Slaying imaginary dragons - Blair McPherson

Ann told me she had been ,” Talked into “ applying for a management post and much to her surprise she was successful. Naturally she was pleased and excited if a little apprehensive. Six weeks into the job and she was questioning whether she had done the right thing.
 

She was feeling overwhelmed , anxious about making mistakes, worried about her leadership abilities, concerned that her new team would lose confidence in her due to her lack of experience and uncertainty. She felt she was in over  her head and losing control of the team as certain individuals were questions her decisions. 

She didn’t feel she could share this with her new boss who clearly was very busy and expected her to get on with it. I suggested it was not unusual for someone starting a new job to experience these doubts in fact there was a name for it ,”imposter syndrome “ .

 

I told her that she wouldn’t have been appointed if the selection panel didn’t think she was up to the job. I reminded her of some of her achievements over the last couple of years. I pointed out that even the most demanding boss would not expect her to know every thing from day one. We discussed her team members and it turned out that the problem was one individual who had applied unsuccessful for post. We decided the best way to deal with this was to let the individual have their say in team meetings but make it clear she as the manager would make the decision. If the ,” debate”was going on too long she should suggest a one to one after the meeting to discuss this further. Also if this individual was still keen on becoming a manager offer support, for example in gaining more experience through the allocation of more demanding work, the opportunity to join relevant project groups and attend any training courses/events that might strengthen future applications. 

 

Some self doubt and a temporary dip in confidence is  natural when taking up a new post especially in your first management post. This is one of those occasions when a mentor can help slay those imaginary dragons.

 

Blair Mcpherson former director author and blogger www.blairmcpherson.co.uk