NEW YORK, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HiBob, the company behind Bob, the modern HR platform for midsized multinationals, today releases the results of its

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The holiday season is fast approaching and, for many employees, that means one thing — the annual performance review. While studies have shown bad reviews and vague feedback from managers can drive workers away,

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HiBob

hibob

In today’s digital age, data is like gold – precious and worth protecting. For HR platforms, this couldn’t be truer. Let's dive into why your company’s HR system needs to be Fort Knox for employee data. Why is HR Data so Darn Important? : Think about what your HR system knows about you – it's like a biography, with details from your birthday to your bank account. Personal Info on Display : It also knows what you earn, which is pretty hush-hush. Salary Secrets : Plus, it holds the financial secrets of the business. The Company's Treasure Chest The Boogeymen of Data Security : Just like in the movies, there are bad guys trying to sneak a peek at your data. Hackers and Leaks : Places like the EU have put up big stop signs like GDPR to slap fines on anyone playing fast and loose with personal data. Tough Rules Building an HR Fortress The Must-Haves for Top-Notch Security : Certifications like ISO27001 and ISO27018 are not just fancy numbers – they're like global hall passes for trust. International Security Badges : These are like the bouncers at the club, making sure everything inside is safe and sound. SOC2 and SOC1 Certs Inside the Fortress: Safeguards You Need : Set up VIP lists – only let certain eyes (like your boss or HR) see the super-secret stuff. Who Can Peek at Your Data? : This scrambles your data into a secret code that only the right key can unlock. Data Encryption Knock Before You Enter: The Consent Rule : Well, not exactly. But if someone needs to fix a bug, they need to ring the doorbell and ask nicely (i.e., get your permission). Polite Hackers? Playing Nice with Others: Third-Party Integrations : Just like you wouldn't let just anyone join your group project, the HR system checks if other software is cool enough (read: secure enough) to join the party. The Friend Vetting Process The HR Security Checklist ✅ Does your HR platform have the global security hall passes (ISO27001 and ISO27018)? ✅ Are the bouncers (SOC2/SOC1) in place? ✅ Can you set a VIP data viewing list? ✅ Is your data in secret code (encrypted)? ✅ Do you ask for a permission slip before someone digs around (consent protocols)? ✅ Are your software buddies (third-party integrations) checked for cooties (security risks)? Understanding all this can seem as tough as learning a new language. But just like locking your doors at night, these steps are what keep your HR data as safe as sleeping dragons. So, let’s make sure your HR platform is more than just a database – it's a digital fortress. HiBob's Vision: A Masterclass in HR Data Security and Efficiency In an era where data is both currency and commodity, securing HR information is paramount. HiBob has pioneered a solution that not only streamlines HR operations but embeds security into its very DNA. The platform, affectionately known as Bob, has been engineered to marry intuitiveness with robust security, ensuring that every stakeholder, from HR professionals to managers and employees, interacts with a system that is as secure as it is easy to use. Let’s delve into how HiBob has redefined the nexus of HR convenience and security. Intuitive and Robust: The Pillars of HiBob's Platform : Bob is meticulously crafted to provide a seamless user experience. The interface is intuitive, meaning less time spent on training and more on productivity. Yet, beneath this ease of use lies a sophisticated security infrastructure. User-Friendly Design : Accessibility does not compromise security on this platform. HiBob has integrated advanced security measures that work silently in the background, providing powerful protection without disrupting the user experience. Accessible Yet Secure Insights and Resources: The Tools for Building an Inclusive Culture : With Bob, your organization can harness the power of data without the risk of exposure. The platform provides a wealth of insights and analytics, allowing for informed decision-making that is crucial in crafting an inclusive company culture. Data-Driven Decision Making : HR documentation is a trove of sensitive information. Bob’s document management system is not just about storage; it's about secure access, with automated reporting that upholds the highest standards of data security. Secure Document Management Building Trust: The Onboarding to Offboarding Journey : The onboarding process sets the tone for an employee's journey. HiBob ensures this is a positive experience, with a focus on security from the get-go. Personal details are encrypted and kept confidential, providing peace of mind for new hires. A Secure Start : Bob’s 360-degree performance reviews are conducted within a secure ecosystem. Feedback and personal development plans remain confidential, fostering an environment where employees feel safe to grow and succeed. Continuous Development in a Protected Environment Fair and Secure Compensation Management: Transparency Meets Confidentiality : Compensation management requires a delicate balance. With Bob, this process is flexible for HR and transparent for employees, yet all personal data remains under strict digital lock and key. Flexible Yet Firm : HiBob’s commitment to equity is evident in its compliance features, ensuring that compensation management upholds fairness and confidentiality. Compliance With Fair Pay Practices The Pulse of Your Organization: Secured Feedback Channels : Surveys are vital for gauging employee engagement, but they also contain sensitive responses. Bob’s survey tools are designed to gather this feedback securely, ensuring that personal opinions don't become public knowledge. Confidential Surveys Time Management: Privacy in Every Second : Time management is a fundamental HR function, and Bob handles it with discretion. Requests for time off and attendance tracking are processed in a way that respects