Supervisor Training and Education Tips: The EAP Can Help You Overcome Insecurities

Supervisor skills often mean that the manage becomes aware of personal insecurities that are usually overblown, but none the less are worth overcoming. Here is a question from a supervisor about overcoming such issues.


Can the EAP help me stop worrying about whether others are judging me as a new supervisor? I don’t want to go through a big therapy process. I just want to stop being so self-conscious so I can engage with my peers, be more relaxed, and stop worrying about whether others are judging me. 

Are you new to your job as a manager. If so, its possible you might suffer from a little bit of the imposter syndrome. Discuss your goals with the employee assistance program. The program can help you by giving you a plan to practice, monitor, and gauge progress in overcoming these habits of thinking so you feel more confident. Psychotherapy isn't generally need to change these habits. It is more a question of having a plan. Practicing it. Observing your progress. Doing better next time or with occasion to practice new skills. Doing self-monitoring, but have the EAP join with you in accountability. 

You can make significant progress within a few weeks, and dramatically within a couple months. You might benefit from more education and basic supervisor skills. Here is a program that might help. It is called 14 Vital Skills for Supervisors and it hits every key issue a supervisor is likely to encounter. See all the previews of this program at the PowerPoint/Video on Supervisor Skills Demonstration page. You can see about 50% of each skill -- enough to make a solid decision for your team, or if you are an HR manager

Your struggle is a common one many people are hesitant to admit, but you can learn social and engagement skills that will help. You will discover positive self-talk affirmations, how to avoid becoming preoccupied with these thoughts, how to focus on others rather than yourself, and how to overcome false beliefs about what people are thinking in social settings. You will learn to stop thinking about making an impression and instead concentrate on engaging effectively. After an assessment, or later on, you might become interested in exploring other challenges related to your immediate goals. If so, the EAP can offer ideas or other sources of assistance.