Slide deck by Christina Keelan for Community Leadership Summit 2016. Presents imposter syndrome, metrics, and burnout. If you have any suggested reading, please email christina[at]rethinkdb.com!

1. IMPOSTER SYNDROME
& other scary things as a community manager

2. CHRISTINA
KEELAN
community manager
@christinakeelan

3. RETHINKDB
➤ The realtime, open-source
database that makes it
dramatically easier to build
realtime apps.
➤ 7 years in the making
➤ Been stuck with me for the
past 2.5 ;)

4. HORIZON
➤ Horizon is a realtime open-
source backend for JavaScript
apps.
➤ Built by the RethinkDB team
and an amazing community!
➤ ~5 months in the making
➤ They’re stuck with me on this
one :D

5. What is my actual background?
Fashion Design + Psychology (= fundraisers galore!)

6. WHAT IS IMPOSTER
SYNDROME?

7. “A collection of feelings of inadequacy
that persist even in face of
information that indicates that the
opposite is true. It is experienced
internally as chronic self-doubt, and
feelings of intellectual fraudulence.
-https://counseling.caltech.edu/general/InfoandResources/Impostor

8. A FEW FACTS…
➤ The term was coined by clinical psychologists Pauline Clance
and Suzanne Imes in 1978.
➤ Early research suggested it was more prominent amongst
women, new research suggests equal for men and women.
➤ Common feelings of “fraud” and like one does not deserve
the success she/he has achieved (key word: achieved)
➤ Not a distinct personality trait, but some are more prone than
others.

9. WHAT CAN WE DO?
➤ Caveat: not a formal mental disorder, thus no clear consensus on
treatment options.
➤ Recognize it! If it is not addressed, victims can develop
anxiety, stress, depression, etc.
➤ Embrace positive feedback (as hard as that may be) and
don’t downplay accomplishments.
➤ Seek help or find a mentor. We forget others feel
inadequate, too.
➤ Accept that we can’t do it all. Do what we do, and do it
well.

10. OTHER SCARY THINGS!
bum bum bummmm

11. METRICS!
how do we “prove our worth”

12. WHAT CAN WE DO?
➤ What does leadership expect from you?
➤ Ask questions early-on:
➤ What are their expectations for your community?
➤ How do they measure “success”?
➤ Determine what metrics are necessary for your team.
➤ What works in one community will not work in another.
➤ Start to track early-on so you don’t get overwhelmed as
community grows.
➤ Maintain open and honest communication with your
leaders.

13. BURNOUT
and other sneaky ways our mental and physical
health are affected…

14. SYMPTOMS OF BURNOUT
➤ Chronic fatigue
➤ Anxiety
➤ Insomnia
➤ Difficulty concentrating
➤ Increased illness
➤ Change in appetite
➤ Depression

15. WHAT CAN WE DO?
➤ Don’t wait until we’ve hit rock bottom (both physical and
mental).
➤ Ask for help :)
➤ Make sure you balance your personal life and work
schedule.
➤ Disconnect!
➤ It’s ok to say “no” (as hard as that may be).
➤ Take vacations, work from home, go for a walk, etc.
➤ Do you have a friend who can help? Support each other!

16. LET’S KEEP DOING WHAT
WE DO BEST

17. THANK YOU!
@christinakeelan

18. RESOURCES
➤ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome
➤ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201311/
the-tell-tale-signs-burnout-do-you-have-them
➤ https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/high-octane-women/201104/
overcoming-burnout
➤ https://counseling.caltech.edu/general/InfoandResources/Impostor
➤ Clance, P.R.; Imes, S.A. (1978). "The imposter phenomenon in high
achieving women: dynamics and therapeutic intervention.".
Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice 15 (3): 241–247. doi:
10.1037/h0086006