employee privacy at every turn. Sensitive Scheduling Payroll with Privacy: The Art of Secure Processing : Payroll is complex, but Bob simplifies it. The Payroll Hub is a testament to HiBob’s commitment to security, ensuring that personal and financial details are processed securely, in real-time, and in compliance with regulatory standards. Simplified Payroll Journey Analytics with Anonymity : People Analytics in Bob offers a deep dive into your workforce's metrics while safeguarding individual data, allowing for informed decisions without compromising privacy. Actionable Insights Without Exposure A Safe Space for Speaking Up : Bob's Your Voice module offers a secure channel for employees to report concerns in alignment with whistleblower protection laws. Empowerment Without Exposure Strategic Workforce Planning : Workforce planning tools within Bob help map out future hiring needs using current data, all while maintaining strict data confidentiality. Forward Planning with Backward Privacy A Sandbox for Secure Experimentation : Bob’s Sandbox allows you to test changes and simulate events in a secure environment, ensuring that the integrity of your live data is never compromised. Risk-Free Exploration For a detailed dive into the HiBob data security measures and why it's the fortress your HR data needs, visit their page HiBob data security HiBob: A Secure, Intuitive Revolution In the age where data breaches are as common as coffee breaks, HiBob emerges as the guardian of your company’s most valuable asset - its people's information. With its finger on the pulse of the latest in data security, HiBob’s platform, Bob, does more than just secure data; it empowers businesses to foster a culture of trust and innovation. Closing the Gap Between Security and Usability HiBob has meticulously woven security into the very fabric of its HR platform, ensuring that every module, from onboarding to compensation, is a bastion of data protection. Yet, the beauty of Bob lies in its simplicity - a testament to the fact that world-class security can go hand-in-hand with a seamless user experience. Secure, Empowered, Connected Through Bob, HiBob demonstrates a commitment to security that is unyielding, to employee empowerment that is unparalleled, and to a connected ecosystem that is unmatched. Bob stands as a testament to what HR platforms should aspire to be - secure, intuitive, and endlessly supportive of growth. Secure Today, Success Tomorrow As we wrap up this exploration into the secure expanses of HiBob’s platform, remember that in a world rife with digital risks, the right HR platform is not a luxury but a necessity. It's about choosing a partner who values your data as much as you do, a system that stands resilient against the tides of cyber threats, and a solution that grows with you, securely and robustly. With HiBob, you’re not just choosing an HR platform; you’re choosing peace of mind. You're choosing a future where data security and compliance are given, not a goal. So, as you navigate the challenges and opportunities of the modern workplace, let HiBob’s Bob be the compass that guides you to a secure harbor, every time. Visit to learn more about how HiBob is redefining HR data security, one secure, intuitive step at a time. Because when it comes to your data, good enough is not enough; it has to be the best. And with HiBob, the best is what you get. HiBob data security Strategic HR Data Management Within the competitive landscape of HR technology solutions, HiBob's platform, distinguishes itself not merely as an aggregate of features but as an integrated, strategic solution. It's engineered to fortify the most confidential employee data while delivering an experience that is not only intuitive but also seamlessly aligned with the user’s needs. Bob stands as a paragon of trust in the digital HR sphere, adeptly navigating the intricate nexus between user accessibility and stringent data security protocols. Bob: A Technologically Advanced Partner in HR Strategy : HiBob recognizes the imperative of safeguarding personal and sensitive data, embedding advanced encryption and access control measures that operate with the subtlety required in HR systems. Data Confidentiality : In the milieu of evolving compliance demands, Bob is designed to remain compliant with international standards, such as GDPR, reflecting a deep understanding of global compliance landscapes and the complexities therein. Regulatory Compliance : The platform's architecture is the epitome of sophisticated design principles, prioritizing UX without sacrificing the rigors of data security—a duality that caters to the discerning standards of MBA-level professionals. User Experience (UX) Operational Excellence in HR Data Security : Bob's infrastructure is architected for resilience, maintaining data integrity and confidentiality across all facets of HR management—from entry and storage to analytics and reporting. System Design : The platform's security framework is interlaced within its operational fabric, ensuring real-time protection and proactive risk management in all HR processes. Integrated Security HiBob's Innovation: A Convergence of Security and Usability : Bob exemplifies HiBob's innovative spirit, where the integration of robust security measures within a user-friendly interface is not an afterthought but a foundational element of the system’s design. Security-Usability Convergence : The platform is constructed with a foresight that anticipates potential security threats, ensuring proactive measures are in place to mitigate risks before they materialize. Forward-Thinking Architecture Conclusion: HiBob's Platform as the HR Data Vanguard In sum, HiBob's platform, Bob, is a contemporary digital stronghold, a beacon for organizations that prioritize the security of their HR data while advancing their strategic HR goals. It is a revolutionary instrument that reassures leaders of the security of their HR operations, ensuring the integrity of data is unimpeachable as the organization embarks on initiatives to engage and develop its workforce. With a security-first methodology interwoven with a user-centric interface, Bob is not just a tool but a strategic asset, ensuring that your HR data strategy is robust, compliant, and ahead of the curve.

