Challenging Imposter Syndrome: Managing the Intellectual Self-Doubt When You Don’t Believe Your Achievements Are Real

By Viv John

Regional HR Business Partner and ATTI Support Colleague Profesional Learning Lead

Many of us experience Imposter Syndrome at some point during our working career, and those that have will know the impact it has on our confidence. At times, it can create an overwhelming anxiety that impacts on our overall wellbeing. 

 

One way to help influence our wellbeing is to engage in CPD! Regular engagement in CPD signifies a commitment to adaptability and change. It helps us reprogramme our brains into handling change and setbacks more effectively and having less of a traumatic impact on our health and wellbeing. 

 

It’s not just me making these comments up… A CPD article states “Engaging in new learning experiences stimulates the brain to forge and reinforce neural pathways. This not only aids in the assimilation of new knowledge but also enhances cognitive flexibility, allowing individuals to adapt to changing situations and think freely.” And the even better news is, by engaging in learning and developing new skills, dopamine is released into our bodies. Dopamine doesn’t just provide a ‘feel-good’ sensation; it enhances attention, motivation, and memory consolidation – continuous learning and CPD reshapes our brain.  

 

This is why our Institute is so passionate about everybody’s personal learning and developing communities and webinars to engage with all of our colleagues. Not only does CPD increase our knowledge and impact on our pupils, it also creates a more enhanced and positive experience within our workplace. 

 

Our Institute offering gives colleagues the opportunity to be involved in courses, webinars and community events, collaborate with colleagues who we wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to work with – finding out best practices from others who do the same role as us in a different academy, and sharing our combined knowledge and experience as well. Topics could be practical, such as how to maximise the systems we have, whilst others are more general and emotive, like time management tips or how to handle difficult conversations. 

 

Culture is also key to the success of our Trust and is something else we are passionate about. We want to continue to create a culture where we can be our authentic selves and have opportunities open to us. 

 

Taking our personal development seriously is key to helping us manage our wellbeing at work. We will continue to develop our offering and we really encourage all to engage! 

 

We also have an amazing Wellbeing Community, led by Gemma Morris, Deputy Director of People Strategy, who has developed our Vivup offering to support our ATT colleagues. There are other initiatives that the Wellbeing Community support throughout the year, and Gemma will update us all as and when they are happening. 

 

I can honestly say that since working in Education, I have invested a lot of personal time in my personal development; completing a CIPD qualification, as well as reading more research books and developing my knowledge in areas I am passionate about. It really has helped with my personal anxiety and given me confidence to grow and develop our support staff communities, something I would never have had the confidence to do 6 years ago! 

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