23:00
Faizan
You've got loads of project management courses under your belt, you're a strong confident person and you've got tons of experience. And then suddenly a project comes along that's bigger, more complex and more important than anything you have done before and you think to yourself 'can I do this project?'.
You're not on your own in feeling like this, it's common and it's something that will affect every project manager at some point in their career. You feel like a complete imposter and completely out of your depth, it's a horrible feeling and it's difficult to know how to deal with it, particularly if you're new to a company.
Everyone gets it at some point. You get a snide comment from a colleague, or you're briefed in a meeting and don't understand the project at all, and you feel completely stupid. You feel like you're in the wrong job, in the wrong organization and there is no way you can be a competent project manager here, or anywhere else. You convince yourself you're in the wrong career and that it's inevitable you will get found out and sacked, imminently.
Here are 10 ways to overcome this feeling;
1. Keeping it secret is not keeping it safe. You need to speak to someone, ASAP. You needn't feel guilty or embarrassed about feeling like this, getting it off your chest will help you.
2. Make sure you're not just being insecure. You should be able to tell if you're simply being insecure or you are actually in over your head. Sometimes we all feel a little incapable, but that doesn't always mean we are.
3. Make sure it's not just outsider insecurities. If you're the only woman in your department, new to the company or one of a small minority in your organisation, it's normal to feel like an outsider. Make sure you're not just feeling like you're incapable because you feel like an outsider.
4. Stay Positive. As a project manager you're likely to be a complete perfectionist, which can be an excellent trait to have in this field of work as long as it's not obsessive. Try not to obsess over every minor detail and instead focus your energy on what really counts. Learn to not give yourself a hard time when mistakes happen.
5. Make mistakes count. There are many well known sayings about learning from your mistakes. See mistakes as an opportunity to grow and improve, rather than taking failure as a confidence knock.
6. Make sure you're following sound guidelines. If you've given yourself guidelines, you may be unknowingly forcing yourself to work in a way that isn't productive. Perhaps you have a rule that you will never ask for help, or that you will always source information yourself. These guidelines are counter-productive, and won't help you or your project in the long run. Get rid of any restrictive guidelines that don't give you breathing space.
7. Repeat positive affirmations. Everybody uses these and it's time you started to as well. Exchange negative thought processes with positive ones. So next time you're told about a new project, replace 'I can't do this, they're going to find out I'm not good enough' with 'I am clever enough and strong enough to find out how to make this work'.
8. See the success. If you have an active imagination you probably find negative thoughts turn into full blown images and scenarios playing out your failure. Use your imagination for good and actively visualise your success. See yourself calmly dealing with the project and presenting the results to management.
You're not on your own in feeling like this, it's common and it's something that will affect every project manager at some point in their career. You feel like a complete imposter and completely out of your depth, it's a horrible feeling and it's difficult to know how to deal with it, particularly if you're new to a company.
Everyone gets it at some point. You get a snide comment from a colleague, or you're briefed in a meeting and don't understand the project at all, and you feel completely stupid. You feel like you're in the wrong job, in the wrong organization and there is no way you can be a competent project manager here, or anywhere else. You convince yourself you're in the wrong career and that it's inevitable you will get found out and sacked, imminently.
Here are 10 ways to overcome this feeling;
1. Keeping it secret is not keeping it safe. You need to speak to someone, ASAP. You needn't feel guilty or embarrassed about feeling like this, getting it off your chest will help you.
2. Make sure you're not just being insecure. You should be able to tell if you're simply being insecure or you are actually in over your head. Sometimes we all feel a little incapable, but that doesn't always mean we are.
3. Make sure it's not just outsider insecurities. If you're the only woman in your department, new to the company or one of a small minority in your organisation, it's normal to feel like an outsider. Make sure you're not just feeling like you're incapable because you feel like an outsider.
4. Stay Positive. As a project manager you're likely to be a complete perfectionist, which can be an excellent trait to have in this field of work as long as it's not obsessive. Try not to obsess over every minor detail and instead focus your energy on what really counts. Learn to not give yourself a hard time when mistakes happen.
5. Make mistakes count. There are many well known sayings about learning from your mistakes. See mistakes as an opportunity to grow and improve, rather than taking failure as a confidence knock.
6. Make sure you're following sound guidelines. If you've given yourself guidelines, you may be unknowingly forcing yourself to work in a way that isn't productive. Perhaps you have a rule that you will never ask for help, or that you will always source information yourself. These guidelines are counter-productive, and won't help you or your project in the long run. Get rid of any restrictive guidelines that don't give you breathing space.
7. Repeat positive affirmations. Everybody uses these and it's time you started to as well. Exchange negative thought processes with positive ones. So next time you're told about a new project, replace 'I can't do this, they're going to find out I'm not good enough' with 'I am clever enough and strong enough to find out how to make this work'.
8. See the success. If you have an active imagination you probably find negative thoughts turn into full blown images and scenarios playing out your failure. Use your imagination for good and actively visualise your success. See yourself calmly dealing with the project and presenting the results to management.
Posted in: business