Fortify Your HR Data with HiBob's Digital Fortress

HiBob এর ডিজিটাল ফোর্টেস দিয়ে আপনার HR ডেটাকে শক্তিশালী করুন

Stärken Sie Ihre HR-Daten mit der digitalen Festung von HiBob

Fortalezca sus datos de recursos humanos con Digital Fortress de HiBob

Fortifiez vos données RH avec la forteresse numérique de HiBob

HiBob के डिजिटल किले के साथ अपने HR डेटा को मजबूत करें

HiBob の Digital Fortress で人事データを強化する

HiBob의 Digital Fortress로 HR 데이터를 강화하세요

Fortaleça seus dados de RH com o Digital Fortress do HiBob

Укрепите свои кадровые данные с помощью Digital Fortress от HiBob

İK Verilerinizi HiBob'un Dijital Kalesi ile Güçlendirin

Củng cố dữ liệu nhân sự của bạn với Pháo đài kỹ thuật số của HiBob

使用 HiBob 的数字堡垒强化您的 HR 数据

: They told me about this experiment. I'll learn who you are only from the first comment you leave. Hello unknown. Bob : Hi Bob. I don't think we know each other. I'm in the New Zealand office, Auckland to be precise. Alice : That's quite a timezone difference. I'm on the other side of the Earth, I just checked. Bob : Bom dia in Lisbon! Correct? Time passes and we haven't written a single line of code. I start Alice def main():
    pass : Let's make it a console app Bob import argparse

def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="TBD")
    args = parser.parse_args() : TBD? Come on. Alice -    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="TBD")
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Think of a number. I'll find it out") : I'm not sure Bob args = parser.parse_args()
+   print(guess_number(args))

def guess_number(args):
    return 42 : I just checked Presumably not the reason you chose this number. How about this? Alice https://xkcd.com/42/ import os


def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Think of a number and I'll find it out")
    parser.add_argument("number", nargs="?", type=int, help="Your number if I didn't find it out")
    args = parser.parse_args()
    guess_number(args.number)


def guess_number(number):
  if number is None:
      print(42)
  else:
      clear_screen()
      print("Just what I said: {}".format(number))


def clear_screen():
    if os.name == "nt":
        os.system("cls")
    else:
        os.system("clear") : How about the usual boilerplate? Bob import argparse

...

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main() : Mission completed. We’ve written a program together communicating only in code. Alice

