Overcoming an Inferiority Complex at Work
If you have low self-esteem or your on-the-job confidence has been threatened in some way, there are things you can do to improve the situation.
Starting a new job can make anyone nervous. Those first few days and weeks can be filled with uncertainty. You don’t know anyone. You don’t know the lay of the land. You don’t even know where the bathroom is, or if you are going to fit in and measure up.
But if you have been on the job for a while and still feel as if you can’t do anything right, despite having been hired for your expertise and experience, it may be that an inferiority complex is keeping you from peak performance.
Some of the ways that the persistent, irrational signs of inferiority complex might pop up at work include:
- Worrying that you are less competent than your coworkers;
- Constantly questioning your skills — and thinking that others are questioning them, too;
- Avoiding taking on new projects for fear of failure;
- Frequently feeling reactive or combative, especially when hearing feedback or criticism.
While lingering self-doubt may indicate it would be a good idea to work with a therapist to understand why you feel this way and how you can move forward with more confidence, there are also steps you can take on your own to curtail any feelings of insecurity and increase your happiness and performance at work.
Inferiority feelings often happen when we do not know how to fix a situation. To start fixing the situation:
- Use comparisons as inspiration. It is quite natural to compare yourself with your coworkers, and healthy competition can actually cause us to work harder and fuel success. But frequently measuring yourself against others to the point that you feel envious, anxious, and frustrated is a recipe for misery. It is also a waste of the time and energy that would be better invested in doing the best job possible, allowing you to both showcase your abilities and enhance your own self-worth. Turning these comparisons inward by comparing yourself with your own progress is a more productive course of action. For example, tell yourself that you would not have been hired if the company didn’t feel you were competent. Focus on your strengths to reassure yourself. Objectively note your progress over time. This can help you restructure your mindset and feel less anxious.
- Do frequent reality checks. People with an inferiority complex tend to immediately blame themselves when problems arise at work, but often the work environment itself is the real culprit. So when you catch yourself thinking negatively about yourself at work, ask, “Do I need to make changes myself, or do I need to look for ways to make changes in the environment around me?” For instance, imagine you notice that during brainstorming meetings your ideas are repeatedly attributed to other people. You could drag your self-confidence down by thinking, “I’m so unimportant no one pays attention to me.” Or you could do a reality check with your coworkers by asking, “Does this happen to you?” If they say yes, you can take action together. You and your peers might decide to support one another by commenting “nice idea” in future meetings to ensure the focus is on who really deserves credit.
- Act on evidence, not emotions. Are your insecure feelings a reaction to a real problem, one that you are getting direct feedback about with concrete examples? Or are you responding to what you assume other people are thinking or to whispered gossip you might be misinterpreting that is not a true reflection of a particular situation? Consider talking to a trusted coworker or a mentor outside the office to get their feedback. We all have our own perceptions, and it is always good to have that feedback to make a good self-evaluation.
- Spend more time with positive coworkers. Being around supportive, positive people reminds you of how you are supposed to treat yourself. Don’t waste time on colleagues who undermine you, don’t listen when you speak, or don’t make you feel accomplished and accepted.