Imposter Syndrome: How to Empower Yourself and Your Team
Source: Freepik.com
Have you ever felt like a fraud? Like you’re not competent enough to lead your team and it’s just a matter of time before other people realize it?
Well, you’re not alone. You could be one of the “imposters.”
Recent research came up with a paradoxical conclusion: while 65% of professionals were unfamiliar with the term “imposter syndrome”, most of them turned out to be very familiar with its symptoms in real life.
In this article, we’ll provide strategies to help you overcome the imposter syndrome and support your team members who might also be struggling with it.
What is imposter syndrome?
Imposter syndrome is a psychological pattern causing you to doubt your abilities, skills and accomplishments. In other words, it’s a persistent fear that you’ll be exposed and that people will find out you’re just a fraud. The worst part is that imposter syndrome usually doesn’t go away as you reach new levels of success and accomplishment.
Here's an infographic to help you figure out if you suffer from imposter syndrome and, if yes, what type you belong to.
You’re not the only one: Imposter syndrome examples with celebrities
Imposter syndrome is more common than you think, but it takes a lot of courage to talk about it publicly. Some of the celebrities who have admitted to dealing with this syndrome are:
Lady Gaga, the first woman in history to win an Academy Award, Grammy and Golden Globe in the same year
Tom Hanks, the Academy Award-winning actor
Howard Schultz, a former Starbucks CEO
Michelle Obama, the former First Lady of the US
Sheryl Sandberg, a former Facebook COO
You’re surprised? So are we! It just shows that no one is immune to this condition.
Even Maya Angelou, one of the most inspiring and rewarded authors, struggled with it, and not even at the beginning of her career but after successfully publishing 11 books!
Source: Goodreads.com
What causes imposter syndrome?
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Here are a few possible reasons.
Upbringing
If your parents or caregivers were overly critical, chances are you’ve internalized that behavior and are now excessively harsh on yourself, even as an adult. The same goes for people whose parents were perfectionists or focused too much on achievements.
Work environment
Some companies have a toxic corporate culture and tend to determine a person’s worth based on their achievements only. Social pressure and comparisons from superiors may cause a person to feel like an imposter.
Perfectionism
Perfectionism makes you believe that you could always do better – no matter what you do, it’s never enough. It could also be correlated to the Dunning-Kruger effect, which claims that highly skilled individuals often underestimate themselves and disregard their achievements, while underskilled people overestimate their abilities due to a lack of awareness.
Source: Linkedin.com
Comparison with others
We tend to compare ourselves with others, forgetting that we never see the whole picture with their struggles and issues. You’re watching your colleague deliver a perfect pitch deck presentation to investors and wondering why it could never be you. But you don’t see that colleague practicing that presentation weeks before the event, doubting themselves or panicking in the elevator before they entered the room.
Lack of recognition
According to Gallup, 40% of employees receive recognition only a few times a year, if not less. And that could be the main reason they question their performance at the workplace because they feel like no one can see their progress.
How to overcome imposter syndrome
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Here are a few strategies that can help you.
Acknowledge and accept negative emotions
Awareness is the first step to overcoming any issue and imposter syndrome is no exception. Instead of running from your negative emotions and distracting yourself with other things, acknowledge them and make a conscious decision that you’re ready to change something.
Challenge your beliefs
Make a list of negative beliefs about yourself and then ask yourself: “Is this 100% true?” Proceed to make a list of evidence that shows that that belief is not 100% true. Or, you can do the opposite. Pick a new belief you want to adopt, and write a list of reasons why that belief could be true for you.
Here’s some food for thought. Check out how Adam Grant, bestselling author and university professor, defines the paradox of the imposter syndrome.
Source: Twitter.com
Think about your values
Imposter syndrome often comes from values that our society, family etc., installed in us from an early age. You may live according to those values today, but are they really your own values?
Do you really value being a hard-working, know-all perfectionist over being a calm person who is satisfied with themselves and their life?
Practice journaling
Journaling can decrease anxiety and it doesn’t cost you anything. Here are a few journaling prompts for dealing with imposter syndrome:
Write down all negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself and then respond to them from a more rational perspective, as if you were talking to a friend.