Blind Date in Code

Quality Sense Podcast with Tristan Lombard: The Power of Community Building 

THE INDIVIDUAL AND THE RACE

Heresies; or The Things that God Is Not

THE MOVEMENTS AND HABITS OF PLANTS

Hook and Root-Climbers.—Concluding Remarks

Twining Plants

Boon, The Mind of the Race, The Wild Asses of the Devil, and The Last Trump by H. G. Wells, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Being the First Chapter of "The Mind of the Race" Being the First Chapter of "The Mind of the Race" § 1 It was one of Boon’s peculiarities to maintain a legend about every one he knew, and to me it was his humour to ascribe a degree of moral earnestness that I admit only too sadly is altogether above my quality. Having himself invented this great project of a book upon the Mind of the Race which formed always at least the thread of the discourse when I was present, he next went some way towards foisting it upon me. He would talk to me about it in a tone of remonstrance, raise imaginary difficulties to propositions I was supposed to make and superstitions I entertained, speak of it as “this book Bliss is going to write”; and at the utmost admit no more than collaboration. Possibly I contributed ideas; but I do not remember doing so now very distinctly. Possibly my influence was quasi-moral. The proposition itself fluctuated in his mind to suit this presentation and that, it had more steadfastness in mine. But if I was the anchorage he was the ship. At any rate we planned and discussed a book that Boon pretended that I was writing and that I believed him to be writing, in entire concealment from Miss Bathwick, about the collective mind of the whole human race. Edwin Dodd was with us, I remember, in one of those early talks, when the thing was still taking form, and he sat on a large inverted flowerpot—we had camped in the greenhouse after lunch—and he was smiling, with his head slightly on one side and a wonderfully foxy expression of being on his guard that he always wore with Boon. Dodd is a leading member of the Rationalist Press Association, a militant agnostic, and a dear, compact man, one of those Middle Victorians who go about with a preoccupied, caulking air, as though, after having been at great cost and pains to banish God from the Universe, they were resolved not to permit Him back on any terms whatever. He has constituted himself a sort of alert customs officer of a materialistic age, saying suspiciously, “Here, now, what’s this rapping under the table here?” and examining every proposition to see that the Creator wasn’t being smuggled back under some specious new generalization. Boon used to declare that every night Dodd looked under his bed for the Deity, and slept with a large revolver under his pillow for fear of a revelation…. From the first Dodd had his suspicions about this collective mind of Boon’s. Most unjustifiable they seemed to me then, but he had them. “You must admit, my dear Dodd——” began Boon. “I admit nothing,” said Dodd smartly. “You perceive something more extensive than individual wills and individual processes of reasoning in mankind, a body of thought, a trend of ideas and purposes, a thing made up of the synthesis of all the individual instances, something more than their algebraic sum, losing the old as they fall out, taking up the young, a common Mind expressing the species——” “Oh—figuratively, perhaps!” said Dodd. § 2 For my own part I could not see where Dodd’s “figuratively” comes in. The mind of the race is as real to me as the mind of Dodd or my own. Because Dodd is completely made up of Dodd’s right leg plus Dodd’s left leg, plus Dodd’s right arm plus Dodd’s left arm plus Dodd’s head and Dodd’s trunk, it doesn’t follow that Dodd is a mere figurative expression…. Dodd, I remember, protested he had a self-consciousness that held all these constituents together, but there was a time when Dodd was six months old, let us say, and there are times now when Dodd sleeps or is lost in some vivid sensation or action, when that clear sense of self is in abeyance. There is no reason why the collective mind of the world should not presently become at least as self-conscious as Dodd. Boon, indeed, argued that that was happening even now, that our very talk in the greenhouse was to that synthetic over-brain like a child’s first intimations of the idea of “me.” “It’s a notion,” said Dodd, shaking his head. fantastic But Boon was fairly launched now upon his topic, and from the first, I will confess, it took hold of me. “You mustn’t push the analogy of Dodd’s mind too far,” said Boon. “These great Over-minds——” “So there are several!” said Dodd. “They fuse, they divide. These great Over-minds, these race minds, share nothing of the cyclic fate of the individual life; there is no birth for them, no pairing and breeding, no inevitable death. That is the lot of such intermediate experimental creatures as ourselves. The creatures below us, like the creatures above us, are free from beginnings and ends. The Amoeba never dies; it divides at times, parts of it die here and there, it has no sex, no begetting. (Existence without a love interest. My God! how it sets a novelist craving!) Neither has the germ plasm. These Over-minds, which for the most part clothe themselves in separate languages and maintain a sort of distinction, stand to us as we stand to the amœbæ or the germ cells we carry; they are the next higher order of being; they emerge above the intense, intensely defined struggle of individuals which is the more obvious substance of lives at the rank of ours; they grow, they divide, they feed upon one another, they coalesce and rejuvenate. So far they are like amœbæ. But they think, they