Dealing with Self-Doubt at Work
Self-doubt is something that a great many people deal with every day in multiple aspects of their lives. One of the most difficult versions of self-doubt to deal with is when it involves work. Even people who are extremely talented in what they do can sometimes feel like they are just pretending they know what they are doing.
A great many people have a large part of their identity tied up in what they are doing as their occupation. They describe themselves as what they do and say things like. “I’m a content writer”, or “I’m a Doctor”, which reinforce this as being part of their personality. This is all very well when things are going well at work but when things are going badly and the self-doubt starts to creep in, it makes it a lot harder for people to realise that they are a separate entity to their work.
Impostor syndrome is a way that self-doubt in the workplace often manifests and people can often have the feeling that they are “faking it” and that one day the other people they are working with will realise that they aren’t good enough to be there. It is untrue of course, there was a study in 2020 that showed that up to 82% of people struggle with thoughts like this, so it is entirely normal to think this.
Some people are able to turn self-doubt and impostor syndrome to their advantage in the workplace, as it motivates them to work harder and to go the extra mile that others may not, in order to ensure they are not “found out”. Some of the most successful people in the world struggle with this feeling and one of those is acclaimed author and screenwriter Neil Gaiman.
The Impostor Syndrome Anecdote
Gaiman has a fabulous anecdote about an evening event that he attended, where he met an elderly gentleman with the same first name as him. They stood at the back of the room quietly chatting and the elderly gentleman confided that he felt like a fraud being at this celebrity studded event.
He told Gaiman that he saw all of these people who had invented things or created great art, whereas he had only followed orders and gone where he was told. It is at this point that Gaiman reveals the gentleman in question was Neale Armstrong, the first man on the moon.
If the first man on the moon can suffer from self-doubt and impostor syndrome after one of the greatest achievements in human history, we should all perhaps be kinder to ourselves when we have our own wobbles and moments of self-doubt. We should realise that this is just part and parcel of the human condition and reach out for help more often when we need it, instead of internalising it as our own failing.
Ask for Help When You Need It
If you are toiling on a work project and are unsure how to take it forward, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification or assistance from a boss or colleague. If you double down and continue to struggle, it will only take longer to complete and cause you more stress. Being able to ask for help when you need it will very rarely get you shot down and should most often yield the help or guidance needed to put the project to bed and move on to something you feel more confident with. If you have asked for help and don’t receive any, keep a note of this and raise it with your line manager if they mention the project in a negative way to you in the future.
You Are Not Being Judged for Self-Doubt
Nearly everyone has their own internal monologue while at work and nobody can see or hear what yours is saying. To the rest of the world you can appear outwardly confident but you can be worrying on the inside and doubting your abilities. The important thing to remember is that this is as true for anyone else as it is for you. Even the most outwardly confident people can be struggling with their own self-doubt. If you admit to a colleague that you have doubts about your own abilities, the most likely outcome is an empathetic “I’m glad it’s not just me”, or words to that effect.
Ask for Additional Training
If there is a particular task at work that you constantly struggle with, consider asking for additional training in it. This will increase your confidence in your ability to do the task and should help your self-doubt to abate somewhat whenever you have to carry it out.
If you feel too awkward or embarrassed to ask for more training on the subject, consider looking online for suitable training courses that can show you in detail how to do the task. There are an incredible number of video tutorials and online resources which can talk you through even the most complex of work-related tasks. Many of these are available for free on YouTube and some of them are available on paid learning services such as LinkedIn Learning.
There is a free trial for the LinkedIn Learning service so you can actually sample what they have available and then cancel before the subscription renews if you have already learned what you needed to.
Focus on Your Transferable Skills
If you are ever doubting yourself really badly, take the time to think about your transferable skills, those skills that you have developed over the course of your career and can redeploy at any of the jobs that you have had. You will find that you surprise yourself with just how many you have, and these are extremely valuable in the workplace.
Even if you feel self-doubt about your skills relating to this particular job, you can be comforted by the skills that you have accrued throughout your career. Take comfort from these and know that your skills are valued by your employer and your colleagues alike, even though it may not always feel like that to you when you are in the moment.
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