Try to remember when was the first time you felt incompetent and what led to that. Journal about that situation, how it made you feel, people who were present etc.
Reflect on your accomplishments and list character traits that helped you achieve them.
Talk about it
Find a person you can trust and open up to them. It could be a good friend or family member you’re close to, or you could seek professional help and talk to a therapist.
Treat yourself with compassion
Be patient with yourself. It takes time to overcome imposter syndrome, so you should be proud of yourself for every little step you make. If you had a friend going through the same, how would you treat them? With love and compassion! So do that for yourself too.
For some people, it can be helpful to imagine themselves as a little child with unmet needs and learn how to meet their own needs and validate their feelings today.
Keep track of your wins, big or small
Our brain tends to focus on the negative, so it’s our job to keep reminding it of all the positive things, especially during this phase. Don’t take anything for granted and learn to celebrate your wins, no matter how small they might seem! Keep track of your accomplishments, milestones, compliments you get etc.
Return to the present moment
Deep breathing, meditation and movement are the best ways to ground yourself and return to the present moment. If you start feeling panicky, ask yourself what you need. Sometimes all it takes is taking a quick break or going outside for a breath of fresh air.
What can leaders do to help employees battle imposter syndrome?
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While leaders sometimes unconsciously contribute to developing imposter syndrome, they can also be the ones to enforce positive change in the workplace. Here is how.
Encourage open discussions
People often feel like they’re the only ones struggling with negative emotions, which makes it difficult for them to open up. As a leader, your job is to create a safe space so everyone knows they can talk to you without feeling judged or ashamed.
You can start by providing your own example and sharing a story about the time you felt incompetent and how you overcame it.
Provide positive feedback and recognition
A survey revealed that 82% of employees feel valued when their manager takes time to provide feedback, and that should be enough of a reason to incorporate regular feedback. Also, you don’t have to wait for big accomplishments and milestones to give recognition. Instead, praise your team for putting in the effort.
Set realistic expectations
You should set clear expectations for every team member, using a SMART goal-setting framework to ensure your expectations are realistic and attainable. Make sure to include team members in the goal-setting process and ask them for feedback.
Offer mentorship, guidance and resources
Companies with great cultures often promote lifelong learning and development, both personal and professional. You should do the same by regularly asking your team members whether they need help working on a particular skill.
Here are some ideas:
One-on-one mentoring
Peer mentoring
Skill development workshops
Roadmaps for career advancement within the company
Networking opportunities (e.g., conferences, seminars and industry events)
Learning materials and resources (e.g., articles, books, podcasts, online courses)
Access to subject matter experts
Feedback and coaching
Work-life balance support
Normalize not knowing everything
As a leader, you can set a great example by being vulnerable and showing that you don’t have everything figured out. Explain to your team that no one knows everything, and that’s not what you expect from them. Especially today when accessing information and checking anything you want is so easy.
Support work-life balance and take the pressure off
Remind your team members of the importance of work-life balance and make sure they understand that there’s no pressure to be available 24/7 and that they’re not bad employees because of having a private life and enjoying their time off.
Encourage them not to take themselves so seriously. You might think that doing so will make them care less and make mistakes, but if you’ve hired the right person who is responsible, it will only make them more willing to do a great job without the added pressure that makes us miserable and less creative.
Here’s what the Gap headquarters leadership used to ease the pressure off its team:
Other phrases you could borrow from this thread:
Remember, team, no one ever died in advertising.
Remember, it’s just HR, not the ER!
We’re not saving lives.
Create a culture of inclusion
Encourage open communication and make sure everyone gets a chance to express their opinion and be heard. Celebrate diversity and ensure that your culture is centered around values that are important to your employees and not only based on appreciating hard work.
You could add some meaningful activities as a part of team bonding, where each team member shares their top five values and you discuss them. A step further would be to make your own snapshot boards where each employee shares things, causes and interests that are important to them.
Conclusion
Overcoming imposter syndrome starts with you. It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and admit to your employees that even managers and top executives aren’t immune to the imposter syndrome. But that’s what makes true leaders stand out.
We hope this article provided you with actionable steps you can implement starting today.
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