accumulate experiences, they manifest a collective will.” “Nonsense!” said Dodd, shaking his head from side to side. “But the thing is manifest!” “I’ve never met it.” “You met it, my dear Dodd, the moment you were born. Who taught you to talk? Your mother, you say. But whence the language? Who made the language that gives a bias to all your thoughts? And who taught you to think, Dodd? Whence came your habits of conduct? Your mother, your schoolmaster were but mouthpieces, the books you read the mere forefront of that great being of Voices! There it is—your antagonist to-day. You are struggling against it with tracts and arguments….” But now Boon was fairly going. Physically, perhaps, we were the children of our ancestors, but mentally we were the offspring of the race mind. It was clear as daylight. How could Dodd dare to argue? We emerged into a brief independence of will, made our personal innovation, became, as it were, new thoughts in that great intelligence, new elements of effort and purpose, and were presently incorporated or forgotten or both in its immortal growth. Would the Race Mind incorporate Dodd or dismiss him? Dodd sat on his flowerpot, shaking his head and saying “Pooh!” to the cinerarias; and I listened, never doubting that Boon felt the truth he told so well. He came near making the Race soul incarnate. One felt it about us, receptive and responsive to Boon’s words. He achieved personification. He spoke of wars that peoples have made, of the roads and cities that grow and the routes that develop, no man planning them. He mentioned styles of architecture and styles of living; the gothic cathedral, I remember, he dwelt upon, a beauty, that arose like an exhalation out of scattered multitudes of men. He instanced the secular abolition of slavery and the establishment of monogamy as a development of Christian teaching, as things untraceable to any individual’s purpose. He passed to the mysterious consecutiveness of scientific research, the sudden determination of the European race mind to know more than chance thoughts could tell it…. “Francis Bacon?” said Dodd. “Men like Bacon are no more than bright moments, happy thoughts, the discovery of the inevitable word; the race mind it was took it up, the race mind it was carried it on.” “Mysticism!” said Dodd. “Give me the Rock of Fact!” He shook his head so violently that suddenly his balance was disturbed; clap went his feet, the flowerpot broke beneath him, and our talk was lost in the consequent solicitudes. Dodd the Agnostic just before the flowerpot broke. § 3 Now that I have been searching my memory, I incline rather more than I did to the opinion that the bare suggestion at any rate of this particular Book did come from me. I probably went to Boon soon after this talk with Dodd and said a fine book might be written about the Mind of Humanity, and in all likelihood I gave some outline—I have forgotten what. I wanted a larger picture of that great Being his imagination had struck out. I remember at any, rate Boon taking me into his study, picking out Goldsmith’s “Inquiry into the Present State of Polite Learning,” turning it over and reading from it. “Something in this line?” he said, and read: “‘Complaints of our degeneracy in literature as well as in morals I own have been frequently exhibited of late…. The dullest critic who strives at a reputation for delicacy, by showing he cannot be pleased …’ “The old, old thing, you see! The weak protest of the living.” He turned over the pages. “He shows a proper feeling, but he’s a little thin…. He says some good things. But—‘The age of Louis XIV, notwithstanding these respectable names, is still vastly, superior.’ Is it? Guess the respectable names that age of Louis XIV could override!—Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Montesquieu, D’Alembert! And now tell me the respectable names of the age of Louis XIV. And the conclusion of the whole matter— “‘Thus the man who, under the patronage of the great might have done honour to humanity, when only patronized by the bookseller becomes a thing a little superior to the fellow who works at the press.’ “‘The patronage of the great’! ‘Fellow who works at the press’! Goldsmith was a damnably genteel person at times in spite of the ‘Vicar’! It’s printed with the long ‘s,’ you see. It all helps to remind one that times have changed.” … I followed his careless footsteps into the garden; he went gesticulating before me, repeating, “‘An Inquiry into the State of Polite Learning’! That’s what your ‘Mind of the Race’ means. Suppose one did it now, we should do it differently in every way, from that.” “Yes, but how should we do it?” said I. The project had laid hold upon me. I wanted a broad outline of the whole apparatus of thinking and determination in the modern State; something that should bring together all its various activities, which go on now in a sort of deliberate ignorance of one another, which would synthesize research, education, philosophical discussion, moral training, public policy. “There is,” I said, “a disorganized abundance now.” “It’s a sort of subconscious mind,” said Boon, seeming to take me quite seriously, “with a half instinctive will….” We discussed what would come into the book. One got an impression of the enormous range and volume of intellectual activity that pours along now, in comparison with the jejune trickle of Goldsmith’s days. Then the world had—what? A few English writers, a few men in France, the Royal Society, the new Berlin Academy (conducting its transactions in French), all resting more or less upon the insecure patronage of the “Great”; a few schools, public and private, a couple of dozen of universities in all the world, a press of which The Gentleman’s Magazine was the brightest ornament. Now—— It is a curious thing that it came to us both as a new effect, this enormously greater size of the intellectual world of to-day. We didn’t at first grasp the implications of that difference, we simply found it necessitated an enlargement of our conception. “And then a man’s thoughts lived too in a world that had been created, lock, stock, and barrel, a trifle under six thousand years ago!