When in 2018 Michelle Obama stood in front of hundreds of students at Elizabeth Garrett Anderson School in London and confessed that she felt like an impostor, no one believed her. After a brilliant career as a lawyer and in the world of politics, in addition to being the first lady of the United States for two terms, she continued to feel that she was not good enough or did not deserve the position that she held. This feeling is common among those who suffer from impostor syndrome. It is usually present when a new job is started or the status of an employee changes within the company, especially if they have to become the boss of those who were previously their co-workers, with the same category.
This change of role, from being an equal to being a superior, brings with it the feeling of being out of place even if you have the right training. One of the explanations that psychology provides for this phenomenon is that the image we have of ourselves and of others is quite fixed. In other words, it is difficult to change how we see ourselves and the role we believe we occupy in our environment. Yesterday you were one more, today you are the boss. It’s an added difficulty having to change others’ perception of you compared to arriving at a new place as a boss from the start. According to the experts consulted, this situation can have negative consequences if you have low self-esteem or if you have little tolerance for frustration.
The insecurity that comes with it means that fewer risks are taken. “Feeling out of place and thinking that you are not capable of fulfilling your position makes you more conservative, which is why it is rare for those who experience this situation to take risks or have the confidence to ask for what they need,” explains Elisa Sánchez, coordinator of the group of occupational health of the College of Psychology of Madrid. “So it’s common for them to work below their potential. They settle.” It is also common for them to have a lot of dedication to work, cover up their weaknesses and consider their imperfections a problem.
This transition is difficult for oneself but also for the rest of the team, who have to stop perceiving their new boss as an old co-worker and give him the entity of leader that he has now. According to one of the latest Udemy studies on the employee experience, 56% of workers believe that companies are promoted too quickly. “And, precisely, when promoted, employees recognize that the most difficult thing is to be seen as the boss among their previous colleagues,” explains Llibert Argerich, vice president of marketing at Udemy.
specific skills
Directing the efforts of the workers towards the same goal, coordinating them so as not to overlap tasks, analyzing situations and incidents to solve them successfully or attending to the individual needs and requirements of each member requires special skills. These can be worked on and gradually acquired. “The key is that it is just as important to have these capabilities as it is for those around you to perceive them,” adds Argerich.
Conveying that you have these skills is one of the keys that can help in this process. To achieve this, you have to redefine the relationships within the group and the way of communicating. “What happens is that you want to continue having a colleague’s communication and the new boss finds it difficult to assume his new role,” explains Sánchez. Many times, it happens for fear of being wrong or being rejected by his former colleagues. “Another common situation is to copy the strategy and behavior of the previous leader or go to the opposite extreme.”
One of the tips that Sánchez provides is that the change goes as unnoticed as possible. That is, to maintain, broadly speaking, the same way of operating and the same work dynamics. “It is important to communicate in a very clear way what objectives are set and how the change is going to be carried out,” he explains. “My recommendation is that, unless it is an emergency, do not make sudden changes. Because people don’t usually like them and they can be perceived as taxes and increase reactivity”.
Strike a balance
With the change, the new boss has more information that, in many cases, he cannot share with the rest of the team, either because it is confidential or because it could affect the way the rest of the team works. However, Sánchez recommends being as transparent as possible, especially if the appointment has not been the result of a selection process but of a decision based on the trust of superiors. “The lack of information can lead the rest to draw erroneous conclusions that harm labor relations.”
That is why it is necessary to give as much information as possible. Although the conversations will not be the same, it is important that the new boss continues to feel part of the team and that the rest perceive him as such. The company is usually the enemy: all the complaints and discomfort that may arise are directed at it. “You are the leader but you are still a member of the same old group. That they do not see you as belonging to the others: from the management or from the company. That can alienate and chill relationships.”
Towards job confidence
Video.
Why good leaders make you feel safe. With the right environment, we all have the ability to do remarkable things. So believes Simon Sinek, a writer specializing in motivation. In this TED talk, he looks at the impact on workers of having a competent leader who stands up for them. “If we feel insecure, we are forced to spend our time and energy protecting ourselves from others. And that weakens the organization,” he says.
Courses and workshops. The communication and leadership course from the Institute of Business Communication can help overcome the new difficulties faced by newly appointed bosses. It proposes developing assertive skills to adapt more effectively to the new relationship with old colleagues.
App. 15five.com It is not a mobile application, but it can be very useful for those who are in charge of a team. This website is designed to help managers maintain continuous communication with their employees, opening new ways of connecting between them. Its methodology is based on the latest research on positive psychology, a branch of this science focused on improving the capabilities of users.