Are you Junior or Senior?

When I had my second child, my son, I realized that there is no such thing as being a senior dad. I had gathered 6 years of experience with my daughter. I considered myself a good father and kind of senior in that role. My friends with new babies would approach me seeking advice. Happily and humbly, I would share my experiences.

That prior experience helped with my son.?However in many aspects, it was like starting over as a fresh daddy. Not knowing again and trying my best to handle this new experience with two kids.

Work is similar! But it can be trickier and more misleading because you get titles. At home, you don’t get or change titles: Senior Mom, Mom VP, Daddy Manager… At work you start as a trainee, then you become something junior, grow to senior, becoming coordinator, manager, VP… Very likely from that point on, in every level there is also a “senior” in the title like Senior Manager, Senior Director.

That gives you the impression that you are Senior. And that it will apply to everything. But then, you get a new project, make a lateral move, change companies, countries, roles … you name it. All is new again. You’re not new and you still carry all your experience that made you senior once … yet the reality is that you are Junior when it comes to this new environment. There will probably be many other people around you (some even reporting to you) that will know much more than you do.

Feeling junior again might bring up different feelings; some that you wouldn’t post on social media, like insecurity, anxiety or fear. Yes, imposter syndrome is very real. ?

Still, if you know that it is normal and handle it properly, you’ll also enjoy the unique pleasure of doing things for the first time, the pleasure of learning, growing and looking up to others. It also grounds you and reminds that no matter how good in senior you are in certain fields, you are still junior in others.

Look around.?If you are the most senior person in your context and are fully comfortable with everything you do then it might be time for a change. Get more senior people around you. Start something new, something different. Keep moving from Junior to Senior. Then do it again.

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* Rodrigo Exman believes that the work environment is (and should be) a happy place where diverse people can be themselves and thrive. Lawyer by training, people oriented by heart, Rodrigo lived in Brazil, Dubai and is now living in USA. He is an ally for Women Leadership and the father of two kids, Liz and Luc (yes, gender balance is important : )

** Special thanks to my friend Pat for taking the time to review, comment and support these reflections.

*** The views expressed in this article are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of my current or past employers.