Don’t be afraid to enter the group Slack rooms and get noticed.
We’ve all heard the saying, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” and when it comes to your career, speaking up can bring attention and solutions. However, simply being vocal doesn’t always equate to having an executive-esque presence — or help banish your imposter syndrome. Various factors can contribute to feeling inadequate at work: A manager might misinterpret your introverted tendencies as disinterest, a micromanaging boss can erode your confidence, or you might battle self-doubt when comparing yourself to peers.
Women especially tend to struggle with being valued at work, explains Zoe Chance, a Yale professor, and author of Influence Is Your Superpower: The Science of Winning Hearts, Sparking Change, and Making Good Things Happen. “I work with many women’s and women’s leadership groups, and what so many of these people are looking for is to feel like they have a voice — and that they deserve to use it,” says Chance.
Confidence isn’t just a trait you’re born with — it’s something you cultivate from within. And this rings especially true in your career: While external accomplishments can provide temporary boosts, true confidence stems from a deep sense of self-belief and resilience.
One way to boost confidence is to keep a weekly record of all of your work wins — the big ones, sure, but the small ones too. It’s easy to remember crushing a major sales pitch or surpassing your annual goals, but so many little moments of victory can get forgotten or lost in the day-to-day hustle if you don’t keep track of them. Here are some examples of small wins that make a big difference over time: submitting your work on or before a deadline, communicating well with your peers, making a suggestion during a meeting that inspires a whole new conversation, and more.
“A lot of times we’re so in the moment and busy with the bigger things that are upcoming that we don’t take time to reflect and look back on all of the smaller ways that we’re doing great work,” says Chance. “Keeping track of your small accomplishments as much as your big ones will help when it comes time to ask for more help or resources, a raise, or when you’re trying to move up to the next step.”
Below, find more of Chance’s expert tips and advice on how to level up your presence on the job.
Overcome imposter syndrome by recognizing its roots
If you occasionally feel imposter syndrome at work, you’re definitely not alone. “It’s a totally logical feeling for a woman to have, especially considering that in almost all industries, the higher you rise, the fewer women there are at your level,” says Chance. “So you shouldn’t feel bad for having that feeling. But there are definitely tools you can use to move past it, too.”
For example, try acknowledging your sense of imposter syndrome in conversation with other women at work. Or, if you don’t want to have that chat with colleagues, try having it with friends. It’s more than likely that your friend will totally understand the feeling, and maybe even say she feels that way, too.
By acknowledging how pervasive imposter syndrome is, you get to remember a crucial fact: This emotion has less to do with your personal success or failure than it does with your surrounding environment. When you remember that, you can work toward creating more inclusive and empowering environments where you and your colleagues feel supported. In other words, if you create opportunities for others to express a shared sense of self-doubt with you, then you get to remember that you’re not so alone, after all.
Rule your virtual meetings by chiming in first
During a Zoom meeting, there’s often a moment when the person leading it asks, “Does anyone have anything else to add?” Then a sea of heads typically sit frozen in digital silence. That’s your opportunity to eliminate the awkwardness and add some insight to the conversation, says Chance.
“You don’t have to have a brilliant idea, but the first people who do speak have a lot of influence over the direction of the conversation, the topic, and the flow,” explains Chance, “You also register your presence and have other people realize that you’re there.”
This strategy works well in person, too, and will likely make you more visible by the key players at the table. But voicing your thoughts ASAP is key: “If you didn’t speak up early in the meeting, it gets much harder to speak up later on because you may be feeling a little bit invisible.”
Combat interruptions during meetings
Nobody feels happy when they’re cut off in a meeting. “When we get interrupted, we feel like maybe we don’t belong, or that people aren’t listening to us,” says Chance. It can be awkward to navigate the conversation after being sidelined — or seeing a coworker get that same treatment — but that’s where it’s important to notice and then support other colleagues.
“If we’re in a meeting and I see you get interrupted, I can be the person to say, ‘As so-and-so was mentioning earlier…’ or ‘Can we go back to so-and-so? Can you share more about that?'” says Chance.
This takes the pressure off of the person who was interrupted to reassert themselves to the manager or executive who interrupted them. And if you do this for others when they’re interrupted, they’re much more likely to do the same when it happens to you.
Don’t be afraid to enter the group chat
Whether you’re hybrid or WFH full-time, the modern workplace offers digital ways to get your name and voice noticed, like utilizing Slack messaging or the chat feature on virtual meetings. “Using the chat is more comfortable for a lot of us who are introverted — including me. You don’t have to worry, Is my idea important enough to try to jump in and interrupt the flow? Instead, you can contribute some ideas in the chat or follow up one-on-one by email afterward,” says Chance.
By owning your achievements and confidently asserting your voice — no matter how you do it — you can navigate the complexities of today’s workplace with poise and purpose.
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