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Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

RA17Casual Contributor02 Oct 2024, 4:42 pm AEST

Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

Hi, so I would like some advice on managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in the workplace. I have recently stepped up into my managers position for the past few weeks and I have been struggling with the pressure. More on the case that she hits every metric and does really well and it’s not that I haven’t been able to do that I just feel I can’t have full autonomy over the department without the look over of my store manager because I want to make sure I’m not “ruining her department”. However I feel like I have annoyed my store manager now even I ask question. Like for example the report he got for following week says I’m 14 hours over but my report said I was 17.5 hours under so we left and I wasn’t happy with that because it meant if I left I wouldn’t get two metrics instead of one. I asked for advice on how to fix it and he couldn’t give me anything which I found frustrating because it meant we either 30 hours down next week or 14 hours over and it’s a tricky thing to manage. Particularly since all of our members are redoing our annual online training. But I feel like I’ve failed my boss by not getting it even though I’ve got 6 weeks worth of training compared to her 3-4 years and I feel like I’m not doing a good enough job even though there is only so much I can do. She’s back in a week but I really want to overcome this because in my free time I would like to relax and focus on my life rather than thinking about work.

3 replies

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In response to: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

tymeModerator02 Oct 2024, 5:00 pm AEST

Re: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

Hey @RA17 ,

I'm hearing your stressors and anxiety around not meeting the required standards.

Please know you are not alone.

The fact that you have taken on this position shows that your manager trusts you.

I feel it is very natural to have these anxieties about not doing the task correctly, or always having your boss looking over your shoulder. As humans, we want to please others.

Considering the reports were so different, is this something you can speak to the store manager about so as to clarifying the reason for the difference? Maybe they calculate things differently such as meal breaks, etc?

It may be a more simple fix than you realise.

In response to: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

MJG017Senior Contributor02 Oct 2024, 6:32 pm AEST

Re: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

Hi @RA17. I think a lot of us feel the same when put into a role like that. The hours thing seems weird that it would be such a large difference. Staff off for annual training could definitely explain it if that hasn't been taken into account. As @tyme suggested, asking about why there is such a difference may end up being something simple. If your manager isn't being very helpful (i've had those), then maybe just having a word to your manager when she returns may provide some more clarity.

I don't think any decent manager should be annoyed for someone asking them questions, especially when in a new role. I would say do your best and look at it as a good learning experience. If you do get something wrong, you can then learn from that and feel more confident next time you're in that position, even if just filling in again. When your manager returns just ask for any feedback and advice. It shows you're willing to learn and always looking to improve your skills and experience. Which is an extremely valuable trait to have. And always keep in mind that you may just be worrying about far too much. I'm sure someone would tell you if they think you're underperfoming.

In response to: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

RachSANECEOSenior Contributor04 Oct 2024, 2:48 pm AEST

Re: Managing imposter syndrome and fear of failure in workplace

Hey @RA17 I don't have any great advice on this except to say that it affects everyone, even me. Depending on the setting I can feel intense anxiety that people will work out I'm really just a sandwich hand / guitar player who accidentally wandered in pretending to be a CEO. It doesn't really go away... I find sort of accepting the noise of it to be the most useful thing - and try to focus on the thing I'm actually trying to accomplish. Hope that helps from one imposter to another 😉

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