Most of us have been there at some point. The feeling that we aren’t as good at our jobs as others might think we are. We’re just waiting for someone to find us out, or we feel lucky to be in the role in the first place. We may even attribute our achievements to others. Does this sound familiar?
And all of the time, we are actually doing really well, achieving our objectives and are respected by our colleagues. If this is how you are feeling – you are experiencing imposter syndrome. And you are far from alone.
The good news is that there are ways you can manage this for yourself, and if you are a line manager or leader, you can help your people overcome it too, and thrive.
So, what is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a psychological phenomenon where individuals doubt their achievements and fear being exposed as a “fraud,” even when they are competent and successful. It can affect anyone, regardless of profession, education or achievements.
It’s nothing to be ashamed of, it’s a perfectly normal feeling. Several studies have found that around 70% of us experience it at some point in our lives, and often in the workplace. First identified in the 1970s, imposter syndrome has been a regular talking point within HR and leadership training, as organisations strive to help their people to perform with confidence.
The impact of imposter syndrome
Although it can be managed, as we will cover, imposter syndrome can have a damaging impact on life at work, and at home too. In some cases, feelings of inadequacy can cause us to work harder and longer hours as we seek to ‘improve’ performance or feel insecure when starting a new role. Inevitably this can have an impact on our mental health and can lead to increased stress, anxiety and even contribute to burnout.
In other cases, what might have been a promising career runs the risk of not reaching full potential as we talk ourselves out of our ability, reduce our goals and lose the momentum to succeed.
Do you recognise yourself in these imposter syndrome personas?
We’ve identified a number of personas that show the different ways imposter syndrome can affect us – and the impact it has on us and others. There’s a very good chance that you’ve felt like this at some point in your career – or you know someone who is behaving like this at the moment.
The Perfectionist: Setting impossibly high standards and feeling like a failure when they aren’t met. In reality you will never feel you’ve done a good job however much you actually achieve.
The Expert: Believing you need to know everything to be competent. The downside here is that you may use a lot of time and energy in gaining knowledge you don’t need, or risk coming across as someone who knows it all.
The Soloist: Feeling you must do everything on your own to succeed. The downside is that you don’t trust others and that can be demotivating for them and limit their development.
The Natural Genius: Thinking you’re inadequate if success doesn’t come easily. The reality is that success rarely does come easy. There’s a lot of truth in the sporting quote ‘The more I practise, the luckier I get’.
The Superperson: Pushing yourself to work harder than everyone else to prove your worth. This is a recipe for long hours and burnout while risking alienating and seeming remote from colleagues.
In each of the above scenarios, it’s not hard to see how these wrongly held self-beliefs can have a detrimental effect on confidence, sap energy and are also behaviours that make it difficult for others in the workplace.
So, if imposter syndrome can potentially cause so much damage to careers, confidence and mental health – what can we do to overcome it?
Tips to overcome imposter syndrome
If you recognise the signs of imposter syndrome yourself, or you see others doubting themselves when they are clearly performing well, there are techniques you can use that will help. Here are a few that we think can be effective.
Normalise, talk and listen: As with other issues that impact the workplace, being able to talk or have someone listen, can really help to unpack and share the problem. If you are worried about talking to your line manager, why not start with a friend or colleague and share how you feel. But, if you are a line manager, maybe you’ve spotted some of the behaviours we’ve covered above and a simple ‘is everything ok?’ could start a valuable conversation that re-builds confidence.
List your achievements and strengths: Keep a record of successes – no matter how small. Remember your qualifications and what they bring to the role you do. Recall how past experiences got you to where you are today. Even re-work your LinkedIn profile and read it back. Remind yourself to feel proud of what you’ve accomplished – it will help you realise that’s exactly why you deserve to be where you are!
Make friends with self-doubt: Recognise when this happens and step back to understand what led to this self-doubt. Challenge your negative thoughts. This can sometimes help to unravel why you felt this way and help you see that there’s no reason to doubt your ability. Remember, self-doubt is a perfectly normal feeling. Acknowledge and understand the causes before they lead to imposter syndrome.
Value and learn from mistakes: View mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures, and focus on what you – or your team, learned from them. Appreciate that only through mistakes do we acquire the judgement and perspective to improve and grow. As a line manager, the ability to help your people learn through failure rather than criticise, will help their development and productivity – in the process helping to reduce any feelings of imposter syndrome.
Seek and give feedback: Ask for feedback from colleagues, mentors and your line manager. If you are doubting your performance, hearing positive or constructive feedback can give valuable reassurance about your skills and performance. What’s more, as a line manager, feedback can help your team members focus on the positives, helping to build confidence and celebrate progress.
In conclusion
Remember that imposter syndrome is a normal feeling and many highly capable people experience it. The reality is that while you may be doubting yourself – others aren’t. Without addressing how imposter syndrome makes you feel, you risk limiting your career or damaging your health. But, with a little more confidence gained by practising some of our tips, you have the tools to overcome it and thrive.
Get our Imposter Syndrome poster
We have produced a new Cordell Health poster on Imposter Syndrome. This is available to subscribers to our wellbeing service. If you are not signed up to this service and would like to find out more, please contact us on wellbeing@cordellhealth.co.uk
Photo by Олег Мороз on Unsplash.
