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I'm having a Very Good Month at work, and I'm starting to get recognition in my industry for my expertise, too.
I've been building a new program for the past 10 months, which will launch with a new vendor the last week of March. In the past week, I participated in a panel as a speaker, was asked to be the primary speaker at another Q&A, and have been invited to a major sporting event with executives and executive-level guests from another vendor. All of this, while I am an entry-level manager with no direct reports. I am incredibly proud of myself, but am feeling anxious and like I'm drowning in impostor syndrome for all of it.
My boss has little direct exposure to my work, since he hired me to be a niche industry expert supporting his larger field. He is aware of the recognition I'm getting because I need his (and other departments') approval for all of the activities mentioned above in our corporate guidelines. He has been impressed by my work so far, and I've had several ranking members of the organization reach out to me to thank me and praise my contributions over the past year. I think my role (which I started last May) was under scoped when it was written, so I should be poised for a raise and level promotion very soon.
My questions here are: (1) How can I get over the imposter syndrome of outgrowing my role to interact appropriately with senior executives as an entry level manager? and (2) What's the best way to approach the raise and promotion I deserve with my boss?
First of all, congrats. You are overdelivering and going above and beyond what you were hired to do. I am SO EXCITED FOR YOU!
1. Without getting more details, I am assuming you are feeling anxious because you are comparing yourself to others that you are in these Q&A panels with. Our DOUBTS/Imposter syndrome show us where we need to strengthen our own beliefs about ourselves. The very reason you feel anxious is the answer to feeling confident. The fact that you are being invited to these and sitting with people in higher roles than you - this is your magic sauce. How can you use this as a competitive advantage instead of allowing yourself to wallow in compare & despair? Have you really allowed yourself to recognize the credit that is due for this success?
You work through the imposter syndrome with belief that you deserve to be there (answering the two questions above and really believing in your answers)
2. That is great your boss has some exposure to your work. If you don't already have a recurring touch base with him, I would create a very short recurring one OR always put a quick touchbase on his calendar AFTER you do one of these Panels or something that is very above/beyond your role. You want to demonstrate over time that you are doing more than you were hired to do, and not just expect him to know about it all. Bring it to him in a way that positions your success while also showing him your thought process and value to the company. Doing this is what I call "negotiating ahead of time" and will do the heavy lifting for you. You can also plant the seed that you are planning to have a raise conversation soon. At the end of a touchbase you can say in your own words you are loving the work you are doing and giving value to the company above and beyond the role you were hired for and straight up ask - would he be willing to meet and discuss job title and a compensation adjustment?
Then you can come OVERPREPARED. Print the job posting for the job you have now and write how you have overdelivered or do more than what is listed. I would also craft a new listing (you can research and combine different ones for what you are doing, look at those salaries, take into account experience, where you live, unique skills) and determine the role you are actually doing and the market value salary rate for it so you have a solid plan going in.
Hi there - wow, you really are having a good month! Congratulations on all of your hard work and wins.
Here's how I approach dealing with the "how" of interacting with senior people, and I'm sure others will have different takes. You are allowed to feel proud of your achievements, and to talk about them, and you are also allowed to be humble. You are allowed to be yourself, exactly how you are, and you don't need to affect different behaviours. Sometimes the pressure of "being" a certain way, completely derails what could otherwise be normal and totally fine interactions.
I would say that simply doing some work around your recent achievements, and reminding yourself over and over again that you are someone who has achieved these things, will allow you to acclimate to owning this next stage of your career.
Try to imagine how you want it all to look going forward, and that can help you embody that when you're there, interacting with higher level people.
Practise controlled breathing - it helps you to stay calm and focused, alleviating some of the stress response we can have in new situations (fight/flight/freeze), and allowing you to be yourself with this new colleagues, which is going to be your best bet no matter what.
Same goes with asking for your raise - know how much you want (see what you can find out around you for similar positions), how you want to approach it, why you deserve it (write all of this down ahead of time). Spend some time figuring out how to carry your body (mountain pose in yoga is a great approach), practise your breathing and using a strong voice, so that you can walk in confidently when you've asked for a meeting. Let me know if this helps!