…” We fell to discussing the range and divisions of our subject. The main stream, we settled, was all that one calls “literature” in its broader sense. We should have to discuss that principally. But almost as important as the actual development of ideas, suggestions, ideals, is the way they are distributed through the body of humanity, developed, rendered, brought into touch with young minds and fresh minds, who are drawn so into participation, who themselves light up and become new thoughts. One had to consider journalism, libraries, book distribution, lecturing, teaching. Then there is the effect of laws, of inventions…. “Done in a large, dull, half-abstract way,” said Boon, “one might fill volumes. One might become an Eminent Sociologist. You might even invent terminology. It’s a chance——” We let it pass. He went on almost at once to suggest a more congenial form, a conversational novel. I followed reluctantly. I share the general distrust of fiction as a vehicle of discussion. We would, he insisted, invent a personality who would embody our Idea, who should be fanatically obsessed by this idea of the Mind of the Race, who should preach it on all occasions and be brought into illuminating contact with all the existing mental apparatus and organization of the world. “Something of your deep, moral earnestness, you know, only a little more presentable and not quite so vindictive,” said Boon, “and without your—lapses. I seem to see him rather like Leo Maxse: the same white face, the same bright eyes, the same pervading suggestion of nervous intensity, the same earnest, quasi-reasonable voice—but instead of that anti-German obsession of his, an intelligent passion for the racial thought. He must be altogether a fanatic. He must think of the Mind of the Race in season and out of season. Collective thought will be no joke to him; it will be the supremely important thing. He will be passionately a patriot, entirely convinced of your proposition that ‘the thought of a community is the life of a community,’ and almost as certain that the tide of our thought is ebbing.” “Is it?” said I. “I’ve never thought. The ‘Encyclopædia Britannica’ says it is.” “We must call the ‘Encyclopædia Britannica.’” “As a witness—in the book—rather! But, anyhow, this man of ours will believe it and struggle against it. It will make him ill; it will spoil the common things of life for him altogether. I seem to see him interrupting some nice, bright, clean English people at tennis. ‘Look here, you know,’ he will say, ‘this is all very well. But have you to-day? They tell me the Germans are thinking, the Japanese.’ I see him going in a sort of agony round and about Canterbury Cathedral. ‘Here are all these beautiful, tranquil residences clustering round this supremely beautiful thing, all these well-dressed, excellent, fresh-coloured Englishmen in their beautiful clerical raiment—deans, canons—and what have they , any of them? I keep my ear to the Hibbert Journal, but is it enough?’ Imagine him going through London on an omnibus. He will see as clear as the advertisements on the hoardings the signs of the formal breaking up of the old Victorian Church of England and Dissenting cultures that have held us together so long. He will see that the faith has gone, the habits no longer hold, the traditions lie lax like cut string—there is nothing to replace these things. People do this and that dispersedly; there is democracy in beliefs even, and any notion is as good as another. And there is America. Like a burst Haggis. Intellectually. The Mind is confused, the Race in the violent ferment of new ideas, in the explosive development of its own contrivances, has lost its head. It isn’t thinking any more; it’s stupefied one moment and the next it’s diving about—— thought thought “It will be as clear as day to him that a great effort of intellectual self-control must come if the race is to be saved from utter confusion and dementia. And nobody seems to see it but he. He will go about wringing his hands, so to speak. I fancy him at last at a writing-desk, nervous white fingers clutched in his black hair. ‘How can I put it so that they attend and see?’” must So we settled on our method and principal character right away. But we got no farther because Boon insisted before doing anything else on drawing a fancy portrait of this leading character of ours and choosing his name. We decided to call him Hallery, and that he should look something like this— Hallery preparing to contradict. That was how “The Mind of the Race” began, the book that was to have ended at last in grim burlesque with Hallery’s murder of Dr. Tomlinson Keyhole in his villa at Hampstead, and the conversation at dawn with that incredulous but literate policeman at Highgate—he was reading a World’s Classic—to whom Hallery gave himself up. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. H. G. Wells (2011). Boon, The Mind of the Race, The Wild Asses of the Devil, and The Last Trump. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022, from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34962/34962-h/34962-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Being the First Chapter of "The Mind of the Race"

