How to stop comparing yourself to co-workers and defeat imposter syndrome, from a Microsoft exec

When Chris Capossela joined Microsoft successful 1991, 1 of the archetypal things helium noticed was however overmuch faster his co-workers were getting promoted than him. 

At first, helium shrugged the quality of their promotions disconnected — helium was, aft all, a selling manager, portion his enactment friends were engineers and merchandise designers, and their teams worked astatine antithetic paces. Plus, helium told himself, who doesn't consciousness insecure successful their 20s, astatine the commencement of their careers? 

He switched jobs wrong a year, becoming a merchandise manager connected Microsoft's desktop database products team, but the lateral determination didn't quiescent the heavy consciousness of unease and imposter syndrome that started to creep in. 

"I was watching my roommates, who besides worked successful Microsoft, get offered higher-paying jobs and promotions faster than maine and it made maine wonder, 'Gosh, americium I doing thing wrong?'" helium tells CNBC Make It. 

Still, helium decided to pursuit the jobs wrong Microsoft helium was passionate about, adjacent if they didn't travel with a larger paycheck oregon a much elder title. 

Thirty-one years and respective occupation switches later, Capossela, 53, is present Microsoft's main selling serviceman — and helium wouldn't person made it to the C-Suite, helium says, without archetypal learning however to combat imposter syndrome and letting passion, not competitiveness oregon others' expectations, usher his career. 

One of the astir important lessons Capossela has learned successful his vocation astatine Microsoft is that there's nary wide way to success. 

"You're going to determination astatine a gait that's antithetic from the idiosyncratic to your near and to your right, but if you walk each your clip looking near and close and comparing yourself to your adjacent group, you're going to miss retired connected a great, integrated vocation that's affluent and afloat of learning," helium says. "It's precise toxic and unsafe to bash that." 

Lateral vocation moves tin beryllium conscionable arsenic invaluable arsenic vertical advancement, helium adds. "I was ne'er a five-year oregon 10-year program idiosyncratic … erstwhile I archetypal started astatine Microsoft, I was conscionable pursuing my gut and taking chill jobs that I qualified for," helium says. "But successful the agelong term, lateral moves and taking positions connected antithetic teams tin truly wage disconnected due to the fact that it gives you a broader position of your manufacture oregon your institution that volition marque you a much invaluable idiosyncratic down the line." 

You don't person to power jobs to reap the benefits of a lateral vocation move, either: showing involvement successful what different teams wrong your enactment do, learning antithetic occupation responsibilities and being consenting to instrumentality connected opportunities beyond the constrictive scope of what's successful your relation statement (to an magnitude that you tin manage) are each large ways to situation yourself and presumption yourself for the adjacent measurement successful your career, Capossela notes. 

The astir palmy radical don't fixate connected however agelong it volition instrumentality them to execute a definite rubric oregon marque six-figures, Capossela says. 

"Don't autumn into the trap of thinking, 'If I'm not a manager successful 10 years, I'm a failure' oregon a antithetic milestone," helium cautions. "I don't find that radical who person agelong careers that they're blessed with deliberation that mode … instead, they're focused connected however they tin adhd worth to their squad contiguous and however they tin larn and turn wrong their existent role."

There's nary concealed to moving up the firm vocation ladder, but Capossela stresses that you volition beryllium much assured and palmy astatine enactment if you align your nonrecreational pursuits with your passion.

"You're going to bash your champion enactment erstwhile you're astir passionate astir it and don't walk each your vigor questioning whether that occupation volition payment your vocation trajectory successful the semipermanent and what different radical are doing," helium says.

"My fig 1 portion of proposal is to ever instrumentality the occupation you're astir passionate about, due to the fact that that's wherever you'll beryllium your precise best, and erstwhile different radical spot you astatine your best, it's much apt to pb to different large opportunities."

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