You’re Better Than You Think: Tips to Overcome Imposter Syndrome at Work
Debbie has been lucky. Or so she thinks. How else can she explain her many successes and promotions at work? It certainly doesn’t have anything to her hard work and skill development, or the relationships that she’s carefully built over the years, does it?
Of course, it does. But you’d be shocked to learn how many Debbies are out there, ascribing their successes to good fortune and their failures to their self-perception of inadequacy. Each raise, promotion or accolade is accompanied by the dread that, one day, their cover will be blown, and everyone will find out that they’ve just been getting lucky time and again.
What Debbie and many others suffer from is an unhealthy dose of impostor syndrome. Impostor syndrome occurs when you believe your inner critic when it tells you that you’ve only succeeded due to luck, and not because of your talent or qualifications.
(This condition was first popularized by psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes in their 1978 research paper. At first, they theorized that women were uniquely affected by impostor syndrome. Since then, research has shown that both men and women experience impostor feelings.)
Not sure how impostor syndrome might affect you? Here are a few examples.
Have you ever wanted to apply for a position that you knew you were qualified for but couldn’t manage to click on the “send” button?
Or declined to be interviewed despite knowing that you were up for the job?
Do you frequently pass off something you’ve done as “easy,” even if you’ve spent a lot of time and effort on it? For example, on completing an assignment successfully you may think, "Well, anyone could do this just as well or better.”
Were you rejected often and/or harshly, as a child, a student or early on in your career? Do you worry that no matter what you do, someone will find fault in your work?
Are you a perfectionist? Do you set unreasonably high goals for yourself and then feel shame or disappointment when you fail?
So, what to do to help you beat impostor syndrome? Here are some tips.
Acknowledge Your Feelings – It’s hard to beat something that you don’t or won’t acknowledge. Call it by it’s (ugly) name and write down any instances of self-doubt or inadequacy. Write them down and try to explain why you're feeling this way. Be as specific as possible about each situation. For example, you might write, “I gave a presentation to the executive team, and even though they praised it, I could see that they weren’t impressed by what I was saying.” Upon further reflection, however, you might come around to the realization that their feedback was sincere and your fears were without merit.
Replace Your Thoughts With New, Better Ones – Next, use cognitive restructuring to counteract your negative thoughts with positive ones. Develop personal affirmations that neutralize those thoughts. Statements such as “I am qualified for this task because…” “I can do this!” “My team respects and values my opinion.” Still not sure if this will work? Imagine yourself telling people you think you have fooled about how you tricked them. How would they likely respond? Would they buy it? They might even be annoyed that you doubt their professional judgment.
Talk It Out with Others – Reach out and talk to people you trust. You very well be surprised by how many others can relate to how you feel. There’s a good chance that they have felt (and may still feel) similarly, despite their many achievements (from your perspective.)
Take More (Calculated) Risks – You can counter the tendency to think about yourself as inadequate by taking more risks. This seems counter-intuitive. However, by taking calculated risks and succeeding, you can build a case against your inner critic.
Understand and Acknowledge Your Strengths and Weaknesses – Build up your confidence by becoming more aware of your strengths and weaknesses. Conduct a Personal SWOT Analysis to discover what you’re best at, and to think about how you can minimize your weaknesses.
Own Your Successes – When you meet a goal or finish an important project, acknowledge that it was your skill and talent that helped make it happen. Practice visualizing success in advance, which will allow you to welcome it when it happens. And then go out and celebrate it when it does.
Keep a record of positive feedback – Practice listening to praise, taking in the compliment, and drawing nourishment from it. Write down why your negative thoughts are false or meaningless and explain why you are qualified or worthy enough for this job. And, if you're a manager, be sure to give praise where it's due, and share positive narratives about successful team members.