I felt like a fraud for a large part of my work life. With every promotion, every big project, and every challenge came this sinking feeling - “I am an imposter and they are going to soon find out.” “I don’t deserve this.” “They probably made a mistake trusting me with this project, position, or challenge.” And every time I pulled it off and lived up to those expectations and sometimes even exceeded them, instead of believing in my skills and abilities and celebrating my accomplishment, my inner critic came up with another story to justify my achievement - “It was probably too easy. If I could do it, anyone can.” “I guess I got lucky this time.” “I had a team full of smart and talented people. It’s all because of them.” My feelings were only visible to me. I never shared that I felt this way with anyone. Everyone else saw a different side of me that I didn’t believe existed. A smart, talented, confident, and highly skilled person who was good at her job. Someone they believed in. Someone they could trust with higher-level responsibilities. I still remember the first time I traveled to work for a client in the US. While waiting at the airport, every time my phone rang, I thought it must be my boss calling me to tell me that he made a mistake and I am not qualified to do this job. At the client site, I woke up each day with feelings of being exposed and soon found out. But none of those feelings that seemed so real at the time turned out to be true. Only more projects. More customers. More travel. And with each trip, every new project, and every customer, the cycle of feeling undeserving, living with constant fear, and feeling relieved once it was all over repeated itself. That continued for years! Though it felt lonely at the time, I wasn’t alone. by the International Journal of Behavioural Science has revealed that more than 70% of people are affected by workplace imposter thoughts at some point in their lives. That’s pretty significant. Research Experiencing Imposter syndrome Imposter syndrome, though a commonly shared feeling turns out to be quite a unique experience. Its impact on each individual varies in not only how they feel, but also how they behave and act afterward. For example… Your inner dialogue may tell you to keep quiet and not voice your opinion unless you are 100% confident about its correctness. Worried that a less than perfect answer will expose you. When you need help, your inner critic might stop you. What if asking for help makes you look incompetent and conveys to others that you don’t deserve this position? You may stay back late and work extra hard to keep up with all the intelligent and smart people around you. After all, your judgmental self tells you that if you don’t overwork, you will be left far behind. You keep putting off an important assignment with the worry that you will screw it up. It’s much easier to not try than to put yourself through the humiliation of coming up short. What holds you back is not fear, but your attitude towards it. The tighter you hold on to the attitude that fear is something ‘bad’ and you can’t do the things you want until it goes away, the more stuck you will be - Russ Harris As for myself, more than naming the feeling, I needed to analyze the underlying behaviors and actions that I picked up consciously or unconsciously as coping mechanisms to deal with my feelings of imposter syndrome. Destructive behaviors that kept me away from utilizing my full potential. Behaviors that were not only damaging to my own growth but hurt those around me as well. The more I latched onto these behaviors, the more I felt trapped. I needed to get unstuck and reclaim my potential. I needed to get rid of these behaviors. My analysis and research lead me to 5 distinct behaviors that we may pick up as coping strategies to deal with imposter syndrome. I displayed several of these behaviors at different points in my life. I also had a predominant one, sort of my default coping strategy to deal with feelings of fraud. Which one can you identify with? 5 coping strategies to deal with imposter syndrome Procrastinator You are a procrastinator if you have the tendency to put things off or delay them till the very last moment. ou can give excuses all you want “I am not able to find time” “I work well under pressure,” but the real reason to avoid the very thing you need to do isn’t lack of time or your ability to produce great work under a time crunch. It’s your fear of doing a bad job, making it evident to yourself and others that you are actually a fraud. At times, we all procrastinate. But if you are dealing with feelings of imposter syndrome, procrastination isn’t a one-off thing. It’s more like a habit. And every time you behave this way and still end up getting a good outcome, the unexpected success only intensifies your imposter feelings and reinforces your beliefs of being found out. After all, you didn’t put in the effort and don’t deserve this outcome. You may have fooled everyone again, but not for long. Whenever you find yourself putting things off or delaying them with a fear of failure, ask yourself these questions: What is it that I am trying to avoid? What’s my real reason for putting it off? What’s the worst that can happen if I give it my best shot? Why do I really care so much about what others think of me that I am willing to sabotage my own chance of success? What’s one small step I can take today? What’s blocking me from making consistent progress? How can I get rid of it? The law of Forced Efficiency says that there is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing - Brian Tracy By focusing on doing important things well and taking small steps towards them, you can get rid of your procrastination and turn your effort into a significant contribution. Perfectionist You are a perfectionist if you have a long list of what constitutes wrong, but only one way of it being right - your way. Exemplary performance, high standards, and 100% perfect outcome just the way you expect. Things have to be your way or they are simply not “good enough.” When a project turns out well, instead of being happy about your performance, you always find that one thing you could have done better - your perfect excuse to not launch. You fear putting your work out there with the worry that others may not like it and you will be exposed. Julia Cameron, an author, and a poet sums it up beautifully “Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough—that we should try again” and Jennifer White an author, said “Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with having high standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move ahead.” Your perfectionist attitude also impacts how you collaborate with others. Delegation doesn’t come easy to you. If it’s part of your job, you may do it, but you are never satisfied with your team’s work, often left feeling angry, dissatisfied, and frustrated. Your perfectionism slows your team down. Pushing others to meet your high standards leads to resistance and reluctance to work with you. You may also develop the tendency to rework someone else’s work even though they did a great job only to satisfy your inner perfectionist. Your intention may not be wrong, but it does convey to them that they aren’t competent and you don’t trust them. Now, I am not suggesting in any way that you shouldn’t set high standards for your team or expect anything less than excellence. But excellence and perfectionism are two separate things. Excellence is about utilizing your and others’ potential to seek a great outcome. Perfectionism is about obsession. Perfection might seem possible if you just try hard enough, work longer and do better, but it’s really a mirage hovering temptingly just out of reach. You