) it can increase the gender divide in the workplace as it may make women less likely to speak up, advocate for themselves or get the recognition they deserve.
So, now we understand why it’s problematic, how do we tackle it? It’s something we both used to struggle with (and still do on occasion) and we found the following really helpful.
- To start with, write a list of everything that makes you great in general. Then circle the things that apply to your work-life (or that you could apply to work) and add any more work-related ones you think of. If you’re uncomfortable doing this, ask your biggest fan, whoever that might be. Sometimes we need to see ourselves through someone else’s eyes.
- For two weeks, commit to taking 5 minutes at the end of the day to write the following. Something you achieved that day. Something you did to help someone else. A quality you have that meant you were able to do one of those two things. If you like, you can try expressing gratitude for them. So, for example, I might say:
“I’m grateful I closed a long-term sale today.”
“I’m grateful I was able to help Sarah with the content plan.”
“I’m grateful for the creativity that allows me to come up with new ideas for the content plan.”
It can feel really awkward and forced at first to be positive about ourselves in this way, but it’s only for you and it’s important that you become your own biggest champion. You never have to show it to anyone so don’t be shy! Looking to grow is fantastic, but it’s also equally vital to acknowledge the things you already do.
If you’d like to discuss more tips on how you can improve mindset, productivity and morale, you can find out more about Well & Truly’s training and coaching here: www.wellandtrulyworkshops.co.uk.
About the authors
Kathryn and Sarah Phillips are the sister and co-founder team behind Well & Truly, a company specialised in bringing wellbeing and productivity into the workplace. Both sisters have trained and worked with some of the world’s leading businesses which include Hermes to Jamie Oliver Group, with experience of working in Paris to New York to London. Today Well & Truly helps ethical organisations all over the world from Zoopla to Gravis Capital, offering long term programs, coaching and one-off training sessions to transform team productivity and wellbeing. Based in London – Well & Truly are rapidly becoming known as the leading experts in adaptability and resilience in the workplace.
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