(3/7) Impostor Series: Working Alone
According to Dr. Valerie Young's book The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women, there are seven “good reasons” to feel like an impostor. I invite you to see how many of these resonate with you.
Messages from Childhood
You are a Student or Learner
You Work Alone
In my opinion and experience, working alone may be the most powerful thing to trigger an impostor phenomenon. As humans, we are hard-wired for connection. This means that even the deepest introvert still wants to feel a connection with other humans. However, this does not mean that every job must be completed collaboratively.
Working on your own is different from working alone.
Working alone means you have few to no people to talk through ideas, think about the work together, or gather feedback. Entrepreneurs, artists, and creatives who are their own bosses can wonder if they are on the right track. As a solopreneur myself, I am often riddled with self-doubt.
Am I on the right track?
Is this a good idea?
Am I offering anything of value?
Is this relevant?
While working alone or being your own boss is freeing, it also means you are free of regular interaction and others offering their perspective, critical feedback, and praise.
Even for those who are not their own boss but work remotely or in professions with a lot of independent work, these same questions may plague your mind, adding to the impostor spin and sucking the energy out of you.
Some people may work in an office on a team, but they have a hands-off boss who gives no direction, only stepping in for guidance if something goes wrong. This kind of dynamic can make one feel fraught, trying to guess at the invisible, unspoken guardrails their boss has in mind.
What to do:
Find a mentor. Whether you work alone or remotely, it's important to build relationships to talk about the work you do. Find a person you trust and value to talk about your work and your relationship with it.
Create a mentor group. If you work alone, I cannot emphasize enough how valuable weekly mentor group meetings are. Mentor groups are meetings with trusted people with whom you can bounce ideas and gain perspective. I meet with mine every Monday, and it is a game-changer.
If you're a manager, clarify what you want and share it. Be upfront about what you want. Be clear about your vision, values, and parameters. More than likely, your team wants to deliver what you want.