First off, don’t panic

We all suffer from Impostor Syndrome in one way or another. At some point, no matter how qualified you are or how much real world experience you have to put into practice, you worry someone will discover you’re a fraud.

Every year, right around performance review time, people start to sweat, wondering if this is the year. As though HR is riding around in a Mystery Machine, unmasking ghosts of CEOs only to discover that each one is Old Man Whipple from the carnival down the road. Every year, they’re proven wrong, and they get notes for improvement and praise for a job well done.

So what happens when the review finds that you have the wrong job? And how did that happen?

First off, don’t panic. Your review process is in place to help both you and your company become an efficient machine. That can’t happen if your skill set doesn’t match the one needed for the job. More and more, businesses are moving toward finding the right role for their employees instead of firing them. So if your main concern is losing your job security, you can breathe a little easier. Still, you can’t expect your organization to do all the work to put you in the right place. It’s time to start thinking about where you will do the most good for yourself and your organization.

According to Hugh Shields, Managing Partner with Shields Meneley Partners, “If you’re a strong cultural fit with the company, meaning your operating values are quite consistent with those of the firm, they will usually help think you into a different role in the organization where they can use your skills. However, if you are a poor fit for the company AND you’re in the wrong role, you need to start looking at other firms and roles where you CAN be successful”.

It sounds like a monumental task, refocusing your efforts to an entirely new role, but it’s surprisingly manageable if you think of it as reframing the skills you already possess. These steps help to shape your next move.

1. Focus On Strength Building

Following a review like this, it’s easy to despair. Wallowing in the What Could I Have Done list seems natural. Perhaps you’re reeling a bit from shock. Take a day to process this, but do be careful not to let this create a negative spin on everything you have accomplished in your role thus far. Several factors go into evaluating an employee’s performance, and it isn’t just good and bad. Your employers likely understand your contributions and that’s why you’re staying. It’s time to look at your strengths to see where else they might be applied. What time of day are most productive? What does that time of day look like? Is it full of interaction and brainstorming, or are you in your office, quietly churning out the work? Do you feel energized when you’re leading a team, or do you prefer the quiet hum of productivity alone after getting direction? Is there a time of year you seem to slump, or do you measure on a weekly basis?

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So many of us believe that we are to simply work under the constraints given that we never think of the circumstances that help us to thrive. Now is the time.

2. Know Thyself

When you reflect on your interactions with coworkers, supervisors, and team members, what stands out? Do you bristle at authority, or are you open to criticism? Did you welcome questions, or did you front load with information in the hopes that you wouldn’t have to answer a slew of inquiries? Understanding how you interact with others, regardless of their position in relation to yours, is the key to understanding yourself as an employee. In order to place you where you’ll be happiest, you need to have an idea of what that will look like.

3. Where Did It Go Wrong?

The hard part of the review process is often hearing the negative. However, in order to move to a more positive place, it’s vital to understand what your supervisors saw in you. From their vantage point, where was the breakdown that got you here? How does their view line up with the self introspection in the previous questions? From there, you will be able to come to a meeting place of forward momentum. Think of how much happier you will be in a new role when you are armed with an understanding of yourself and how others see you in the workplace. It’s a gift we are not often given, and it’s way more effective than stress eating cheese curls until the next review.

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