Fake it Till you Make It
Tomorrow I will be coordinating a video shoot. Leading up to this shoot I had to write scripts, recruit and wrangle talent, coordinate time and location and all with little direction. I've never completed any of these tasks before, and the task seemed a little overwhelming at first. As I wait with bated breath for tomorrow to be completed successfully (I hope), I look back at the last week and a half and think "how did I get through this"? Well, I'll tell you how, I faked it. I'm not implying that it is OK to lie and say that you have done something that you haven't or that you have a skill set you do not posses, but if you are tasked with something you do not feel confident with, fake it.
I have had several scenarios and tasks come to me in my professional life that I was unaccustomed to, and in some cases had no clue where to begin. What I have experienced is that to gain confidence in something that seem daunting, attacking the task as if you were a pro tricks your mind into possessing the needed confidence to complete the task. When I approach a situation or task as if I have done it a million times before, the task becomes manageable and I am not shaken with self consciousness or doubt.
While I call this technique faking it, its mostly just remaining flexible and taking the project one step at a time. This is a characteristic that many people in the workforce lack. For many people in the workforce uncertainty is scary and can make or break a persons perception of the workplace. Employees will immediately revert to the fight or flight mode, and they will choose flight. Instead of approaching tasks with a sense of confidence, they believe they are not equipped and set themselves up for certain failure. Employees in the workforce need to be adaptable and able to learn new skill sets, sometimes on the fly (restaurant term). Employers value the employee who can take a task, analyze it and complete it even if it is not in their wheelhouse.
I find it is easiest for me to accomplish uncomfortable tasks by just doing them. If I do a fantastic job, great it's another skill set under my belt. If my efforts are not successful, often times there is someone else in the organization who can fill in my gap. The worst thing that I can do is kill my self confidence by thinking I do not have the capacity to complete the task at hand. I try to go into every situation with the attitude that even though I may not have encountered this situation before, I more than have the skill set and character traits to conquer it. I fake it!
So the next time you feel daunted by a task, take a deep breath, access what is needed for the job at hand, and fake it till you make it. Own that experience like a boss, and when the dust settles, realize that you have overcome a challenge and you are that much better and valuable for it.
I have had several scenarios and tasks come to me in my professional life that I was unaccustomed to, and in some cases had no clue where to begin. What I have experienced is that to gain confidence in something that seem daunting, attacking the task as if you were a pro tricks your mind into possessing the needed confidence to complete the task. When I approach a situation or task as if I have done it a million times before, the task becomes manageable and I am not shaken with self consciousness or doubt.
While I call this technique faking it, its mostly just remaining flexible and taking the project one step at a time. This is a characteristic that many people in the workforce lack. For many people in the workforce uncertainty is scary and can make or break a persons perception of the workplace. Employees will immediately revert to the fight or flight mode, and they will choose flight. Instead of approaching tasks with a sense of confidence, they believe they are not equipped and set themselves up for certain failure. Employees in the workforce need to be adaptable and able to learn new skill sets, sometimes on the fly (restaurant term). Employers value the employee who can take a task, analyze it and complete it even if it is not in their wheelhouse.
I find it is easiest for me to accomplish uncomfortable tasks by just doing them. If I do a fantastic job, great it's another skill set under my belt. If my efforts are not successful, often times there is someone else in the organization who can fill in my gap. The worst thing that I can do is kill my self confidence by thinking I do not have the capacity to complete the task at hand. I try to go into every situation with the attitude that even though I may not have encountered this situation before, I more than have the skill set and character traits to conquer it. I fake it!
So the next time you feel daunted by a task, take a deep breath, access what is needed for the job at hand, and fake it till you make it. Own that experience like a boss, and when the dust settles, realize that you have overcome a challenge and you are that much better and valuable for it.
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