might push yourself on to this beautiful oasis, but what happens when you get there? There’s nothing to see, or it turns out to be further away than you thought. Aiming for perfection means that you can never sit still and enjoy the place you are in right now; it stops you feeling content and encourages you to undervalue all you already have as not being enough - Jessamy Hibberd Whenever you find yourself thinking that something is not right, it needs correction, or it’s not good enough, ask yourself these questions: What makes me believe this is important? Does my opinion match with what others have to say? What’s their reason for agreement or disagreement? What will be the impact of not making this change? What’s the absolute worst that can happen? What other things can I do in its place that will bring more value to me, my team, and my organization? By being selective about where you put your efforts and not wasting your time and energy on every small thing, you can slowly get rid of your perfectionist tendencies and make more meaningful contributions. Overworker You are an overworker if hard work, over-preparation, and long hours are your default strategies to avoid being intimidated by all the smart and intelligent people around you. You believe that the only reason you have come so far without being exposed is your ability to work harder than anyone else. This never-ending cycle of the feeling of ineptness, hard work, and success, followed by more ineptness is only a trap. Before you know it, it turns you into a workaholic. It keeps you on your toes with the belief that the only way to cover up your fraud is to work harder than everyone else. Working super hard may combat your feelings of imposter syndrome, but the price you have to pay is significantly higher. Spending all that time working makes you neglect your health leading to exhaustion and burnout. You may also spend less time with your family. Is your professional success really worth all this sacrifice? To separate hard work that’s necessary to do anything well from working hard only to cover up your feelings of ineptness, ask these questions: What’s my reason for putting in these extra hours? Instead of working hard to prove my competence to others, what if I focus on only becoming my best self? What will these extra hours help me earn? Why is it important to me? What do these extra hours help me avoid? Why am I right in avoiding those things? By carefully spending your time and energy, you will get better control over your life, achieve more in less time and build the confidence required to achieve anything significant without killing yourself in the process. People pleaser You are a people pleaser if all your actions stem from your desire to convince others to like you. You desperately seek their approval and acceptance not because you trust their judgment, but as a measure to fool them into believing that you belong. You think that others are less likely to find out that you are an imposter if they like you. ** **Helping others out of genuine care goes a long way in establishing trust and building better relationships at work. But when it stems from the desire to make others think favorably of you, manipulating how they perceive you by doing things that make them happy, seeking constant validation, acceptance, and approval to establish your own sense of self-worth, it’s utterly damaging to your own self and your relationship with others. At its core, being nice is about being liked by others by making everything smooth. No waves, no friction. It’s based on this (woefully inaccurate) theory: If I please others, give them everything they want, keep a low profile, and don’t ruffle feathers or create any discomfort, then others will like me, love me, and shower me with approval and anything else I want - Aziz Gazipura With your actions rooted in fear of rejection, feeling of , risk of failure, discomfort from displeasing others, and not having the courage to receive their disapproval, you let your imposter feelings get in the way of achieving excellence. helplessness Whenever you find yourself doing something not because it’s the right thing to do, but because you fear detection, ask these questions: What’s driving my current behavior - fear of being rejected or a genuine desire to help? Can I really build better relationships by fooling others to like me? What can I do to actually add value to my work? What’s really the right thing to do? What’s more important - seeking approval or adding value? By giving up your tendency to seek approval and relying on your own measures of self-worth, you can shift from being a people pleaser to a highly recognized and valuable contributor. Self diminisher You are a self diminisher if you have the tendency to over-index on your mistakes while ignoring everything good that’s happening around you. Instead of congratulating yourself for doing a good job, you obsess about a minor thing that went wrong. This is how the dialogue goes on in your mind. “Every mistake reflects on my competence.” “Every failure signals to others that I have cheated my way and I am completely undeserving of this position.” Over-indexing on mistakes and failures and trying to avoid them at all costs makes you give up on opportunities that require you to step outside your comfort zone. You try to play safe, stick to things that you know well, and avoid challenges. Your behavior not only diminishes what you achieve but also makes you give up on opportunities that you were very well suited to perform, limiting your achievements and success. Whenever you find yourself ruminating about your mistakes or think of passing up a great opportunity, ask these questions: What will staying within my comfort zone help me achieve? How can I learn and grow if I never make mistakes? What do my past failures and mistakes teach me? What will the new opportunity help me learn? What’s one small step that I can take to get over my own self-perceived limitations? Understanding your growth is one step outside your comfort zone and using mistakes and failures as opportunities to push beyond, you can do wonderful things in your journey to become a highly accomplished person. Hiding your imposter feelings only pushes you down the rabbit hole while learning to brave them opens your mind to new possibilities. Summary Believing that you are an imposter, a fraud is a universal feeling. More than 70% of people at some point in their life feel this way. Although imposter syndrome is linked with feelings of inadequacy and thinking that nothing you do is ever good enough, how it plays out in your day-to-day life and impacts you varies from person to person. Acknowledging what you are feeling is important, but what’s even more important is to pay attention to the underlying behaviors and actions that such feelings tend to evoke. Your feelings of being an imposter can turn you into a procrastinator, perfectionist, overworker, people pleaser, or a self diminisher. You are a procrastinator if you put important things off or delay them with the fear of producing a bad outcome thereby making it evident to others that you are a fraud. You are a perfectionist if you have the tendency to obsess about minor details and produce a 100% perfect outcome with the worry that anything less than perfect will expose you. You are an overworker if long hours and hard work is your only strategy to make up for your perceived lack of skills and abilities. You are a people pleaser if making others like you makes you feel safe from the danger of being exposed as a fraud. You are a self diminisher if you try hard to stay under the radar to lower the risk of being found out. Previously published . here

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