Even the most hard charging veteran can find themselves questioning whether they made the right decision to leave the military when they land in the corporate world. They speak a different language, dress differently, and have unique rituals that you need to absorb. In product management, this can be especially daunting, because you are expected to make product decisions with little experience in the industry.
We all suffer from imposter syndrome from time to time. The good news is that it is probably a sign that you are learning something new and growing professionally. Despite this, the feeling like you are unqualified or aren't adding value can be unnerving.
Fortunately, as a veteran you have cultivated some talents that you can easily apply on Day 1 that will add value to your team.
Organize the chaos. One thing veterans have plenty of experience with is organizing and adding structure to a problem. In any new team you join, there is likely some problem that hasn't been tackled yet and is hanging over people's head. Volunteer to take it on and see if you can't add some structure. This will also allow you to sink your teeth into a hard problem and requires you to talk to your teammates to solve it.
Provide an outsiders perspective. Lots of teams start to build an organizational viewpoint on a variety of issues. Use your moniker of "new hire" to your advantage. Challenge the status quo, ask provocative questions, and question assumptions. You can always add, "As an outsider..." to your question/comment if you need to. Doing this will not only be beneficial to the team, but will also paint you as someone who is thoughtful and inquisitive. Just don't over do it.
Ask a lot of smart questions. As someone who is new on the team, you are expected to not know everything. You are, however, expected to ramp quickly and add value. One way to ramp quickly is ask a lot of smart questions. Ask designers why certain UX decisions were made, ask your manager how she decided on this years strategy, ask engineering what trade offs were made in developing a feature. Not only does asking smart questions improve your knowledge, it also forces others to answer thoughtfully and reinforce their understanding.
Hopefully, some of these tips resonate with you. Remember that you were (or will be) hired for your experience and perspective. Everyone is rooting for you to be successful. If you feel like an imposter, use some of these tips, and trust that it won't always feel that way.
Comment below and share if you have other ways of combating imposter syndrome!