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Originally Posted On: https://hansschumann.com/2024/08/imposter-syndrome/

Imposter or Imposter Syndrome? – Navigating Self-Perception in Your Career

Many of my clients, friends and colleagues claim they suffer from imposter syndrome. It’s not unusual to feel unfit for our role. But when does this label become an excuse for not acting on genuine gaps in our skills and experience, and when are we really imposters? This article describes what genuine imposter syndrome is and how to overcome it.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

The term “imposter syndrome” was coined by Dr Pauline Clance and Dr Suzanne Imes when they published “The Impostor Phenomenon in High Achieving Women: Dynamics and Therapeutic Intervention” in 1978. It describes a psychological pattern in which someone downplays their achievements and believes that they are secretly a fraud undeserving of their accolades, even if there is evidence of their competence. It’s surprisingly common among professionals, both male and female, affecting people across all industries and levels of seniority and success. Famous people who have shared that they experience imposter syndrome include Michelle Obama, Emma Watson, Tom Hanks and Howard Schultz. Even Albert Einstein said, “The exaggerated esteem in which my lifework is held makes me very ill at ease. I feel compelled to think of myself as an involuntary swindler.”

If you often attribute your success to luck rather than ability, or if you’re perpetually worried that others will unmask you as unqualified, you might be experiencing imposter syndrome.

Recognising these feelings is crucial because it’s the first step toward overcoming them. By understanding what imposter syndrome is and identifying its signs in your own behaviour, you can begin to dismantle the self-doubts that hold you back.

At the same time, it’s important to be honest with ourselves: do we indeed have development areas that we need to tackle, or are we really imposters?

The Root Causes

Imposter syndrome doesn’t appear out of nowhere. It’s often rooted in a combination of your personal background, personality traits and past experiences. For instance, if you grew up in an environment where high achievement was consistently expected, you might be more prone to developing imposter feelings.

Imposter syndrome is closely tied to perfectionism and a deep-seated fear of failure. These feelings drive the belief that you’re not truly competent and that you must perform flawlessly to prove your worth. Acknowledging these root causes is a vital step in addressing and eventually overcoming the sense of being an imposter.

Are You Experiencing Genuine Imposter Syndrome – or Something Else?

Navigating your self-perception at work can be tricky. Let’s delve into different scenarios that might explain your feelings:

1. You experience genuine imposter syndrome: Are you someone who has the skills, achievements and positive feedback, yet still feels like a fraud? This classic imposter syndrome is about misaligned self-perception. Reflect on your qualifications and successes. If your external achievements are solid but your internal validation is lacking, you might be dealing with genuine imposter syndrome. Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes published a checklist to help individuals determine whether they have characteristics of imposter syndrome and, if they do, to what extent they are suffering. You can access the checklist here: https://paulineroseclance.com/pdf/IPTestandscoring.pdf

• You have genuine skill gaps: Maybe you do indeed lack some of the skills or qualifications needed for your role. It’s essential to be honest with yourself. Are you in over your head without the foundation needed to succeed? Or are you behind in keeping up to date with areas of your expertise? If so, acknowledging this truth is the first step toward addressing the issue constructively, whether through training, mentorship or career coaching. Identifying a skills gap doesn’t mean you’re an imposter; it means you’re on a journey of growth. Providing you are transparent about your skills and experience, you are not an imposter.  For, example if you don’t hide your skills gap in a job interview and you are hired, you’re not deceiving anyone can’t be called an imposter.

• You are indeed an imposter:  This is the harshest scenario. If you are not honest with others about the reality of your skills or qualifications, you may indeed be an imposter.  Sometimes, a bit of this may be acceptable; for example, if you are trying to land your first client.  But my recommendation is to find a way to do this that preserves your authenticity and does not put others at risk. It’s also important that you are honest with yourself.

• Using imposter syndrome as an excuse: Sometimes, the label of imposter syndrome becomes a convenient excuse to avoid action. A part of you knows there’s a skills gap or a performance issue, but the imposter syndrome narrative offers a way to sidestep the discomfort of change. Are you telling yourself, “It’s just imposter syndrome – I’m fine,” to avoid the hard work of professional development? Again, I challenge you to be honest with yourself to ensure this isn’t a subconscious avoidance tactic.

What’s good about having imposter syndrome?

We tend to regard imposter syndrome as a negative experience, but when present in moderation, it can have some potential benefits. While it can be painful, imposter syndrome can lead you to regularly assess your abilities and performance realistically, avoiding complacency. It can be a great motivation for growth. People with imposter syndrome often feel the need to prove themselves, which can drive them to work harder, learn more and improve their skills continually.

Recognising these potential benefits doesn’t diminish the challenges imposter syndrome can bring, such as emotional suffering and procrastination, but it can help you leverage your experiences for personal and professional growth.

Strategies to Overcome Genuine Imposter Syndrome

There are several strategies for combatting genuine imposter syndrome:

• Challenge negative beliefs: Begin by challenging your negative thought patterns. When you catch yourself doubting your achievements, ask yourself whether your negative beliefs are based on facts.  Counter them with evidence of your successes. This can be hard to do on your own, and you might want to seek support from a therapist or life coach. When I work with my clients on their imposter syndrome, I ask them to keep a diary of all their negative thoughts so that we can analyse and disempower them one by one.

• Cultivate positive thoughts: Even if you have challenged your negative thoughts, they may still come up again like weeds in the garden. The truth is, for some people the nagging voice that tries to put you down will never stop.  What you can do, though, is to start a new, positive counter-voice that becomes stronger. To do this, you must make an effort to cultivate new and more resourceful thoughts; for example, by practising affirmations. This is not about telling your mirror image how great you are.  Your subconscious mind has a BS detector and will not believe you if you choose affirmations that are too far away from your genuine beliefs. It needs to be a statement that is more positive than your negative thoughts but still credible. A CBT practitioner, therapist or life coach can help you with this and many other ways to cultivate a more positive outlook. They can also go deeper and work on the core roots of your negative thoughts.

• Acknowledge success: What works even better is to acknowledge actual evidence of your skills and performance. You can do this by recognising and celebrating your achievements and strengths to dismantle the self-doubt that fuels your imposter feelings. You may even want to create a folder in which you collect evidence of all your achievements; for example, certifications, awards, published articles and positive feedback. Whenever you doubt yourself, you can go back to the folder to remind yourself of your past successes.

• Keep learning and growing: Engaging in professional development and continuous learning can also boost your confidence and affirm your competence. If you find you have a skills gap, focus on setting realistic goals and celebrating small victories along the way. This practice helps build a solid foundation of self-esteem and professional confidence.

• Creating a Personal Action Plan: I recommend having a personal and professional development plan that you take seriously and turn into tangible actions. Start by setting clear, achievable goals that align with your professional aspirations. Incorporate regular self-assessments or check-ins with a life coach or accountability partner to monitor your progress and adjust your strategies as needed. Accountability plays a crucial role in this process. Whether through self-monitoring or regular life coaching sessions, keeping track of your progress helps maintain your motivation and commitment to overcoming imposter syndrome.

Seeking Professional Help

There are times when self-help strategies might not be enough. It’s much easier to overcome procrastination with a professional. Working with a career coach or therapist can provide you with tailored strategies, support and accountability. Seeking support is a great way to take charge of your personal and professional growth and wellbeing. Indeed, you will find a coach behind the most successful professionals.

If you’re ready to take the next step towards personal and professional growth, you can book a free Discovery Call with me to discuss your goals and challenges, and how I might be able to help with personalised guidance and support.