Элайна Левин «How to banish impostor syndrome»

Продолжаем делиться бесценными материалами о феномене самозванца — и, глубоко разобравшись с теоретической частью, наконец переходим к практике. Сегодня в литературной рубрике не книга и даже не статья, а короткая заметка на авторитетном портале Science.org. Читается буквально за несколько минут, но несет мощнейший заряд понимания, как феномен самозванца работает — и, главное, что с этим делать. А уж какой слог у автора — Элайны Левин!

Профессиональный спикер, коуч по вопросам карьеры в STEM (так называют общую область естественных наук, технологий, инженерии и математики) и автор книги «Нетворкинг для чайников», миссис Левин выдала емкий, хлесткий, искренний, остроумный, а местами и попросту смешной текст. Сначала она описывает свой опыт жизни с феноменом самозванца, а затем по пунктам расписывает конкретные советы, как с ним бороться. Для затравки даем введение – да, снова на английском! – надеемся, что те, кто еще не читает в оригинале, наверняка знает на какую кнопку нажать, чтобы получить русский перевод. Полный текст доступен прямо по ссылке:

«Impostor syndrome—the feeling that one doesn't belong or deserve their success, and that they will be discovered as a fraud—strikes many professionals. It doesn't matter whether you are a Nobel laureate, CEO, department head, university president, or graduate student. Many of us have felt like an impostor at various times in our careers, especially as we ascend into new roles and achieve milestones.

I myself have felt like an impostor. I remember that time like it was yesterday …

Oh wait. I did experience it yesterday. And 3 months ago. And last year. And a decade ago. And—shocking news—I will experience it again in the future (I don't need a time machine to tell me that).

I especially recall feeling like an impostor when I secured my second full-time job after finishing my bachelor's degrees. I was working for a university dean, managing a master's program that combined science and business. Amid my excitement and the rush of getting the job, I couldn't help but feel the creeping sensation that I didn't belong there. "I don't have experience leading these types of programs," I heard my mind whisper to itself. "I don't have knowledge about how students get hired in industry." I felt my heart's boom-boom-boom accelerate with anxiety every time I thought about how I got the position. I thought that at some point I would surely be revealed as a fraud.

But I wasn't a fraud! I did belong there! I had worked hard to get there. I had the requisite background. I had the intelligence to learn what I didn't know, and I had the skills to be able to build this program with success. And my boss obviously believed in these capabilities because, after all, he had hired me!

When I realized all this, I was furious. Really, truly, blood-boiling incensed with myself that I had convinced myself I was an impostor, to the detriment of my mental and career health. I vowed to never let it happen again.

But it did happen again. So, I decided to build a plan to recognize and banish impostor syndrome when it showed up in my life. Here's my advice for you, based on the process that works for me».