8 minute read
How to Banish Imposter Syndrome while
How to banish
imposter syndrome while working from home
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For those not furloughed, the majority of us will invariably have spent the last few months working from home, to varying degrees of success. The plus sides – no commute and a more flexible work/ life balance. The downsides? Lack of motivation, feeling disconnected with our colleagues and the worst of all – imposter syndrome rearing its ugly head, even during lockdown.
Yes, despite the fact we've been in the midst of a global crisis, many of us working from home will have suffered or currently be suffering from imposter syndrome. Likely due to the fact that so many people have either been made redundant - as many companies struggle to stay afloat during the pandemic - or have had to take a large pay cut.
If we are lucky enough to still have a job, it might not feel as secure as it once did. Combine that with the fact that all communication with our colleagues is now digital, contributing to the feeling of always having to be available, and the constant guilt that we are - in fact - allowed to work in our pyjamas every day, is a recipe for feeling like an imposter whilst working from home.
1.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome describes the invasive thoughts of self- doubt which come about in a situation where you feel like your worth has been overstated.
In this new world, where a quick chat with a colleague to soothe our feelings of anxiety is off the cards, thoughts of self-doubt can build into a whole identity of their own. This is called 'confirmation bias,' where your brain 'cherrypicks' pieces of information from an event or interaction, to confirm our existing negative beliefs or ideas.
So, how can you move past these feelings of selfsabotage?
2.
Speak to the fear
Taking note of when these thoughts of self- doubt arise, is the first step in working through the moment when you feel your worth has been overstated. Keep a note or message a friend to break the spell of shame around these thoughts and feelings.
3.
Beware of the bias trap
Get smart about confirmation bias - the brain’s way of cherrypicking information that confirms our existing beliefs or ideas. Write out all of the reasons why you feel like an imposter and play devil’s advocate. Ask yourself what you'd like to believe instead and accept each compliment as evidence that this is the reality you are denying yourself.
4.
Give yourself permission to be a work in progress
So many of the fears that feed imposter syndrome arises from the desire to be perfect or to be the finished article, often in accordance with someone else’s definition of success. Give permission to the idea that even the people you admire are still working on the things you strive for and that failure is part of any growth journey and no one is perfect and never will be.
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A state-of-the-art
digital platform intends to revolutionise the way communities
support their local state schools, bringing much needed support to teachers.
When the precocious son of the founders of LetsLocalise started at a reputable state school in Berkshire, he was shocked and more than a little disappointed by what he found.
Despite the limitless energy and creativity of the teaching staff, he found the school to be in a shabby condition, its equipment often aged or broken and the opportunities to engage pupils in external trips and activities that might broaden their horizons to be limited at best and non-existent at worst.
The conversations at home triggered by these observations led to an idea with the potential not just to transform the prospects of state schools; it also offered an opportunity to strengthen local communities, by bringing multiple people, organisations and businesses into close relationships with their local schools.
The lightbulb moment for Gaurav and Divya Garg, based in Wokingham in Berkshire, came when surveys prompted by their son’s observations showed that in excess of 60% of people in a given community wanted actively to help their local schools. They just had no idea how to do so. What if this reservoir of goodwill could be tapped into and piped into local schools? Given the background of the Gargs and friends and colleagues in innovation, technology and community activities, the solution emerged in the shape of a digital platform, LetsLocalise, that could highlight the demand in schools and connect it to ‘supply’ out in the community. A critical perception in the framing of the idea came in the realisation that support for schools needed to come in a variety of formats. Yes, financial support would be important but so too would be volunteer time, expertise, work experience – in fact, anything that would help pupils get a clearer window to the world beyond the core curriculum.
The idea behind the concept is that state schools register on the platform and headteachers and their teaching teams identify the programmes and activities that they would most like to pursue but currently cannot, due to insufficient financial or human resource.
A typical selection for a single school might be a campaign to raise funds for basketball hoops, a request for help with painting and decorating, an appeal for volunteers to act as exam supervisors, an appeal to experts to talk about their chosen profession and a request for internships or work experience opportunities for pupils. Once a school has posted the details of these programmes on the site, individuals in the local community, local organisations and local businesses are approached and asked to register on the platform too. Those registering can then browse through the range of requests across a range of schools and choose how best they can help.
A critical stage in the development of these school-community connections is in finding ways of reaching beyond pupils’ parents and bringing in support and resources that would not normally find their way into schools. Reaching the very people without school-age children, who said they wanted actively to help but did not know how.
Join
Let's Localise today!
LetsLocalise has managed to break down ways of supporting schools into neat categories, which can be easily navigated on the website. So, for example, there is Pledge a Penny, Pledge a Minute, Pledge a Resource, Working with Schools, Expert Time and Corporate Connect.
No headteacher or teacher will ever have had access to a platform with the scope and range of LetsLocalise in their professional lives. It is a multi-sided platform that enables multiple participants to engage at the same time.
So, instead of Websites through which schools can simply share information with their pupils’ parents, LetsLocalise can bring individuals, organisations and businesses onto the platform simultaneously, creating multiple connections and offering scope for engagement between schools and would-be supporters in a wide range of relationships.
The LetsLocalise story moved from the drawing board to the real world in November 2019, when the founders and the team of colleagues and supporters they had built up, launched a pilot across seven schools in Berkshire. In fact, the company had to cap the number of schools it first engaged with because virtually every headteacher to whom the idea was outlined wanted to participate.
“Like all brilliant ideas, the LetsLocalise concept is rooted in simplicity. Headteachers can see that tapping into that reservoir of goodwill that we are convinced exists out there in every community is a ‘no brainer’. Why would a school not want to tap into the support networks that can be constructed from their local communities?” says co-founder, Gaurav Garg.
LetsLocalise is a service offered free of charge to all state schools.
Testimonials: Shirley Austin
"I would say it’s a great opportunity to link in with your community, to work with great people. It’s a unique opportunity because not many people step forward and give up their time like this company does, so I would say grab hold of the opportunity, publicise it lots, be patient and stick with it, and work hard with the team around you because they’re there to help you.”
Simon Cope
“I think LetsLocalise is just such a fantastic project. It does take time to get it up and running – but once it is up and running, keep pushing. At the end of the day, the only people that are going to benefit are the children of the school so it’s definitely a worthwhile project. I would recommend it to anybody that’s looking to get involved with them.
“For me, it’s a no-brainer to get involved with LetsLocalise and we’re very excited about the future.”
